GLOBAL GLIMA : PART II

Thanks to a spreading familiarity with Glima; via the web and the international mixed fighting conferences, young fighters around the world are picking up Glima today. There is a growing interest to learn more about this honorable martial art. Much more can be learned about the practice of Glima today online at sites such as the Martial Arts School Finder, an excellent resource to learn about Glima as well as the other martial arts mentioned. For more about the history of Glima, you may wish to read the information at http://ejmas.com/jwma/articles/2000/jwmaart_kautz_0100.htm

“Lausataksglíma” is the more aggressive version of the sport. It differs in many ways from other styles of glima and comes in two main forms: A version for self-defense and a version for rough competition. In either all kinds of wrestling techniques are allowed but in the friendly version they executed in fashion so they won’t cause the opponent injury. In a friendly match, the winner is the one who is still standing when the other is laid out on the ground. In cases where both the opponents fall to the ground together, the match continues more like traditional wrestling, on the ground. The opponents then employ techniques intended to keep the other down while getting up one.

In any version, the uniform is the same. Each of the wrestlers wears a standardized belt around the waist and separate, additional belts on the lower thighs of each leg. These connect to the main belt with vertical straps. A fixed grip is then taken with one hand in the belt and the other in the trousers at thigh height. From this position the glima-wrestler attempts to trip and throw his opponent to the mat. A thrown wrestler may attempt to land on his feet and hands. If he is able to catch himself, he has not lost the fall - similar to the way in boxing, if a knocked down fighter is able to rise within ten seconds, the fight continues. The winning condition in this type of glima is to make the opponent touch the ground with an area of the body between the elbow and the knee. Traditionally, the judges favor technique over strength when selecting the winner of a match. It is a strategic style of fighting - with elements of planning as in chess. Please see our related articles about strategies in Martial Arts at Martial Base.