Summary: In Senegal, the athletes take on the locals at their national sport - wrestling. Secondly, the training is quite rigorous and requires a lot of dedication. Weapon-based martial arts also exist, like Tahtib, Donga, and Nguni, which all utilize sticks. Traditional wrestling is part of Senegals cultural heritage, encompassing social integration and education, but its true form is dying out. Popularly known as Big Pato, he is also a policeman, with a T . CNN . These are Senegals elite sportsmen, local heroes training for their next grandstand performance. Sign up for the These often take the form of a small cloth bag inscribed with verses from the Quran and containing ritual objects. Because of this, it brings honour to a persons village or region, and is an important form of social capital to safeguard. Its a madness! It's being overshadowed by a very popular, modern professional wrestling. The freestyle wrestling Olympic champion is a big man, but his agility comes from an unlikely training routine. They are waiting for their coach to train them in freestyle wrestling techniques.Moments later, 42-year-old Isabelle Sambou walks in. Wrestling rivals football for popularity in Senegal. The fight is over when a wrestler falls. African countries began gaining their independence in the 1960s. If you do not live in Senegal and are interested in practicing Senegalese wrestling, it is important that you know that Senegalese wrestling is not as popular in the West, so finding a training partner can be difficult. The aim of baccou is to intimidate his opponent by singing his prowess and seducing the public. Its not, as one might suspect, a love of football, but a deep and profound appreciation of bare-basics .css-16acfp5{-webkit-text-decoration:underline;text-decoration:underline;text-decoration-thickness:0.125rem;text-decoration-color:#d2232e;text-underline-offset:0.25rem;color:inherit;-webkit-transition:all 0.3s ease-in-out;transition:all 0.3s ease-in-out;}.css-16acfp5:hover{color:#000;text-decoration-color:border-link-body-hover;background-color:yellow;-webkit-transition:all 0.3s ease-in-out;transition:all 0.3s ease-in-out;}wrestling. Their menu includes meat, eggs, fish, vegetables, and fruits and less fried or processed foods. All of these techniques can be used to either attack or defend against an opponent. It creates a story, encouragement, speaking directly to the wrestler, but also to all the participants. }] [Wrestling] generates a huge amount of respect from the Senegalese, says Sports Minister Mata Ba which means that when a top wrestler speaks, a nation listens. In a country where unemployment is pushing 50%, some young men see it as a way out of poverty. More precisely in the regions of Sin-Saloum, Casamance, etc. This holds true for both male and female Laamb wrestlers of Senegal. The key is to build both balance and strength in the core and legs as fights always take place on sand, developing a solid foundation is essential. Whatever weapon is used hand, elbow, knee, or an opponents own bodyweight the winner is the first to throw his adversary to the ground by lifting him up and over. In such cases, its difficult to argue that gris-gris doesnt work. Also, popular as football, it attracts many spectators and lots of young athletes. Except, in their case, the more weight they can gain, the better. When I was going to school, for a small time I continued and tried to go do fishing job. Some of those training at Bordeauxs school and pumping iron on the beach may one day make it onto the professional wrestling circuit, earning the right to wear the wrestlers traditional pre-fight regalia. Bobst recalls watching one competitor run across the sand with two others attached to him by a large rubber band. Arnold Allen says theres no moral victory in his defeat to Max Holloway just because he went five hard rounds with a featherweight legend because he still ultimately lost the fight. Ousmane Ba ne travaille pas, ne conseille pas, ne possde pas de parts, ne reoit pas de fonds d'une organisation qui pourrait tirer profit de cet article, et n'a dclar aucune autre affiliation que son organisme de recherche. Additionally, wrestlers are held in high esteem in Senegalese society and are often considered role models. Swedish photographer, Lasse Burell, "more or less stumbled" into the sandpit of Senegalese wrestling. 07:04 - Source: CNN. Gris Bordeaux is a star in Senegal, a wrestling champion who also teaches at a wrestling school in the capital Dakar. Its specificity is that one can give punches to the face and the body like boxing. The transition to MMA was made out of love for competition and quest for greatness, he said. Initially, the Senegalese wrestling was a sport that determined the champion of a village at the end of the harvests in the ethnic Sereres and Diolas. Thats what Im going after., So many people like [MMA] right now [in Senegal], he continued. Can the Buff Dudes survive an Olympic wrestling workout? All you need is space, to put a few chairs down and to wrestle, says Ba. Senegal's biggest wrestling stars can earn up to $200,000 per contest. Artem Vakhitov, the last man to beat Alex Pereira in kickboxing, books MMA debut. True cultural folklore, this struggle made it possible to determine the champion, the hero, the fighter of a whole village. After beating Gaye 2, he started crying. After this article though, well all be paying special attention to the wrestlers of Senegal on the next Olympics, particularly the women grapplers! The aim of Senegalese wrestling is to get the opponent either on his back or on all fours. It can be done together, fishing and wrestling, because its not professional fishing in big boats, just fishing to feed your family and have a little bit money, so it can be done with wrestling. Typically, a match will last no longer than the 90 seconds it takes a skilled fighter to upend a challenger, to the delight of the crowd. Its remarkable to think there was a time when giving birth to a wrestler was a mark of shame, says local sports journalist Malick Thiandoum. Where did you participate in one of these fights? In a sandy arena, encircled by thousands of bystanders, multiple matches take place simultaneously. Bordeaux describes the costumes as art. Today, this sport has become as popular as football. 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Its top wrestlers are some of the most famous men in the country, with their faces appearing on T-shirts, buses and billboards. It was introduced to the Wolof people by the Fula in the 17th century and has been practiced ever since. Some, like Balla Gaye 2 and Eumeu Sene are household names and, more popular than soccer players, says Bobst. Mbapps masterful performance against Argentina. They often weigh in at around 200 pounds and are very strong. Adoration and adulation awaits the victor, the loser left to tend to his deflated ego. 01:37. 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Updated A synthesis of boxing and traditional wrestling, these matches are massive social events. In the sense of martial arts, the oldest continent also has a lot to offer. Because Senegalese traditional wrestling has been passed down through oral history, there's almost a total lack of written documents on it. It is this discipline that has succeeded in capturing the attention of the Senegalese public. Its believed that a champion who cuts himself off from his group loses part of his strength. Lo hasnt forgotten his roots as one of 60,000 practicing wrestlers in the capital alone. "For young men who do not have a lot of money, this is how you keep your body in shape," says Barnett. The journalist argues Senegalese wrestling is more spectacular than its Japanese counterpart Sumo, and says theres no reason the West African nation cant export the sport and utilize it as a tourist attraction. On a roll after his TKO victory over Ngalani, Kane is praying that I have good health that day and Im praying God to give me the win against Patrick Schmid on April 7. And wherever we are, we should be proud of our identity Today everyone runs towards his or her roots. They are also known for their fighting spirit, which dates back to the 13th century. When the fight started he went into the arena and went ballistic. Senegal is traditionally the only West African country to allow blows with the hand, but today its fighters practise Luttee Traditionnelle both avec and sans frappe (hits). It is now necessary to possess athletic, technical, mental and tactical qualities. "text": "Senegalese wrestlers are typically quite large and often weigh in at around 200 pounds." Generally, the fights take place on Saturday or Sunday, often in the Demba Diop stadium and the most popular in the Lopold-Sdar-Senghor stadium. A full edit of 111 images available on request. Ten burly Senegalese wrestlers raise a chant, singing "Mother, pray for us," while jogging up and down a sandy field by the Atlantic Ocean. Wrestling in traditional society was a sign of the vitality of a particular community. Subscribe: http://bit.ly/NatGeoSubscribe Get More Short Film Sh. This . Training has resumed after a year of coronavirus-related restrictions that had stopped them from practising their sport. However, to specialize in MMA, incorporating other martial arts is recommended like BJJ, Sambo, Muay Thai, Boxing, etc. Niang underlined that allowing AFP to interview his prizefighter was a rare privilege.
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