Think you know Greco?
Greco-Roman 101
Article by Mark Palmer
Photos by Danielle Hobeika and Al
Ask most Americans about Greco-Roman wrestling, and they’ll say, “It’s all Greek to me.”
That may be understandable. After all, most of us in the U.S. are most familiar with folkstyle, the brand of wrestling we see in our local high schools and colleges.
For many loyal amateur wrestling fans, freestyle and Greco-Roman are wrestling styles they’ve only seen on TV during the Olympics. And, of those two Olympic styles, freestyle seems a bit more familiar because it “looks” more like what we typically see in our local high school gyms and college arenas.
Even though many of us may not be as familiar with Greco-Roman wrestling, it’s worthy of our full attention. It has its own unique rules. Its own great athletes. And, sadly, right now, its own threat against its very existence.
Rulon Gardner, the 2000 Olympic Gold Medalist, wrestling one of the opponents in his pool at the 2003 Dave Schultz International Greco grapplers you probably know.
At the Summer Olympics in Sydney in 2000, the U.S. Greco-Roman grapplers brought home three medals, one of the best showings ever from a U.S. wrestling team. Wrestling veteran Matt Lindland realized a longtime dream by earning a silver medal at 76 kg/167.5 lb weight class, and twenty-year-old Garrett Lowney –who had yet to wrestle an official college match for his University of Minnesota -- surprised many throughout the world with his bronze medal as a light-heavyweight (97 kg/214 lbs). Of course, the biggest surprise of all was from Wyoming dairy farmer Rulon Gardner, who shocked the world by defeating Russia’s Alexander Karelin to win the gold for the U.S. at super-heavyweight (up to 130 kg/286 lbs).Karelin is known as “the Siberian Tiger” and “the Experiment” for his massively muscular frame, relentless attacking style, and frighteningly powerful reverse body lift that literally threw a hapless opponent over his shoulders to land with a thud on the mat (sometimes on his head). Before his loss to Gardner, the Russian super-heavyweight had a winning streak going back to 1987. In addition to the silver medal earned at the 2000 Games, Karelin had garnered a record three Olympic gold medals (1988, 1992 and 1996), and a string of seven world titles. He is considered by many to be the greatest Greco Roman wrestler ever.
Other Greco-Roman greats whose names you might recognize include two U.S. stars from the 1996 Atlanta Olympics: Brandon Paulson, silver medallist at 54 kg/119.5 lbs, and Dennis Hall who also earned silver at 58 kg/128 lbs. U.S. heavyweight Dennis Koslowski has two Olympic medals in his collection – silver from the 1992 Games, and bronze from the 1988 Games. Rodney Smith brought home bronze in 1992 at 69 kg/152 lbs. The 1984 Los Angeles Olympics had a trio of U.S. Greco-Roman medallists: James Martinez (69 kg/152 lbs), current U.S. Greco coach Steve Fraser (gold medal-winner at light-heavyweight), and TV wrestling commentator Jeff Blatnick (super-heavyweight gold medallist) who had battled cancer only two years earlier.
One Greco grappler’s story.
Ethan Bosch, the 2002 U.S. Open Greco-Roman National Champion at 84kg/185 lbs, was introduced to Greco in what seems like a spur-of-the-moment decision.“At the end of my freshman year in high school, I was participating in the New York State Games as a freestyle wrestler,” says Bosch. “I didn’t place. Someone said, ‘Why don’t you stay and wrestle in the Greco-Roman tournament the next day.’ I had never wrestled Greco, but I thought, ‘Why not?’ There were nine guys in my weight class, and I came in fourth. Because another Greco wrestler surrendered his spot because he also placed in the freestyle tournament, I earned a chance to compete at the Junior Nationals in Greco.”
“As I tell anyone considering Greco, once you get past the initial concerns, it’s OK,” says Bosch. “It’s almost a different sport. But making the move from folkstyle to freestyle is a jump, and freestyle to Greco is a similar jump.”
Ethan Bosch (right) grapples with Brad Vering in the 84 kg finals of the 2002 World Team Trials Bosch has been actively involved in John and Ben Peterson’s Camp of Champs wrestling camp in Wisconsin since 1996. “At the camp I encourage kids to wrestle Greco, to experience it for themselves, and see the benefits,” says Bosch. “I want them to develop hand-fighting skills that are so critical to Greco-Roman wrestling. I want them to experience being in control. They learn 2-on-1s and underhooks that put them in control – not much their opponents can do against that.”
“Greco also helps young wrestlers gain mat sense,” Bosch adds. “With Greco, wrestlers learn when they’re about to be headlocked, or thrown. Greco guys have the experience not to fall for an end-of-match desperation move from an opponent which could turn the match against them.”
When asked to discuss the differences between Greco and other wrestling disciplines, the Syracuse University graduate says, “The stance is different. While on your feet, there’s a more restrictive offense because you can’t attack your opponent’s legs.” Bosch adds, “Greco is known for its high-scoring, high-amplitude throws. Even from the par terre position, throws are possible.”
Bosch has been training at the U.S. Olympic Committee’s facility at Colorado Springs since the fall of 1993. Ethan lived at the complex until he got married about a year ago. “It’s great to have a central location that brings together top workout partners and coaches, especially in Greco. It’s not like you can go to any high school or college wrestling room and find a Greco partner,” says Bosch. “The facility has been instrumental in helping me develop my Greco skills.”
Steve Woods throws Darnell Lollis for 5 points in the 66 kg third place bout at the Dave Schultz International While Bosch is preparing for upcoming events such as the U.S. Nationals and the Greco-Roman World Championships in France this fall, his eyes are on the ultimate goal: the 2004 Olympics in Athens. He’s concerned about the talk of eliminating Greco from future Olympics. “Look at the Olympic motto: ‘swifter, higher, stronger.’ Greco-Roman wrestling embodies all those ideals, and then some. It’s one of the original sports of the modern Games. And in many countries – like the breakaway Soviet republics – Greco is the sport. Hard to imagine those athletes suddenly taking up another sport.”
Thanks to Ethan Bosch for his time and cooperation in being interviewed for this article.
A brief history lesson.
Wrestling is called the oldest sport; one can imagine cavemen wrestling each other for food or the best cave to call home. Over time, many styles of wrestling developed in different parts of the world, each with its own set of rules and strategies. And, although wrestling was a favorite sport of both the ancient Greeks and Romans, neither used the term “Greco-Roman” to describe their brand of wrestling. The term actually originated in France centuries later, where soldiers in Napoleon’s army perfected the style as part of their training.Greco-Roman wrestling has been a part of the modern Olympic Games from the outset in 1896. By contrast, freestyle wrestling did not make its first Olympic appearance until the 1904 Games… then was dropped temporarily for the 1912 Olympics.
The 1912 Stockholm Games are notable for having two of the longest recorded amateur wrestling matches in history -- and both were Greco-Roman bouts. Imagine wrestling for nine hours to a tie… or worse, grappling for 11 hours, 40 minutes only to get pinned!
Up until the 1950s, Sweden dominated Greco-Roman wrestling. Since then, Eastern European grapplers have been the big winners… though the U.S. has enjoyed some considerable successes in Greco since the 1984 Los Angeles Olympics.
Greco-Roman rules!
Both Greco-Roman and freestyle wrestling share the same ultimate goal -- to pin your shoulders to the mat. And the rules are basically the same, with one very important distinction: In Greco, a wrestler may not attack his opponent’s legs… nor may he use his own legs to trip or lift or attempt any other moves.In addition, there are distinctions in style and strategy that make Greco-Roman wrestling unique. Greco fans thrill to the spectacular throws that are a hallmark of this wrestling style. (Russia’s Alexander Karelin’s amazing reverse body lift is a prime example.) Another fundamental of Greco is hand-fighting – the ability to control and manipulate the opponent’s hands and arms. Yet another is pummeling, the fight to gain advantage during upper-body contract.
Greco skills make better all-around wrestlers.
Many highly-respected wrestlers and coaches agree that the skills gained from learning Greco-Roman can translate to success in other wrestling styles… as evidenced by the quotes featured in an article “Greco-Roman Skills in Folkstyle” written by Sachem (NY) High School wrestling coach Ike Ramaswamy. In this May 23, 2001 article posted at the wrestling website TheMat.com, Ramaswamy quoted no less an authority than Dan Gable: “I noticed that the more freestyle and Greco-Roman wrestling I did, the better my folkstyle got.”
Olympic Bronze Medalist Garrett Lowney wrestles Justin Ruiz in the 96 kg finals at the 2002 US Nationals Olympic bronze medallist Garrett Lowney also weighed in with his opinion. “I am a firm believer that young wrestlers should experience all styles of wrestling, especially Greco,” says the three-time Wisconsin state champion who’s currently wrestling heavyweight for the Minnesota Golden Gophers. “Because I was exposed to many different styles and situations when I was young, I feel comfortable under any circumstance that occurs on the mat. I didn’t like Greco much as a kid, but it always gives me things that I can draw from when a match is on the line.”
According to TheMat.com article, National Freestyle Coach Kevin Jackson, who was a Junior National Greco-Roman champion, recommends that young wrestlers try all styles: “You might not be able to see the effects earlier in your career but later you will.” He adds, “Where will you learn to control tie-up situations and to defend upper-body attacks? It is vital to wrestlers’ development to be put in those situations.”
Marty Morgan, Head Assistant Coach at the University of Minnesota, was both an NCAA champion and National Greco-Roman titleholder. “Although Greco is commonly known for spectacular throws, it really is more about hand-fighting and basic positioning,” Morgan tells Ramaswamy. “Greco-Roman can offer a freestyle or folkstyle wrestler a chance to learn how to utilize the upper body, use underhooks, arm ties and snap downs. These techniques can enhance wrestlers’ hand-fighting ability, which can greatly improve any style of wrestling.”
Morgan adds, “Greco can also enhance a freestyle wrestler’s par terre defense as well. The ever-important gut wrench and gut wrench defense are cornerstones of Greco-Roman wrestling. Strengthening these par terre positions will add a distinct advantage to a freestyle wrestler in the top or bottom position.”
The threats against Greco.
In the past couple years, there has been discussion of “streamlining” the Olympics, reversing a long trend of adding sports and specific sporting events without eliminating others in kind. There are concerns that the number of events and participating athletes has grown out of control, which creates challenges for the host in terms of scheduling, facilities and finances. New International Olympic Committee (IOC) president Jacques Rogge has said the Olympics cannot grow beyond the current level of 10,500 athletes, 28 sports, and 300 medal events. In other words, existing sports will have to be cut if new sports are to be added. (The IOC has considered adding golf and rugby.)In August 2002, the IOC announced the recommendations of its Program Commission, which included the proposal to drop one style of wrestling from the Olympic Games. The Commission wrote: “The low public and media comprehension of the differences between the two wrestling disciplines currently in the Olympic Program were noted by the Commission, which resulted in relatively low broadcast and press coverage. In comparison to this lack of popularity, the Commission noted the high athlete quota and number of events in the sport of wrestling. The Commission therefore recommends the exclusion of one of the wrestling disciplines from the Program of the Games of the XXIX Olympiad [the 2008 Beijing Olympics].”
Though the Commission was not specific about which wrestling discipline might face elimination, speculation within the wrestling community is that Greco-Roman would be the most likely to be cut. Given that the IOC has added women’s freestyle wrestling to the schedule for the 2004 Athens Olympics, it would be less likely that Olympic officials would axe a discipline that now includes men and women.
In fact, to incorporate women’s freestyle wrestling into the Olympics, both men’s freestyle and Greco-Roman have each given up weight classes. For the 2004 Olympics, there will now be now seven weight classes in men’s Greco and seven in men’s freestyle (down from ten for each discipline as recently as the 1996 Games), and four weight classes for women.
“We contend that dropping a discipline is the same as dropping a sport, and that would mean the sport’s disappearance from the world athletic scene,” said Rich Bender, executive director of USA Wrestling, the national federation for the sport.
Many who have read the Commission’s report are baffled by its findings. Wrestling is a universally popular sport, with 150 countries that have international wrestling federations that have both Greco-Roman and freestyle grapplers. In many nations, including Mongolia and Turkey, wrestling is the most popular and successful sport, as evidenced by the large numbers of nations that have elected wrestlers to carry their national flag during the Opening and Closing Ceremonies at the Olympics. In addition, wrestling is one of the cheapest and most accessible Olympic sports. Compared to most sports, wrestling requires less upfront investment in facilities and less ongoing financial support, making it possible for athletes from even the poorest countries to be able to compete.
For all these reasons, it would be sad to eliminate Greco-Roman wrestling from the Olympics. It would also be somewhat ironic. Greco-Roman is one of the original sports of the modern Olympics. In addition, it can be argued that the most popular athlete of the 2000 Sydney Games was Greco-Roman wrestler Rulon Gardner of the U.S. His upset victory over the legendary Alexander Karelin to win the gold medal was a focal point of worldwide media coverage at the Olympics.
Greco Images and Multimedia:
- Slideshow: Greco's greatest moves (coming soon)
Greco-Roman wrestling also one of the few sports that embody both physical and mental competition. Besides if we can consider old past-times such as poker a sport nowadays, surely we can still make room for Greco-Roman wrestling in the Olympics.
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