Wrestling

Wrestling is the act of physical engagement between two competitors competing for a physical advantage. It is one of the oldest known forms of martial arts, having been documented in the Old Testament and the Mahabharata. As Cultures strived to survive, wrestling became an intrinsic part of many cultures as a practical form of self-defense and military training. Physical techniques which embody the style of wrestling are clinching,  holding,  locking, and leverage. Some popular disciplines which can be considered wrestling styles today are collegiate wrestling, sambo, brazilian jiu-jitsu, sumo wrestling, judo, Greco-Roman wrestling and freestyle wrestling. Wrestling popularity has grown so much at times, market demands for staged wrestling, commonly known as professional wrestling, have been developed.

Etymology
The term wrestling is an Old English word that originated some time before 1100 A.D. It is perhaps the oldest word still in use in the English language to describe hand to hand combat. The Merriam-Webster online dictionary defines wrestling as 'a sport or contest in which two unarmed individuals struggle hand to hand with each attempting to subdue or unbalance the other'.

Wrestling and Grappling
It is common in parts of the English-speaking world to use 'wrestling' (noun) and 'grappling' synonymously although they are not synonyms.

Wrestling in Ancient History
One early (probably circa 1500 BCE) description of wrestling appears in the Old Testament book of Genesis, chapter 32; it depicts the patriarch Jacob wrestling with the Angel, for which Jacob was subsequently renamed Israel. (Israel translates to "wrestles (or struggles) with God".)

The Mahabharata, one of the major Sanskrit epics of ancient India, describes the encounter between the accomplished wrestlers of Bhima and Jarasandha; "grasping each other in various ways by means of their arms, and kicking each other with such violence as to affect the innermost nerves, they struck at each other's breasts with clenched fists. With bare arms as their only weapons roaring like clouds they grasped and struck each other like two mad elephants encountering each other with their trunks".

Shuai Jiao (Chinese Wrestling) is arguably the most ancient of all Chinese martial arts, with a reported history of over 4,000 years. (The date may be legendary, but wrestling was reportedly used by the Yellow Emperor during his fight against the rebel Chih Yiu and his army in 2697 BCE.) During these matches, the combatants reportedly wore horned helmets that they used to gore their opponents while using a primitive form of grappling. This early style of combat was first called Jiao Ti (butting with horns). Throughout the centuries, the hands and arms replaced the horns while the techniques increased and improved. The name Jiao Ti also changed over time, both through common usage and government decree.

According to Scott T. Carroll, the first documented evidence of wrestling in Egypt appeared circa 2300 BCE, on the tomb of the Old Kingdom philosopher Ptahhotep. During the period of the New Kingdom (2000-1085 B.C.), additional Egyptian artwork (often on friezes), depicted Egyptian and Nubian wrestlers competing. Carroll notes striking similarities between these ancient depictions and those of the modern Nuba wrestlers.

During the period of Ancient Greece (1100 to 146 B.C.), Greek Wrestling was a popular form of martial art in which points were awarded for pinning a competitor's back to the ground, forcing a competitor to submit or by forcing a competitor out of bounds (arena). After the Roman conquest of the Greeks, Greek Wrestling was absorbed by the Roman culture and became Roman Wrestling during the period of the Roman Empire (510 B.C. to 500 A.D.).

Wrestling Disciplines
Today, wrestling disciplines are broken down into two categories; International wrestling disciplines and folk wrestling disciplines. According to the International Federation of Associated Wrestling Styles, there are five current International wrestling disciplines acknowledged throughout the world. They are Greco-Roman Wrestling, freestyle wrestling, Sambo, Grappling, Beach Wrestling and Judo.

Greco-Roman Wrestling

 * Main article: Greco-Roman wrestling

Greco-Roman is an International discipline and Olympic sport. "In greco-roman style, it is formally forbidden to hold the opponent below the belt, to make trips and to use actively legs in the execution of any action".

Freestyle Wrestling

 * Main article: Freestyle wrestling

Freestyle wrestling is an International discipline and an Olympic sport. "In free style, it is allowed to hold the legs of the opponent, to make trips and to use actively legs on the execution of any action".

Sambo

 * Main article: Sambo

Sambo (самбо) -- (also called Sombo in the US and sometimes written in all-caps) is a modern martial art, combat sport and self-defense system developed in the former Soviet Union. It was recognized as an official sport by the USSR All-Union Sports Committee in 1938, presented by Anatoly Kharlampiev. FILA accepted Sambo as the third style of international wrestling in 1968, and it formed its own organization, Federation International Amateur Sambo (FIAS), in 1985.

Grappling

 * Main article: Grappling

"Grappling, also called submission wrestling, refers to the gripping, handling, and controlling of an opponent without the use of striking, typically through the application of various grappling holds and counters to various hold attempts. Grappling can be used in both a standing position, where it is known as stand-up grappling, and on the ground, where it is known as ground grappling. Grappling is an essential part of both clinch fighting and ground fighting".

Beach Wrestling
Apparently in a bid to give wrestling greater appeal to television audiences, FILA adopted beach wrestling as an official discipline during 2004-2005. Beach wrestling is standing wrestling done by wrestlers, male or female, inside a sand-filled circle measuring 6 meters in diameter. There are only two weight categories, heavy and light, and the wrestlers wear swimsuits rather than special wrestling uniforms.

Judo

 * Main article: Judo

Judo (柔道), meaning "gentle way", is a modern Japanese martial art (gendai budō) and combat sport, that originated in Japan in the late nineteenth century. Its most prominent feature is its competitive element, where the object is to either throw one's opponent to the ground, immobilize or otherwise subdue one's opponent with a grappling maneuver, or force an opponent to submit by joint locking the elbow or applying a choke.

Folk Wrestling
There are almost as many folk wrestling styles as there are national traditions, because folk wrestling describes a traditional form of wrestling unique to a culture or geographic region of the world. Folk wrestling styles are not yet recognized Internationally. The following list provides examples of wrestling systems that fall into this category.

Wrestling as military training

 * Main article: Military education and training

Wrestling and combat\Military training have shared a close relationship throughout history.

Wrestling as entertainment

 * Main article: Professional Wrestling

The popularity of hand to hand competitions throughout history has at times created a demand for staged wrestling matches.

Wrestling as a martial art
Wrestling has gained tremendous respect among martial arts practitioners, especially with the advent of mixed martial arts competition. Many fighters identify wrestling itself or Submission wrestling as their style of fighting. Wrestling forms the base of some of the most respected self-defense and mixed martial arts systems in the world, such as Shootfighting. It is also used as an important techniques resource by younger grappling systems like Judo, Sambo and Brazilian Jiu-jitsu. Many professional fighters from the United States had competed in collegiate wrestling before their careers.