Alexandra Baudhuin
Coach Schnell
Pre-Ap english
History of Wrestling
Wrestling is mankind’s oldest and greatest sport. It’s one of few sports that everyone in the world can understand. There aren’t many people in the world who haven’t wrestled around or “roughhoused” with siblings and friends. The desire to test one’s strength and physical ability is natural, kids everywhere do it for fun! What really sets wrestlers apart from others is the history behind this sport, it's like no other sport in the world.
For the Greeks, wrestling was a science and a divine art, and it represented the most important training for young men. Athletes wrestled with their bodies coated with olive oil and covered themselves with a layer of very thin sand to protect the skin from sunlight or from the cold during winter. After wrestling, they took off this layer by scraping it off with a tool called strigil, then washed themselves with clear water (History of Wrestling). These fights were more similar to those of freestyle wrestling than any other type known today. The competitor who first threw his opponent or brought him down either on his back, hips, chest, knees or elbows was proclaimed winner. Wrestlers had come out of the arenas with broken bones, blood shed, limbs torn off, and in many cases, dead. This was considered an entertainment to people in the stands, watching as men beat and kill another just for their pride and survival.
Though, the first real traces of the development of wrestling dates back to the times of the Sumerians, 5000 years ago. Historians and many others believe that the civilization was actually influenced by animal nature. “If you’ve ever watched lion cubs, you’ll see they’ll grapple with each other for fun. This builds their strength, agility, and improves their survival skills. It would be no surprise if the people discovered this new way of fighting through animals. How couldn’t they?” (Baudhuin). Drawings, as well as many other signs have also shown proof of wrestlers in even Ancient Egypt. Their forms included wrestling rules and refereeing codes, many of which are still used today such as the rules and boundaries (History of Wrestling).
Although wrestling is a very intense sport and sort off put aside, pushing wrestling away was like pushing away your life, back then. Now, wrestling is world known and practiced in almost every country. Though, the greatest lesson you learn is "...it teaches you to get off your back" (Baudhuin). And as Dan Gabel always said, "Once you've wrestled, everything else in life is easy."
For the Greeks, wrestling was a science and a divine art, and it represented the most important training for young men. Athletes wrestled with their bodies coated with olive oil and covered themselves with a layer of very thin sand to protect the skin from sunlight or from the cold during winter. After wrestling, they took off this layer by scraping it off with a tool called strigil, then washed themselves with clear water (History of Wrestling). These fights were more similar to those of freestyle wrestling than any other type known today. The competitor who first threw his opponent or brought him down either on his back, hips, chest, knees or elbows was proclaimed winner. Wrestlers had come out of the arenas with broken bones, blood shed, limbs torn off, and in many cases, dead. This was considered an entertainment to people in the stands, watching as men beat and kill another just for their pride and survival.
Though, the first real traces of the development of wrestling dates back to the times of the Sumerians, 5000 years ago. Historians and many others believe that the civilization was actually influenced by animal nature. “If you’ve ever watched lion cubs, you’ll see they’ll grapple with each other for fun. This builds their strength, agility, and improves their survival skills. It would be no surprise if the people discovered this new way of fighting through animals. How couldn’t they?” (Baudhuin). Drawings, as well as many other signs have also shown proof of wrestlers in even Ancient Egypt. Their forms included wrestling rules and refereeing codes, many of which are still used today such as the rules and boundaries (History of Wrestling).
Although wrestling is a very intense sport and sort off put aside, pushing wrestling away was like pushing away your life, back then. Now, wrestling is world known and practiced in almost every country. Though, the greatest lesson you learn is "...it teaches you to get off your back" (Baudhuin). And as Dan Gabel always said, "Once you've wrestled, everything else in life is easy."
Research Connection
I wrote my expository paper using information I gained through researching my topic. One example of this would be, "Athletes wrestled with their bodies coated with olive oil and covered themselves with a layer of very thin sand to protect the skin from sunlight or from the cold during winter." This fact came straight from the website called, "History of Wrestling". I included this to give another perspective on how wrestling has evolved through time. Now a days, we do not coat ourselves with olive oil. Another example is from my interview which says, "...it teaches you to get off your back." This came from my dad who has had lots of experience on the mat and gave me lots of useful information. This gave me a perfect way to show the meaning behind wrestling. All my research was incorporated into my expository paper, allowing me to write a factual yet interesting expository.