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More Points of Interest About The Training of Indian Wrestlers
Dear Friend,
Here is a bit more food for thought for those of you interested in hearing more details about traditional Indian wrestling training:
The greatest wrestlers and warriors of India are thought to be directly descended from the Hindu warrior monkey-god, Hanuman.
Back in the days of high adventure, Hanuman was known as the strongest warrior by all the Vanaras
(a tribe living in Southern India.) Hanuman is a representation of two things: physical strength and
devotion, making him an obvious choice for wrestlers. He is often associated with fire or the color red.
Hanuman is supposed to have lifted the largest stone of Dronagiri
Mountain as part of his training routine, which is why to this day various
forms of stone lifting are part of the traditional Indian wrestling routines.
Every akhara (traditional wrestling gymnasium) has a shrine devoted to Hanuman in it, which
the wrestlers pay tribute to before each practice.
The traditional akharas have a mud training area (although this is becoming a thing of the past as many
akharas are switching to the more modern wrestling mats.) Still, the traditional mud training pits lives
on in many areas. The mud that is used in these pits is not ordinary mud; it
is given sacred properties by blending it with ghee (clarified butter), rose petals and enchanted medicinal herbs.
For approximately 30 minutes before each practice, the mud is dug up and turned with a giant 20 kg hoe. This is a necessary part of
preparation but is also looked upon as a conditioning exercise for many of the younger members of the akhara.
Once the pit is turned and dug up, it needs to be leveled. This is done with a large block of wood called a fatta.
Again, this is as much a training exercise as preparation method.
A large metal bar usually sticks out of the fatta in case weights need to be added. More commonly, a wrestler or two will
sit or stand on it as it is dragged to increase the resistance.
A wrestlers life is one of total devotion. All members of the akhara are expected to eat, sleep, exercise, and worship wrestling.
The goal is to aspire towards the ideals embodied by Hanuman - the perfect Hindu warrior.
As you might expect, the trainees' diet is strictly controlled. Pints of badam, a drink made from crushed almond and rich in
protein, are imbibed daily. High-calorie ghee (butter) is added to all meals, while eggs, curd, fruit,
rice and vegetables make up the rest of the intake. Most wrestlers are strict vegetarians.
The warm-up routine alone is enough to reduce most western athletes to tears:
Every akhara has its own unique warm-up program. Regardless of the location, all of them generally
incorporate elements of stretching, running (sometimes in the soft sand of the nearby riverbanks) 1000s
of bodyweight movements such as Dands and Baithaks, partner carrying, rope climbing or other forms of exercise.
Once that is completes, wrestling practice then commences... Sounds like
a killer routine to me. If you can get through that, you’ll be an extremely tough individual.
