Takedowns & Breakdowns: An Introduction to Swiss Wrestling

If you’re a fan of the standup grappling game and particularly the methods of the great Armand Cherpillod (declared European champion in free wrestling and Jiu-Jitsu a number of times between 1900 and 1926, as well as being a professor at the famed Bartitsu club) which was published under the title Hooks, Trips, Throws, & Takedowns, then this little work is sure to please. It is a translation of a Swiss manual from 1923 with the simple title of Das Ringen - which is to say Wrestling.

Despite their idyllic landscapes, cushy resorts, and reserved demeanors, the Swiss are some seriously tough hombres. Is it that clean mountain living, constant hiking, and built-in high altitude training which gives them a super oxygenated leg up? Difficult to say, but after giving the Hapsburg Empire the heave-ho in the 14th century they went on to become the most sought after mercenaries in all of Europe, and to this day their commandos serve as the guardians of the Vatican. Even the hyper-pugnacious Nazis knew better than to mess around with the descendants of William Tell - they went around on all sides rather than try to swallow that alpine porcupine.

Perhaps one of the things that serve to make this nation of yodeling herdsmen so tough - aside from carrying wounded livestock up and down steep slopes in the driving snow - is their native combat sport of Schwingen. Of all the European folk wrestling styles I have encountered, Schwingen is my hands down favorite: It is a standing grappling game with all of the best elements, from the subtle weight shifting stratagems of Judo to the raw power of Greco-Roman wrestling. Instead of a gi the competitors pull special breeches (Schwingerhosen) over their pants allowing for holds and throws which, given the generally robust build of the wrestlers, are pretty savage.

In this work it is the gym-friendly version of Swiss Wrestling which is described, and while the special breeches are omitted, it does appear that one or more of the competitors is wearing spats to deliver that 1920’s mystique. Given the nature of combat sports - things being discovered, discarded, remembered, and implemented anew - you’re sure to find something about the standup grappling game which you had not yet considered: And there are few things better than taking an opponent by surprise with a centuries-old trick that’s still as good as gold.