The Way of Traditional Persian Wrestling Styles

7/30/2019 The Way of Traditional Persian Wrestling Styles

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The Way of Traditional Persian

Wrestling Styles


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Persian traditional wrestling styles are numerous.

They are divided into two main groups:

The styles in which lifting and throwing the opponent is

considered as a victory provided that no part of theexecuting wrestler's body touches the ground.

The styles in which the main factor for victory is pinning the

opponent or bringing his entire back to the ground. Thesestyles are also divided into three different categories:

a) Fall is sufficient to win.

b) Fall is not sufficient to win. But the wrestler should also

touch the ground with his arm or shoulder. In someversions the entire back of the opponent should touch the

ground and the length of the shoulder must be entirely

contingent with the ground.

c) There are also some styles in which the opponent's knee

or arm touching the ground will result in losing the bout.

In some styles application of special local costumes or tools

is a necessity. In addition to folkloric costumes, specialtools such as belt, shawl belt, or a lengthy intense tissuewrapped around the waist, like a cord or a big belt, areapplied in most of the styles.

Another way to categorize Persian traditional wrestling is

accentuating on the quality of the bout. In some stylesoffensive and defensive holds or actions and maneuvers or

struggles are definitive. They enjoy combat features andthe arm and leg attacks are applied.

Again there are styles in which special ceremonies take

place before the bout. These ceremonies vary from warm-

up to religious demonstration and God worship.

In some styles special folkloric musical instruments areplayed to let everyone know of the event of the specific


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traditional wrestling.

Penalties:

1) Grabbing the opponent's hair.

2) Catching the opponent's costume.

3) Grabbing any part of the face.

4) Grabbing the genitals.

5) Inflicting pressure by stepping on the opponent's leg.

6) Causing injury to the opponent's body by the fingernails.

Zurkhaneh Traditional Wrestling (Koshti Pahlevani):

The most accredited and widely recognized Persian

traditional sport is the Zurkhaneh sports (Koshti-Pahlevani) that is widely practiced at national level in

different cities and villages. History of this famous sportdates back to many centuries before.

It is not possible to entirely introduce Zurkhaneh traditionalsport and its different features from such a bird-eye-viewand in a brief article like this.

We hopefully expect that Persian Ancient-Traditional

Wrestling Federation (Roosta Sport)-IZSF (InternationalZurkhaneh Sports Federation), the competent sport

authority in this regard, takes all necessary actions tofurther introduce the glorious traditional sport branches of

Zurkhaneh by performing deep scientific research andinvestigation on the history and gradual completion process

upon passage of many centuries.

Its great impact and effects on human life can bedemonstrated by introducing the veterans practicing thissport, different titles they have achieved, the humanitarian


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services the followers of this fair sport have alwaysrendered to the society as a whole to achieve the Almighty

God's satisfaction & the ethical values concerned should becomprehensively dealt with in their newly designed internet

web site.

Ba-Choukheh style :

Bachoukheh traditional style is widespread all around thelarge eastern province of Khorassan specially in Qochan,Bojnord, Esfaraien, Fariman, and Chenaran. This style is

practiced on wedding ceremonies and other occasions. The

wrestlers wear special costumes which are as follows:

Special trousers which must not be longer than thewrestlers knees. If the wrestlers can not manage to

prepare such trousers, they wear their local trousers by

shortening it up to the knees.

A special jacket named, " Choukheh" which is longer than

an ordinary coat. This costume is without sleeves.Choukheh is usually woven from hard local cotton or wool.

A long tissue, "Shawl" which is applied as a belt. Its

dimension is 150 X 30 cm.

During the competition special musical instruments, Doholand Sorna, are played to let everyone know of the

Bachoukheh competition.

The name of this style, "Bachoukheh", is derived from alocal Kurdish costume. This style is the most accredited

type of the Iranian traditional wrestling with a very longhistory dating back to the foundation of the glorious Iranian

civilization. This sport has now paved its way to furtherprogress beyond the territory of Khorasan Province.

With the effective support of the competent authorities, the

glorious traditional sport "Bachoukheh", comprising greatnational, religious and ethical values that was inherited toour generation from our predecessors, has largely


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developed and progressed. The athletes have participatedin the scenes of different competitions and championships

to gain honor for the country. This type of a traditionalsport has also had a great contribution in promotion and

development of Irans free style wrestling, judo , andkurash sports as well.

On the 14th of Farvardin (the first month of the Iranian

solar calendar beginning with spring), the NationalChampionship of Bachoukheh is organized in Cheshmeh-Zinal Khan of Isfraien. The championship is warmly

welcomed in presence of thousands of enthusiastic

spectators and fans.

A special feature of Bachoukheh style is that "bridge" is notapplied. If the bout is not concluded in the official time,

after a rest, the bout is continued in the extra time.

If a wrestler touches the ground with his shoulder or entire

back, He will be declared as the loser. The elders and

veterans usually judge the competition.

In accordance with the folks and traditions, a sheep isawarded to the winner.

Rules and regulations of Bachoukheh style in KhorassanProvince:

The following weight categories are applied in this style: 65,

75, 85, and +85 kg. without any tolerances.

Competition time for 65, 75, 85 Kg. weight categories is six

minutes, and for +85 kg. is eight minutes.

In case of a draw after the official time, there is anextension of three minutes and winning the first point will

result in victory. If after the extra time, there is still a draw,

the two wrestlers are weighed and the wrestler who weighs

less will be declared as the winner.


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Penalties:

-Passivity

-Holding the opponent's leg below the knees

-To harm the opponent and fleeing from the field

Points:

Par terre position I point

Warning 1 point

Gileh-Mardi Style:

Another important traditional wrestling style is Gileh-Mardi

with an old history.

This style is largely practiced in the two northern Iranian

Provinces along the Caspian Sea.

The history of this style dates back to the era of pre-Mongolattack to Iran.

Gileh-Mardi enjoys special ceremonies and demonstrations.

The opening ceremonies begin with special religious rituals

and God worship. Some of these ceremonies include

stepping towards Mecca and standing in its direction,kissing the ground, looking and jumping upwards that

means approaching the almighty God.

At present, Gileh-Mardi style is usually practiced on theoccasions of wedding ceremonies.

Its practice in public areas starts from June to September

when harvesting the rice fields, i.e. shali-kari is completed.

The competition is usually held in a leveled and soft ground.


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They illustrate all around the field. It usually starts in theevening and may end up after mid-night. During the

competition special musical instruments are played.

At first all wrestlers line up in a column and do special Godworship . After the ceremonies of worship, each wrestler

gets out of the queue and walks or jumps around the field

so that everybody can see him and he himself can also get

acquainted with the spectators. Weight and time is notimportant in this style. The elders and veterans usually

judge the competition.

During the opening ceremonies first the novices, cadets,

and junior athletes wrestle and then the famous wrestlers

appear in the field.

At first a wrestler walks in the field and asks for an

opponent. Another wrestler appears from another directionof the field. The two wrestler approach, and contact each

other by touching their hands (jegal).

If the first wrestler does not want in anyway to fight against

the opponent or thinks that the opponent is not in his classor dignity, or he can not to fight against him, he leaves the

field.

The wrestlers with half-bent bodies approach each otherwaving their hands or their fists.

In case they need a rest, they clap their hands. Throwing

fists towards each other is customary, is among thetechniques, and the opponent must be ready to counter

attack.

Bringing the opponent to the ground in any form will beregarded as the victory. In this style, if a wrestler touches

the ground with a knee or even a hand's finger, he will lose

the match.

The cadet wrestlers are called " tangouleh" and the juniorwrestlers are called, "noucheh".


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The prize is called "Baram", and can be a sheep, a cow,

tissue, or cash prize.

The wrestlers' dresses include long trousers that becometighter on the ankles.

The trousers are specially painted and are called,

"laspareh". Wearing shirts is not customary.

The wrestler whose opponents do not appear on the scene,

or the one who wins them all will be honored by receiving

the title "Pahlavan".

Loucho Style :

Loucho is practiced in the countryside of Amol, Babol and

Ghaemshahr in Mazanderan.

Loucho itself is a long wooden stick with approximate length

of 3 meters. Its diameter is 6 to 12 centimeters. The cashprize is fastened to Loucho. The Loucho is raised in the

venue of the competition and is covered by a special markor tissue that is the symbol of the competition.

Loucho is organized during the leisure time of the villagersin one-day, a few days, or sometimes two weeks.Beforehand, Loucho was arranged during the religious eves,

national occasions, wedding ceremonies, after harvesting

the rice fields or during the local markets.

Organizers are usually the elders and veterans. They

indicate the time and venue of the competition. They invitethe athletes from all neighboring villages. At the opening

ceremonies, they play local musical instruments to leteverybody know of the event.

cash prizes are provided with the assistance of the villagers.

At least three referees who are usually veterans judge theLucho competition. The referee or referees who work in the


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center of the field are called mianmaj.

After the opening ceremonies, and asking for an opponentby one of the wrestlers, each wrestler tries to bring the

whole body or some parts of his opponent's body to theground.

A wrestler who feels subjected to danger claps his two

hands which means stopping the competition. Wrestlers cannot go out of the field. In this style hitting or knocking theopponent is regarded as a penalty.

The winner will collect all of the prizes already fastened to

the Lucho stick, and hand carry the Lucho itself to his

village as a symbol of victory.

Turkamani Style :

Turkamani or Kurash is a popular and widely practiced style

in Turkman areas namely

Gonbad-Kavoos, Bandar Turkaman, Agh-ghola, Gomish-

Tappeh or Gomishan.

Kurash is usually practiced on wedding and other occasions.The weight and time factor are not considered and speed ismore important than strength.

Before the competition, the announcer informs everyone of

the event, and invites the athletes to take part in the

competitions. The competition field is usually a soft ground.

The spectators and fans make a circle around thecompetition field. They sit, and wrestlers of numerous areas

stay in different parts of the field. The elders, veterans andexperts gather, and choose a referee to judge the

competition. The referee invites the wrestlers to the field.

He announces the prize called bayragh.

Bayragh is usually cash money or several meters oftissue. An athlete enters the field, and asks for an


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opponent. His opponent enters the field from anotherdirection, and declares his preparedness to fight. The

referee asks both athletes to wrestle in center of the field.He gives a shawl belt to each wrestler.

Each wrestler has to tighten his shawl belt under close

supervision of the referee. The wrestlers' initial position is

grasping each other's shawl belt from the back.

The wrestlers start the bout after receiving the referee'ssignal. A wrestler will loose the bout if his hand or knee

touches the ground. Different leg attacks are applied in this

style.

Wrestling with Shawl :

Wrestling with shawl is another style practiced in

Mazanderan Province namely in Behshahr. It is practiced atthe beginning of spring season and on wedding occasions.

On the date of competition, the invited villagers fromdifferent villages gather in a soft levelled field that is

covered with soil or lawn. Lots of flowers, fruits, and coneshaped sugar called kaleh ghand are brought before the

competition.

Supervision and arrangement of the competition are amongthe duties of a veteran. The supervisor receives the prizes,

i.e. sheep, cow, tissue, cash money, etc. from the local

sponsors and hands them over to the winner. Shawl belts

are used by both wrestlers. The shawl is tightly tightenedaround the wrestler's waist, and its remainder is wrapped

as a circle around his high right or left hip that is held byhis opponent at the beginning of the bout. The winner will

be the wrestler who can bring his opponent's entire back orknee to the ground.


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Kamarbandi Wrestling Style :

This folkloric wrestling style is practiced in Isfahan Province,specially in the countryside of Faridan where it is very

popular.

The villagers gather on sunny winter days during their

leisure time. All neighbors gather in the sunny spots and

closely follow the competition. The athletes wrestle on softpaved hills.

In this style the time and weight factors are not considered,

and a bout may even take a few hours. The two wrestlers

fasten their belts and start their struggle. The wrestler who

can lift and throw his opponent to the ground will be thewinner.

Ashirma Wrestling style :

Ashirma is another traditional wrestling style practiced

around Khoy in East Azarbaijan Province. The competition isarranged in an open area on a soft ground.

During warming-up and the opening ceremonies special

local musical instruments are played to let everyone knowof the Ashirma. In this style the weight factor is notconsidered.

A veteran judges the entire bout. The two wrestlers fasten

their belts after warm-up. The judge examines their belts to

assure that they are tightly fastened.

The wrestler who first grasps his opponent's belt, lifts andthrows him on the floor will be the winner. In the process of

the competition, the religious interests and faith in ethicalvalues is demonstrated in form of God Worship.


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Hands under- hand up wrestling style ( Dast-zhir,

Dast-Bala) :

This wrestling style with a history of one thousand years is

practiced in the villages around Ilam province. The twowrestlers stand in front of each other. The first wrestler

puts his hand under his opponents hand. He puts his other

hand on the shoulder of the opponent. The second wrestler

does the same.

After receiving the judges signal, the wrestlers begin the

bout. The winner is the wrestler who brings his opponent's

entire back to the ground.

As customary in all other traditional wrestling styles, thewinner is awarded with cash prizes or prizes such as a

sheep or tribal costumes.

Maghli Wrestling Style :

This style is practiced in Shahr-e-kord of Chahar-Mahal &Bakhtiari Province, and is usually carried out between the

members of the two tribes on wedding ceremonies. Thewinner is awarded a sheep. The competition will be on a

soft field covered by soil or natural lawn. The two wrestlersstand against each other in a defensive or offensiveposition.

The wrestlers put their hands on each other's shoulders. In

this style the wrestling techniques such as waist lock and

leg attacks are widely practiced.

Bringing the opponent's entire back to the ground isconsidered as victory.

Baghal-Be-Baghal wrestling Style :

This style is practiced in some villages of Qazvin Province.

It is usually held on wedding ceremonies. The villagersfollow the event with great enthusiasm and interest. Thelocal veterans judge the competition.


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When the wrestlers are training or warming up special

musical instruments are played to let everyone know thecompetition is taking place. The villagers sit around a circle

in the competition venue and the wrestlers start the bout inthe center of this circle. The young wrestlers wear

traditional costumes. The two wrestlers enter the field.

They approach each other.

The wrestlers must be quite alert to step backward orforward quickly otherwise the careless wrestler will be

cheated, and attacked by his opponent. The wrestlers may

also hit each other on some parts of their bodies. After this

preparation, the wrestlers will start their actual struggle by

making use of a good situation to grab any part of theopponent's body. The winner is always the wrestler who can

bring his opponent's entire back to the ground and roll

himself on his chest.

Desert Wrestling ( Kaviri) :

Kaviri is another traditional wrestling style that is widely

practiced in Kerman Province. The wrestlers wear normalclothing, and start the bout after fastening their belt.

The veterans and the elders judge the competition. Thisstyle is very similar to free style wrestling, but there are noweight and time factors. An important hold or action is the

leng-e-kaviri, i.e. a kind of a leg attack. The winner is

always the wrestler who can bring his opponent's entire

back to the ground.

Zouran-Patouleh :

As a local traditional wrestling style Zouran is usuallyarranged on natural lawn or on a soft field in Kurdestan

Province. The wrestlers wear local costume, and stand in

different guards against each other. They grasp the shawl

belt of each other by two hands and start moving around tooverthrow the opponents equilibrium, and to pin him.During the bout each wrestler can put his foot between his


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opponent's feet and lock him (Pashghol) and by inflictingpressure on his chest, can throw, and lift his opponent to

pin him in such a way that his entire back touches theground.

Zouran-Machkeh :

This style is very near to "Zouran Patouleh". The wrestlers

stand against each other, and grab each other's arm byboth hands. Each wrestler tries to inflict strength and to pinhis opponent. During the bout each wrestler can put his foot

between his opponent's feet to lock him.

Dasteh-Baghal Style :

Dasteh-Baghal style is widespread in Arsanjan in Fars

Province where it is very popular. In this style the wrestlers

who are approximately in the same weight groups wrestleagainst each other. The weight tolerance may not be more

than 5 kg.

In this style a loss or victory in a sole bout is not sufficient,

and the wrestlers must wrestler against each other threetimes to declare the winner of the bout by considering the

highest result of a bout.

At the beginning of the bout the wrestlers kiss the groundand by resorting to Ali, the first Imam of the Shiite

Moslems, and by kissing each other's face.

The spectators encourage the wrestlers by "Salavat", i.e.the religious motto of the Moslems to Mohammad, the

Messenger of God. The wrestlers wear long white shirts,black pajamas, "givehs" that are local comfortable shoes,

and their shawl belts.


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Penalties:

Grabbing the hair of the opponent.

Catching the opponent's costume.

Grabbing any part of the face.

Grabbing the genitals.

Inflicting pressure by stepping on the opponent's leg.

Causing injury on the opponent's body by nails.

Catch-Gardan :

This style is currently practised in the countryside of Zabol

in Sistan & Baluchestan Province. The two wrestlers enterthe field wearing their local costumes and shawl belts, and

begin the bout. The wrestler who pins his opponent will be

the winner.

The factors of time and weight are not considered, and about may take many hours. The winner is usually awarded

a sheep.

Under-up style wrestling (Zhir-o-Bal) :

This traditional wrestling style is practiced in the Kurdish

regions, " Kalhor", Gilan-e-Gharb, Islam Abad-e-Gharb in

the western part of Kermanshah, and it is very similar tothegreco-roman style.

The competition is held in an open area. The spectators

make a circle around the wrestlers. The two wrestlers standin front of each other. The wrestlers put their hands under

their opponent's arm. The wrestlers' other hand is in the

hand to hand position.

The judge is usually an elder or a veteran. After receivingthe judges signal, the wrestlers start the bout. Holding legs


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is not authorized. Inserting one's foot between theopponent's feet or executing any hold or action through the

legs is forbidden.

The winner is the wrestler who can lift or inflict pressure onhis opponent's waist leading to his fall. As customary in all

other traditional wrestling styles, the winner is awarded

with cash prizes or such things as a sheep or a cow. The

spectators may also give special cash prizes to the winner.

Check-Chisht Style :

Check-Chisht is another popular traditional style practiced

in Nour, Noushahr, and Kajour. At the beginning of the

competition local musical instruments are played to informeveryone about the event. The competition is held in an

open area. The spectators make a circle around the

wrestlers.

First, a wrestler walks around the field and performs special

religious rituals in the form of jumping up and down. He willthen ask for an opponent. His opponent enters the field.

They shake hands, walk around the circle, and performspecial God worship in the form of jumping up and down.

The wrestlers shake hand once again, and a veteran givesthe signal to start. The wrestlers change their levels, wavehands from both sides, and throw their hands or fists

towards each other. They approach each other, and take

different offensive and defensive positions. Sometimes they

grasp each other's hand, and try to perform special holds oractions.

In case a wrestler needs to rest, he claps. This signal is

usually before their full struggle. Pinning an opponent is notcustomarily a victory, but lifting and throwing him from the

ground will lead to victory. The winner asks for other

opponents as long as he can continue.


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Kamari Style :

This style is very old. It was usually held on weddings,

festivities, leisure time, and after harvesting on winter

nights. The wrestlers were usually Ghezel-Bash Turks. Anathlete entered the field, performed special maneuvers, andasked for an opponent. If an opponent was available, they

wrestled. Time and weight were not considered in this style.

Both wrestlers used shawl belts. Each wrestler had to

tighten his shawl belt under the special supervision of tworeferees who were usually veterans. The wrestlers grasped

each other's shawl belt from the backside, and started the

bout after receiving the referee's signal. If a wrestlertouched the ground with one or two shoulders, he would

have lost the bout. Attacks were only authorized on the

upper part of the body. Prizes such as a sheep or a cowwere delivered to the winner by the organizers. After a few

rounds if there was a draw both wrestlers received theprizes.

Lashgarkeshi style :

Although Lashgarkeshi was regarded as a group game, but

in fact it was a special ceremony to organize group

wrestling in Yazd Province. This game was usually held on

holidays.

On holidays, about 40 to 50 youngsters usually less than 20years old gathered from each region to wrestle. The

youngsters of each region accompanied their own coach orwrestling supervisor. The supervisors were usually the

authorized veterans enjoying good physical and ethical

conditions. The wrestlers made a circle around the field.

The wrestlers of each region formed half of this circle. Thetwo coaches stood in the center of the field, and asked theirmost elite novices to wrestle against each other. The two


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coaches judged the bout.

The bout took place in the standing position, and the winnerwas the wrestler who could lift, throw his opponent, and pin

him by using a special hold. The winner stood in his place towrestle with any other probable opponents whose number

sometimes reached to 10.

The region that could collect more team points wasregarded as the winner. The same competition was heldwithin one week then.

Lori Style :

This style is currently practiced by different tribes inLorestan Province. Its local name is (Dast-e-Zir-Bala) or

(Safoneh). It enjoys a very long history.

The wrestlers wear local costumes without shoes. At the

opening ceremonies, special musical instruments are played

to inform everyone about the event.

In this style, none of the wrestlers are authorized toexecute a hold by grabbing the opponent's leg by hand. The

hands are only used for executing holds on the opponent'shands, and the legs are used for executing holds on theopponent's leg.

The wrestlers can grab each other dress during the bout. In

case no result is obtained in the official time, the bout is

continued without any rest.

Jang or Jouran :

In Lori or Bakhtiari language Jang or Jouran means war.This style is currently practiced in the villages of Aligoudarz.

After the Mongolian attack, this style was introduced as a

self-defense sport between the tribes.

The competition field is a piece of land with an approximatearea of 20 x 20 meters depending on the number of the


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black tribal black camps (Siah-Chador) and the spectatorsor fans attending the competition.

The competition is usually held in front of the Siah-Chador

or tribal black camps. The spectators arrive on the date andtime already fixed.

Two wrestlers who are in the same weight categories enterthe center of the field. They wear local costumes. Aftershaking hands, their hands make a circle around their

waists. They lock each other's hands in right and left

directions. After taking this initial position, they start

strength activities on each other's shoulders, sides, or

waists.

They can either put their heads on each other's shoulders

or move them. This bout may take one hour. The winner isa wrestler who can pin his opponent. The spectators usually

encourage the wrestlers. A sheep is awarded to the winner

of the bout.

PAHLEVANI RESEARCH INSTITUTEChicago,IL.USA.


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Khashayar SarrafiWrestling Strength-Conditioning Coach

University of ChicagoPhysical Education & Athletics

[email protected]@uchicago.edu

NORTHWESTERN UNIVERSITY

Sports Performance & AthleticsMaster Trainer-Wrestling Strength & Conditioning [email protected]

www.NUsports.com

www.fitrec.northwestern.edu

Director of Strength-ConditioningShanghai University-Sports Research Center

Director Zurkhaneh & Psychology of Movement in Pahlevani

Wrestling StudiesCollege of Physical Education

House of Wrestling Head Coach

[email protected]

IZSF-Scientific & Cultural Executive Committee Member

USA Zurkhaneh Studies RepresentativeUSA Pahlevani Wrestling Team [email protected]@Gmail.com

www.IZSF.org

Documents

The Way of Traditional Persian Wrestling Styles