KURASH

Battle Wrestling

An integral part of our Grappling programme:

7-9 P.M. Mon & Wed. 

11:30-12:30 Saturday.

Kurash Canada

President: Mickey Dimic

Vice-President: Rob Martino

Contact Kurash Canada:

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Coaches: Mark Simon; Rob Martino; Chris Miller.

THE CANADIAN OPEN KURASH CHAMPIONSHIPS are held every year at Hamilton, Ontario in JUNE.

HSMA is currently applying to the International Kurash Association to become the home of Kurash Canada.

Why do Kurash?

1. Real, ancient, battle and time-tested rules nearly universally adopted by warriors all over the globe, all through history.  (PROVEN UTILITY)
   
2. A fun, safe, healthy, easy to learn, FAST-paced, action-packed sport, exciting to play and to watch.  (ENJOYMENT)
   
3. Keeps the spine in a mostly upright position and involves a lot of foot and leg work, gripping and fluid body movements: therefore a very healthy and natural way to strengthen the body.  (HEALTH)
4. A very popular international sport, especially in Asia and Africa.  Part of the Asian Games.  (WORLD WIDE APPEAL)
5. While there is certainly great complexity in the play, the rules and techniques are very simple. It is terrifically easy to referee and to take part in, and it is a sport you can get good at very fast! (SIMPLICITY)
6. Using the Yakhtak (wrestling jacket and pants) means that there is little to no skin or sweat contact. (CLEANLINESS)

For the official book of Kurash click here.

Introduction

Kurash is an ancient form of wrestling practiced almost everywhere in the world. Its origins seems to be quite militaristic, and its rules reflect battlefield considerations, such as the prohibitions on bending down to grab the legs and continuing the fight on the ground, since in ancient battles bent-over troops couldn't see what was going on around them, and downed troops tended to be killed rather quickly. Athletes are required to keep a mostly upright posture, gripping on the upper body, and letting the legs and hips do the tripping and blocking. There being very little time or reason for submission techniques in war due to armour and weapons being used, these are also banned to prevent bad habits from developing.

Upright grappling was a very common part of ancient and medieval battles because most weapons of war relied on at least a few feet of space of 'wind-up' to be effective for slashing or stabbing, such as swords and spears.  When closer to each other than a few feet, the warriors would "come to grips", meaning they were so close their long weapons were mostly ineffective, and they would have to grapple with each other.  The first one thrown to the ground would be easily stabbed by either the thrower or another soldier, since there was now space to stab him or her with the spear, sword or other weapon. 

The good sense of the Kurash rules is borne out by the fact that they are found in almost all traditional wrestling styles on the globe, from Asia to Europe to Africa to the Americas.

The result, however is not just an excellent combative training system for ancient and medieval warriors, but a remarkably fast-paced and spectacular modern sport, which avoids many of the pitfalls of modern grappling events by keeping the fighting upright and therefore mobile and fast-paced.
Another great thing about Kurash is the fact that anyone who wants to can do it.  Club and individual memberships in the national organization are open to all.  Anyone can be a competitor and anyone can take part and get others to join in the fun.  It is also a fantastic combat sport to complement other martial arts or sports you may train at.

Self-Defence

History

Kurash (upright jacket wrestling) is in some ways a very modern sport. It was as recently as September 6th 1998 that the International Kurash Association was formed in Tashkent, Uzbekistan. However, the sport itself predates history, and seems to have been practiced almost everywhere by nearly every culture on the globe. Its rules are simple, perhaps instinctive even: to make your opponent fall down. The first player to fall down loses. The reason for kurash's popularity and why it was promoted and even mandated by military and civic leaders in so many places through history is because of its usefulness as military training. In old battles and skirmishes, falling down meant almost certain death from weapon stabs, whereas staying on your feet kept you mobile, able to use your weapons, and to attack, retreat, rescue or defend as need be. Having good balance and sure footing made you a much better warrior.
Besides good balance, kurash also develops quick reflexes, rapid footwork, fluid evasive and attacking movements, and of course builds plenty of strength, endurance, stamina and courage.

Timur (a.k.a. Tamerlane 1336-1405 A.D.)

Upright wrestling was a universal training method for a great many military forces through time. Tamerlane, the Uzbek Amir who conquered much of Asia, had his troops train constantly in kurash.  Chinese armies had their troops train in Shuai Jiao, Japanese samurai practiced Sumo, Korean warriors Ssirum, Mongolian warriors in their form of upright wrestling, Arab, African, Indian, Mesoamerican, South American and Medieval European armies in similar styles. Many Kung Fu movements are traceable to Shuai Jiao. Okinawan Karate exponents also practiced their form of Sumo.
Another aspect of upright wrestling is that it often involves the wearing of clothing representative of battle-garb or typical civilian wear. In some cases this might be as simple as a belt, in others full-body outfits. The amount of mandated clothing seems to depend somewhat on the climate of the areas in question. Since in battles and skirmishes enemies would be wearing armour or clothing of some kind, it made sense to train to fight while wearing similar garments.

Grades

Grading encourages Canadian Kurash players to develop their skills to the best of their ability, and provides a guided focus to learning.  There are five grades: Beginner, Novice, Intermediate, Advanced and Instructor.  More detail regarding these on page two.

The Rules of Kurash

For the full rules, click here for a printable version.

While staying on your feet and gripping your opponent's upper body, belt and jacket anywhere you like, try to trip and throw him or her to the ground.

Uniform

• Judogi ("Yakhtak"):
• White pants
• Red belt
• Blue or green jacket to differentiate competitors 

Bowing-In

• Bow to your partner placing your right fist over your left breast.

Points

• Try to throw your opponent to his or her back to win immediately ("Khalol").
• If you throw him or her to his or her side, you get a half-score ("Yonbosh"). Two of these add up to a win.
• If you throw your opponent weakly to his or her side, or to his or her thigh, buttocks or belly you get a minor score ("Chala"), which does not add up to immediate victory.

Penalties

• Stay on your feet. Don't go down to your knee (penalty).
• Don't bend down to grab the opponent's legs with your arms (penalty). According to ancient sources this is a bad habit for the battlefield, since you can get stabbed easily this way.  Also, you cannot see the battlefield well when bent down.  In modern terms, it makes for slow, overly defensive and boring matches.
• No submissions (penalty). There was little time for these in ancient battles.  Just throw your opponent down.
• Don't step out of the fighting area on purpose (penalty).

In Case of No Score at Half Time: The JAZO Rule

If at half time (in a 5 minute match, this will be at the 2:50 mark) there is no score or penalty of any kind yet, the competitors take a belt grip with both hands. The right hand under the opponent's left arm and the left hand under the opponent's right arm. The distance between the two hands should be about 20 centimeters. You have to be upright and chest to chest. You have 5 seconds to initiate a throw. If you do not try to throw or you let go of the belt with either hand then you get a penalty. In jazo, there will either be a penalty or a throw rather quickly. Once a score of one kind or other is attained, the match resumes as normal until the end of match time or someone wins outright with a Khalol score.

In Case of a Tie at the End of the Match

• The one with the least penalties wins.
• If the scores are still even, the last scorer wins.
• If the scores are all penalties and they are tied, the last one penalized loses.
• If there have been no scores awarded of any kind, the referees decide on the winner by majority vote.

For the official rules CLICK HERE.

Techniques

(Given with Judo equivalents in brackets for convenience)

• Outer Leg Recoil (O Soto Gari)
• Front Ankle Sweep (Harai Tsurikomi Ashi)
• Side Ankle Sweep (Okuri Ashi Harai)
• Inner Heel Sweep (Ko Uchi Gari)
• Front Tripping (Tai Otoshi)
• Outer Sickle Throw (De Ashi Harai)
• Inner Sickle Throw (O Uchi Gari)
• Outer Hip Reaping (Harai Goshi)
• Inner Thigh Reaping (Uchi Mata)
• Carrying Cross-Back Throw (Morote Seoi Nage)
• Sleeves Grip Carrying Cross-Back Throw (Sode Tsurikomi Goshi)
• Cross-Shoulder Throw (Ippon Seoi Nage)
• Cross-Hip Throw (Tsurikomi Goshi)
• Backward Cross-Chest Winding Throw (Ura Nage)
• Inner Shin Entwine Throw (Kawazu Gake)
  

Ask questions about Kurash here (regarding prospective club or individual memberships in Kurash Canada, annual Canadian Open Kurash Championships, Gradings, Rules etc):
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Member Clubs:

The Grizzly Gym

Also, please visit the:
International Kurash Association