The national sport of Turkey is known as Yagh Gures, or "greasy wrestling." Fighters cover themselves in olive oil to decrease their opponent's ability to get hold of them and pin them. They wear only a pair of leather trunks known as the kispet. Participation in this sport is a form of strenuous, though sometimes brutal, exercise.
Training
Gym memberships and weight lifting are rare in Turkey. Instead, wrestlers train simply by wrestling. Unlike other forms of wrestling, which take place in an indoor ring, traditional Turkish wrestling is staged in a grassy field, so that is where wrestlers practice. A wrestling club will go out into a nearby field, where the teacher schools his disciples in grappling techniques, throws and pins. Small wrestling events throughout the year are an additional form of training for the main event, an annual tournament called the Kirkpinar or "Forty Springs."
Pins
There are several ways to pin an opponent in Turkish wrestling. The most common pin is putting an opponent on his back, or in a more colorful phrase, "exposing the umbilicus to heaven," according to Dr. Donald Stewart Miller, who owns the company Forty Springs Video, a U.S. distributor of Turkish wrestling films. Another acceptable pin is the crush, where the victorious wrestler traps the opponent on his stomach, with his face pressed into the grass. A third type of pin is the carrying pin. This involves slinging an opponent over your shoulder and carrying him for at least five paces in any direction.
The Peshrev
The peshrev, which means "to walk forward," according to the Turkish website Bash Pelivanns, is a ritual exercise that precedes each wrestling bout. The combatants line up side by side, then advance forward while swinging their arms and legs in accompaniment to traditional music. This is followed by a period of kneeling in the grass and making symbolic gestures toward Allah as the crowd cheers on their favored wrestler. Finally, with a mutual neck-hold in the center of the arena, the match is ready to begin.
Techniques
In traditional Turkish wrestling, a wrestler can put a hold on his opponent in either a standing or supine position. Punches and even slaps with the open hand are allowed, though the referee may stop the fight if fisticuffs replace wrestling. Reaching inside an opponent's leather trunks to trap him in one place is a common strategy. One flamboyant standing hold, the paca kazik, involves grabbing the opponent by one leg and hoisting him above the ground.
Member Comments