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Special dedication to my wife Mylinda, my son Christopher,
and my daughter Allison.
-Kirk Lawson
COMPLETE
SCIENCE OF
WRESTLING
BY
GEORGE HACKENSCHMIDT
Copyright in the United States of America by “Health
& Strength” Ltd. 1909. All rights strictly reserved
LONDON
“HEALTH & STRENGTH,” - LTD
12, BURLEIGH STREET, STRAND
BRADBURY, AGNEW, & CO. LD., PRINTERS
LONDON AND TONBRIDGE.
CONTENTS
Chapter I. A W T page 9
RESTLER'S RAINING
Graeco-Roman, Ju-jutsu, and other styles of
Wrestling valuable Training for Catch-
as-catch-can.
The Wrestler's Physical Qualities, and how
they should be cultivated.
The importance of strength.
Road exercise.
What a Wrestler should wear.
Chapter II. U W
P-STANDING RESTLING AND
S T page 26
TANDING HROWS
The Cross-Buttock.
A Counter to the Cross-Buttock
The Buttock.
Parries to Cross-Buttock Counters.
Standing Attacks.
The Outside-Stroke.
Another opening
Head Chancery-Holds, and the stops to
some of them
A Punishing Double Chancery-Hold.
Chancery and Bar-Hold.
A Head-and-Crotch Throw Counter to an
attempted Chancery-Hold.
The Side Chancery-Hold.
The “Flying Mare.”
v
CONTENTS
Chapter II. U W
P-STANDING RESTLING AND
S T --- continued,
TANDING HROWS
The Waist-Holds.
Waist-Holds from behind.
A simple method of getting behind.
Leg-Holds and Leg-Work in Upright
Wrestling.
A Defence against Tripping.
Single Leg-Holds.
The Double Leg-Hold.
A combined Head, Chancery, and further
Arm-Hold with a Back-Heel.
Standing Arm-Holds and Arm-Rolls.
Chapter III. G W page 102
ROUND RESTLING
Leg-Hold on Arm and Fall secured by com-
bination with a further Arm-Nelson or
Crotch-Hold.
A variation of the Cradle-Hold.
How to fix the Scissors.
Counters and Breaks for the Scissors-Hold.
The Science of Arm-Rolling.
A Ju-jutsu Trick for making certain of
securing a fall from an Arm-Roll
A Half-Nelson and Hammerlock com-
bination.
A Half-Nelson and Head-Hold with Inter-
laced Fingers.
The Foot up the Back as a Preliminary
Hold to securing a Fall.
Further Leg-Holds.
The Leg Half-Nelson
vi
LIST OF ILLUSTRATIONS
George Hackenschmidt Frontispiece
Shaking hands page 13
Sparring for Holds 15
In Head-holds 19
George Hackenschmidt at the age of 19 21
Pulling at the elbow to break an inside Head-hold 23
The Cross-buttock 27
The Buttock 29
Counter to Cross-buttock 31
If very quick you may even get back and catch your
opponent in this counter to the Cross-buttock 33
Locking-in for defence as a parry to Waist-hold and Half-
nelson counter to an attempt at a Cross-buttock Throw 37
A Strangle-hold in Up-standing Wrestling 39
After sparring, stoop suddenly, catch leg, pull arm across
neck, drop on knee, and bang him down 41
The Outside Stroke 43
A Punishing Double Chancery-hold 47
Forward Chancery and Bar-hold 49
Head and Crotch Throw 51
The “Flying Mare” 53
The “Flying Mare” (second stage) 55
The “Flying Mare” (second position) 57
The “Flying Mare” (third position) 59
The fall from a “Flying Mare” 61
The front Waist-hold 63
Fall secured from a “Hipe” following a front Waist-hold 65
Defence to Waist-hold from behind 67
A simple move to get behind an opponent 69
The hold which can be secured following the manoeuvre
on p. 69 71
The Head Twist and Strangle 73
A double Leg-hold 77
Leg-hold and Back-heel 79
The Half-nelson 81
The Quarter or Bar-nelson 83
vii
LIST OF ILLUSTRATIONS
The further Arm-hold with both hands page 85
Further Half-nelson 87
Picking a man up by the Crotch-hold, and the latter
catching leg as a parry 89
Trying to press a man down with the Crotch-hold 91
Hammerlock with the bar on 93
A combined Head Chancery and further Arm-hold with a
Back-heel 95
Pushing at a man's arm with your head, in order to pull it
back so as to employ the Hammerlock 99
Pulling a man's arm up for the Hammerlock (second
stage) 101
The Hammerlock 103
Turning a man with a combined further Shoulder-hold
and Hammerlock 105
Picking a man up with the Crotch-hold 107
Further Leg hold 109
Fall imminent from the Scissor-hold 111
Further Arm-hold and Head Press 113
Head spinning out of further Nelson 115
Forcing the foot up the back 117
Leg-hold on arm and Head press 119
Fall from Leg-hold on arm and further Arm-hold 121
Fall from Leg-hold on arm and Crotch-hold 123
A variation of the Cradle-hold 125
Putting the Scissors on to a man who is kneeling, and
turning him over with a Bar-nelson 127
Arm roll on thigh 129
Arm roll on thigh 131
Arm roll on waist 133
Arm roll under biceps 135
Arm roll under biceps 137
Arm roll under biceps 138
Combined Half-nelson, further Hammerlock and Foot
Plant 139
A Half-nelson, and Head-hold, with interlaced fingers 141
A similar hold 143
Half-nelson and foot up the back 145
Pressing a man's head down and pulling at his further leg,
with a view to interpose your own leg between his 147
Second stage of the last hold 149
The third stage 151
viii
COMPLETE SCIENCE
OF WRESLING
Chapter I. A WRESTLER'S
TRAINING
IT has been said that no one can learn how to
wrestler from any text-book, no matter how instruc-
tive and well written the book may be.
There is undoubtedly a certain amount of truth in
this contention, for it must be admitted that no man
can approach perfection in any form of sport or
athletics without devoting most of his time to actual
practice.
Still, I have come across wrestlers who have been
either wrestling or practicing the art for quite a
number of years, without ever advancing appreci-
ably in their knowledge of the science. These men
have just attended a school, picked up the ordinary
simple holds either from an instructor or from experi-
ence, and then have rested contend that they knew
everything that there was to learn about wrestling. A
man may know quite a number of wrestling holds,
and yet he may never develop into a really skilful
wrestler, for the simple reason that he has never
studied the art, or, rather, that it has never occurred
to him to study the art, of applying the various holds
in question to really useful purpose. During his
10 COMPLETE SCIENCE OF WRESTLING
novitiate the young wrestler is taught a certain
number of offensive and defensive moves, and
somehow or other, becomes impressed with the idea
that these are, or should be, only used for offensive
or defensive purposes respectively. That is to say,
for instance, when attacked he defends himself.
Quite right too, but he should remember that there
are numerous moves in defence which will not only
save a man from being thrown, but which will also
enable a wrestler in difficulties to successfully turn
the tables on his opponent. In fact, a wrestler will
generally be presented with his best chances of secur-
ing a fall from openings arising out of a really serious
attack by his opponent.
These are points which no wrestler should fail to
thoroughly study. He must remember that there
are counters to most wrestling holds, and that just at
the moment when he is congratulating himself that
he is on the high road to victory, he is frequently in
serious danger of defeat.
It is for these reasons that I have ventured to think
that this book might prove of some value, as it will,
I trust, serve to draw attention to certain complex
positions which often arise, and consequently awaken
a desire among my readers to study carefully these
very positions. The will find, if they do so, that,
when seriously attacked and in danger of being
thrown, a really smart opponent will be able to derive
considerable advantage from the vary parries which
they have been taught to consider as being the most
effectual, and that the preliminary attacks have, after
all, been nothing more nor less than a series of clever feints.
In wrestling the art of feinting should be
pushed further than at most other sports. A wrestler
should put on a hold and put it on firmly. He may
secure a fall thereby, and may not, but he should in
any event---and if clever, invariably will---put on his
hold with sufficient force to convince his opponent
