Interests meme

[ellenscult]

From failmaster:

~ Scan my interest list and pick out the one that seems the most odd to you.
~ I'll explain it.
~ Then you post this in your journal so other people can ask you about your interests.

Comments

Alright

[kingwamba.livejournal.com]

What's glima?

Re: Alright

[ravenlas.livejournal.com]

Fun and nackering :)

Re: Alright

[ellenscult]

Amen to that! *lies down in a quiet corner*

Also, good for big bruises - and really good at toning up muscles very quickly! (Note to self - must do some practice...)

Re: Alright

[ellenscult]

Glima is the sport of Icelandic wrestling. Up to the start of the 20th century, it was pretty much what the Vikings used to do, and it was very popular all over Scandinavia. Now, it's pretty much only Iceland which practises it, and it's been updated a little, but not so much it's unrecognisable. It shares quite a few characteristics with Cumbrian wrestling.

There are 3 basic types of glima. There's the sport form, the back hold form, and the free form.

Sport form - you wear a belt which is like a climbing harness, with loops around your legs as well as your waist. Stand to face your opponent. Take hold of the opponent's waist belt with your right hand (don't put your thumb under or you'll break it). Take hold of his leg loop with your left hand. The opponent will do the same. Then you sway from side to side, like dancing. Step-step, step-step, round in a circle. You try to trip your opponent, using your feet and legs. If you manage it, you must let go of him and not land on him, or it is 'nid' (forbidden), and seen as an attempt to kill him, and he is allowed to try to kill you in self defence. This is a very technical form, and allows me to, say, trip Marcus (or even someone bigger) quite easily. I have an advantage in some ways, as my centre of gravity is low (being a short-arse) and my legs are short, so if I get someone with long legs into a heel lock, they can't get far enough away to break free, whereas I can. *grin*

Back form: You lock your arms around each other's back, and try to trip each other. Your arms (locked together) are used to try to bring your opponent off balance, but again, it is the feet which do the tripping. This form relies far more on strength than the sport form. I'm not so good at this!

Free form: Traditionally done topless (men only). The first thing is to try to get a grip on your opponent. You aren't allowed to hang onto clothing, which is why it's done topless. Once you have a good grip, you trip your opponent (or otherwise get him off balance). You are allowed to pin your opponent down on the ground. The winner is the first person to stand up fully - the first person clear. This, again, is very strength based, so I'm none too good at it, as almost everyone is bigger than me. See my icon for someone smaller, though... ;-)

I really enjoy the sport form. It's fun! Anything else about it you want to know?