Wrestling exists in many forms. There are sportive forms, in which the
practitioners attempt to compete for points before judges and must play
within a set of prescribed rules. Many of these sportive forms are unique to
a particular culture or civilization, while other forms have gained world-
wide acceptance and have been introduced into Olympic competition. Con-
temporary martial arts practitioners use combative forms of wrestling, and
the police and military forces of many nations employ wrestling to supple-
ment armed combat. Combative wrestling is used for self-defense purposes
in environments where there are no rules. Sacred forms of wrestling are
used as religious ceremonies or only practiced during religious festivals or
holidays. There are even forms of wrestling that are only used for secular
holidays and festivals.
There is no universal agreement as to the origin of wrestling. How-
ever, mammals of all types engage in some kind of close-in grappling when
they fight. Bears hug each other in fierce grips, attempting to bite and crush
their opponents. Felines, ranging from housecats to the great lions and
tigers, close with each other and attempt to encircle their opponents with
their fore and back legs. Primates are known to wrestle with one another
both in play and in combat. The closest human relatives in the animal king-
dom—gorillas, chimpanzees, and orangutans—have been observed to
throw their fellows when playing in moves that are remarkably similar to
Wrestling and Grappling: Europe 711Two wrestlers at the University of Washington, ca. 1920. (University of Washington Special Collections)