CANARIAN WRESTLING

by Sara Fernández Jimenez and Ana Carbajo Juan

Canarian wrestling is an ancient and indigenous sport similar of folk wrestling but originally from the Canary Islands, where it’s know as “Lucha Canaria”.

It takes place inside a circle, usually made of sand called ‘terrero’. Two wrestlers meet inside and grab themselves trying to pull the other opponent down.

The basic principle is to throw the opponent off balance in order that he touches the ground with any other part of his body except for the soles his feet.  A series of grasping techniques or moves are used for that purpose. Wrestling on the floor, joint locking or strangling are not permitted.

The complete match ends when all members of one team have been defeated.

As the main technique is to unbalance your opponent, to get him down onto the sand, there are certain strict rules as to what is or isn't allowed.

Mañas or moves what are allowed:

(There are three permitted moves)

The Grasp:

Pretty self-explanatory. Any part of the body may be seized in order the force the wrestler down.

The Block:
Blocking an opponent’s move and using the momentum to overbalance him.

The Deflect:

A bit similar to the Block, the wrestler uses a deflection to unbalance his opponent.

Too, we have some moves that aren't allowed, like:

Punching, hitting or strangling.

In the Canarian wrestling no external material are needed for the practice of this sport, only with the body, but a regulated clothing is necessary, it’s as follows:

The Brega Clothing consists of a shirt and pants.

Adhesives are not allowed in the wrestling clothing, nor show any type or class, except the name and distinctive of your club, Federation, the title that holds the wrestler at the regional level, previously authorized advertising and the number. In no case these badges can be adhesive.

This is a little video to show you what actually the Canarian Wrestling is:

https://youtu.be/gJOwsLH0IVE (Canarian Wrestling)

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Here, there's a famous person who practices this sport

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JUAN BARBUZANO

Juan Barbuzano Martín was born May the 16th 1945 in El Hierro. He is a Canarian sportman who practiced different types of wrestling, specially Canarian wrestling, in which he was a champion during the decades of the sixties and the seventies.

When he was 15, he started wrestling and the next year he had his first important wrestling combat, he knocked Miguel Armas, an important wrestler from El Hierro three times in a row. Since that moment he became part of the team of Canarian Wrestling from El

Joaquile and Barbuzano

Hierro. He was known as “El Pollo de Isora”.

Soon he was a reference of the Canarian Wrestling.He has also won another different championships like the runner up of Sambo Wrestling world championship.

He also obtained the titles in championships  of Greco-Roman Wrestling and Olympic Wrestling in Spain.

Here, we've too a little video about Juan Barbuzano Martín:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=m_p-Dao7bxs (Juan Barbuzano)

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To finish this blog entry, we want just to say that over time and as a consequence of the flow of people from the peninsula and Europe, other sports have replaced one of our own traditional sports, we think it’s important to promote between the new generations this sport in order to keep our traditions alive.

Like giving financial support to the young wrestlers and the “terreros de lucha” where this sport take places and the canarian wrestling clubs like “Club de Lucha Chijafe”. Another way to promote the sport could be broadcast on TV the different competitions.

The local administration, through the “Concejalía de deportes”, the insular administration, schools, etc are responsible for teaching, exhibit and promoting traditional sports and games to the people.

SarAna