The Complete Science of Wrestling

by George Hackenschmidt

Winning most of his professional matches in less than 10 minutes and a claimed career record of more than 2,000 wins and 5 losses, George "the Russian Lion" Hackenschmidt, was considered the top wrestler of his day and is even now considered one of the top Catch-as-catch-can wrestlers of all time. First published in 1909 and lavished with 70 photographs, provides an introduction to what Hackenschmidt thought was the most important elements of Catch-as-catch-can wrestling, with particular attention to what was not included in competing manuals. Though he had earned a reputation as a true gentleman in the ring, his manual includes details on trips, leg-locks, arm-locks, chokes, skirting the rules, "punishing" holds, and various "tricks" that could be used in a match. This manual, faithfully transcribed by Kirk Lawson from the original, contains a wealth of information for modern Catch-as-catch-can wrestlers and remains an important and valuable wrestling resource to this day.

Genres: Martial Arts

151 pages, Kindle Edition

First published October 1, 2006

About the author

Georg Karl Julius Hackenschmidt was an early 20th-century Estonian Swedestrongman, professional wrestler, author, and sports philosopher who is recognized as professional wrestling's first world heavyweight champion who debuted in 1896 and retired in 1911.

Reviews

[Patrick · Rating 4 out of 5]

It would probably be unfair to review this as a book per sé, but it's fascinating as a reference work to read the advice and explanations given therein on wrestling and other grappling arts, particularly wherever Hackenschmidt's own opinions and experience come to light - any glimpse into his world is a welcome one.