Schwingen

Schwingen

Also known as	Swiss Wrestling Alpine wrestling Hosenlupf
Focus	Grappling
Country of origin	Switzerland
Olympic sport	No

Schwingen(fromGermanschwingen"to swing" ), also known asSwiss wrestling(Frenchlutte Suisse) and natively (and colloquially) asHosenlupf(Swiss Germanfor "breeches-lifting" ), is a style offolk wrestlingnative to Switzerland, more specifically thepre-alpineparts ofGerman-speaking Switzerland.Wrestlers wearSchwingerhosen( "wrestling breeches" ) with belts that are used for takingholds.Throwsandtripsare common because the first person topinhis or her opponent's shoulders to the ground wins the bout.

Schwingen is considered a "national sport" of Switzerland, alongsideHornussenandSteinstossen.Schwingen and Steinstossen were included asNationalturnen( "national gymnastics" ) in theEidgenössisches TurnfestatLausannein 1855.

The modern history of organizedSchwingentournaments begins with theUnspunnenfestof 1805.

History

Wrestling match between twoSwiss mercenaries.From theLuzerner Chronikof 1513 (detail of a page depicting idle mercenaries passing their time outsideEinsiedelnwhile waiting to be paid).

As with other types of folk wrestling, the roots of Schwingen in Switzerland cannot be determined exactly. The modern sport was institutionalized in the 19th century out of older, regional traditions.

There are records of wrestling in Switzerland from the medieval period. A picture from the 13th century (in theCathedralofLausanne) shows the typical way of gripping the opponent.

Schwingen as a special form of grappling inAlpine culturecan be traced to the early, 17th century. This form of grappling is preserved during the 17th and 18th century in theEmmental,HaslitalandEntlebuchregions specifically. In 18th centurytravel literature,Schwingen figures as part of the stereotypes of Swiss alpine culture. The Entlebuch pastor Franz Josef Stalder in 1797 records a set of rules in hisFragmente über Entlebuch.

The modern history of the sport begins during the period ofMediation,with theUnspunnenfestof 1805. In the late 19th century, memorable Schwing festivals and a lively activity of educatedgymnasticsteachers brought Schwingen to the big cities. Thus the original fight of theherdersandfarmersbecame a national sport that reached all social levels. The associations, headed by theEidgenössischer Schwingerverband(national federation, founded 1895), organized the sport by integrating regional peculiarities, improving the abilities of the fighters with teaching books and practices, and creating modern tournament rules.

In 2020Curdin Orlikbecame the first athlete in the sport of Schwingen to come out as gay, and also the first openly gay male active in Swiss professional sports.

Tournament

Turner Schwinger (dressed in white) and Sennen Schwinger Swiss Wrestling

The match takes place in a ring, a circular area with a diameter of 12 meters that is covered with sawdust. The two opponents wear short pants made ofjuteover their clothes. The wrestlers hold each other by these pants, at the back where the belt meets, and try to throw the opponent onto his back. There are several main throws, with names like "kurz", "übersprung" and "wyberhaagge", some of them very similar tojudo techniques- "hüfter" is almost identical tokoshi guruma,"brienzer" is basicallyuchi mata.These throws are found in many wrestling systems that have even the slightest emphasis on throwing the opponent, and can also been seen inshuaijiao.A match is won when the winner holds the opponent's pants with at least one hand and both the opponent's shoulders touch the ground. By tradition the winner brushes the sawdust off the loser's back after the match.

The match is judged by threereferees,one of whom stands in the ring. The referees give points, with a maximum of ten points for a winning throw. If the match ends without a clear win, the more active Schwinger is awarded the higher number of points.

At a Schwing festival, every Schwinger wrestles six opponents, or eight at the Eidgenössische. The two Schwingers with the highest number of points after five (seven at the Eidgenössische) matches get to the Schlussgang (last round). The matching of the Schwingers is done by thefight courtaccording to arcane rules. Often there are suspicions that the matchings have not been fair, and favor one contestant over the others.

There are no weight classes nor any other categories. Usually, though, Schwingers are big men, over 180 cm tall and weighing in excess of 100 kg, and are mostly craftsmen from traditional professions that require some physical force, likecarpenters,butchers,lumberjacksorcheesemakers.

Regional andcantonalSchwing festivals are held outdoors, between early summer and autumn.

The most important Schwing festival is theEidgenössischesSchwing- und Älplerfest,which takes place every three years. The winner of this tournament is proclaimedSchwingerkönigand receives a bull as his prize.

List of tournaments and winners

A list ofEidgenössischetournaments withSchwingerkönig:

• 1937 Willy Lardon
• 1940 Otto Marti
• 1943 Willy Lardon
• 1945 Peter Vogt
• 1948 Peter Vogt
• 1950 Walter Haldemann
• 1953 Walter Flach
• 1956 Eugen Holzherr
• 1958 Max Widmer
• 1961 Karl Meli
• 1964 Karl Meli

• 1966 Rudolf Hunsperger
• 1969 Rudolf Hunsperger
• 1972 David Roschi
• 1974 Rudolf Hunsperger
• 1977 Arnold Ehrensberger
• 1980 Ernst Schläpfer
• 1983 Ernst Schläpfer
• 1986 Harry Knüsel
• 1989 Adrian Käser
• 1992 Silvio Rüfenacht
• 1995 Thomas Sutter

• 1998 Jörg Abderhalden
• 2001 Arnold Forrer
• 2004,Lucerne:Jörg Abderhalden
• 2007,Aarau:Jörg Abderhalden
• 2010,Frauenfeld:Kilian Wenger
• 2013,Burgdorf, Switzerland:Matthias Sempach
• 2016,Broye District:Matthias Glarner
• 2019,Zug:Christian Stucki
• 2022,Pratteln:Joel Wicki

Traditions

Traditionally, Schwingen is a male sport. Women's Schwingen is a more recent phenomenon, and theFrauenschwingverband,or Women's Schwingen Association, was founded in 1992.

Members of a pure Schwingen club are calledSennenschwingerand wear dark trousers and a colored shirt, usually bright blue. Members of a broader sports club with a Schwingen section are calledTurnerschwinger,and wear white pants and a white T-shirt.

Advertising and sponsoring are shunned at Schwingen. Successful Schwingers do not receive cash prizes, but goods such as cowbells, furniture or livestock.

The best Schwingers at a festival are awarded a wreath. Schwingers who receive a wreath at anEidgenössischeor national tournament are calledEidgenossen(confederates). Good Schwingers at national level are called "Böse" (wicked).

A winner of theEidgenössischeis given the lifetime title ofSchwingerkönig(Schwinger king), which includes some privileges such as being a guest of honor at everyEidgenössische.

Literature

• Urs Huwyler:Könige, Eidgenossen und andere Böse: Schwingen - ein Volkssport wird trendig,(Kings, Confederates and Other Wickeds - a Folk Sport Becomes Trendy) AT Verlag 2010,ISBN978-3-03800-550-6

References

• Hans Peter Treichler:Swiss national sportsinGerman,FrenchandItalianin the onlineHistorical Dictionary of Switzerland.

External links

• Eidgenössischer Schwingerverband
• Schwingerverband Rapperswil
• http:// jabderhalden.ch/(J. Abderhalden,Schwingerkönig1998, 2004, 2007)
• San Joaquin Valley Swiss Club (California, USA)
• Aelpler Gruppe Swiss Club (Newark, California, USA)