Walker, Defensive Exercises (1840)
THE CORNISH AND DEVONSHIRE METHODS.
The principal difference between these methods is, that kicking the shins is a part of the Devonshire and not of the Cornish.
The Devonshire men, therefore, wrestle with their shoes on, in order not to break their toes in kicking; and each takes advantage of this to bake the soles of his shoes, and thereby render his kicking as severe as possible. Thus, he who happens to have the hardest shoes has a decided advantage.
Each has also the privilege of bandaging his legs, which is liable to a similar objection. It often happens, however, that, after a severe match, the wrestlers leave the ring with the skin off their shins, almost from top to bottom.
In other respects the two methods are the same: I need, therefore, describe only one-the Cornish, which the reader can convert into the Devonshire, according to the previous observations.
THE CORNISH STYLE.
The Cornish wrestling depends rather more on strength and endurance than the Cumberland. Nevertheless, great art and quickness are required in it; and a moderate degree of strength, seconded by art, will be surer of success than much greater strength without it.
No fall is “counted,” unless both the shoulders come to the ground together.
DRESS.
After stripping to the shirt, taking off the shoes, and tucking up the trousers (to prevent them getting entangled with the adversary’s feet), the wrestlers put on a loose jacket, made of canvass, tied in front with two strings, and reaching as far down as the hips. The sleeves are made very loose for the convenience of both parties in taking hold at the elbow or wrist. -Fig. 25.
The strings, which are of the same length in all jackets, should be tied so as to leave the front of the jacket open, as this prevents the adversary taking so firm a hold as he could do if it were not quite so loose. Some wrestlers, in order to make the jacket as loose on them as possible, tie the strings only at the very ends.
CHALLENGING.
The usual mode of challenging is for one of the wrestlers to throw his hat into the ring, and any one who intends to wrestle him answers it in the same manner.
POSITION BEFORE TAKING HOLD.
Stand with the feet as wide as it is possible to do without losing strength; the right being foremost. Bend the knees well, &c., and lean forward. Hold your hands up before you; and keep a sharp look out, so as to be ready to take the most advantageous hold.-Fig. 26.
THE HOLD.
The wrestlers hold each other by the jackets, and by nothing else; but they are at liberty to alter their hold as often as they please. Fig. 27.
There are two principal holds, that for the “forehand-play,” in which you are almost before the adversary, with your back turned to him; and that for the “after-play,” in which you are behind the adversary.
Most wrestlers prefer the forehand-play.
To get the hold for the forehand-play, you must, from the position before described, dart out your left hand at the adversary’s right elbow or wrist, and hold fast by the jacket, and at the same instant fasten your right hand to the right side of his jacket, close above the hipbone, or put it round by the left side of his neck to his right shoulder.
These movements of the two hands must be instantaneous; and the moment they are executed, you must, keeping a firm hold, and throwing your weight forward, turn yourself round to the left, so as almost to get your back to your antagonist. Thus you will have the forehand-play, and he will have the after-play.-Fig. 28.
Supposing that the adversary also attempts to take the forehand-play, and that you are both equally quick, he will lay hold of your elbow and side in the same time that you take hold of his, and you will be trying to turn your backs to each other at the same moment. This must be decided by strength and quickness.
To get the hold for the after-play, seize the adversary’s left collar with your right hand, and get your left hand round his back to his left loin.
It will seldom happen that the adversary will oppose this. Whatever hold you take, the grasp of the hands should be firm, yet not so as to fatigue or prevent its being increased when necessary.
MOVEMENTS TO BE TAKEN FROM FOREHAND-PLAY AND AFTER-PLAY.
There are some movements which can be taken only from the forehand-play, and others only from the after-play.
From the forehand play may be taken the outside-lock, the inside-lock, the cross-heave, the cross-lock, and the crossbuttock.
From the after-play come the back-clamp, the heave, the cross-heave, the double-lock, the pull-under, and the hometang.
We may suppose the reader to have the forehand-play; and may describe those movements which come from that position.
To take the outside-lock.-After having twisted yourself round, so as to turn your back to your adversary, throw your right leg over the outside of his right leg, and twist your foot round it, so that your toe comes to the inside of his ancle ; and while you hold so close with your hands as almost to lift him off the ground with your right hip, pull him over his right side by twisting yourself to the left. As both of you keep at once turning and falling, he will come to his back, and you will fall upon him. Fig. 29.
If you do not succeed in your attempt to throw the adversary, you can rest with your leg hanging over his.
To stop the outside-lock, the adversary, if his head be under your arm, will take the inside-clamp, by striking the inside of your left shin with the outside of his left foot, pushing your’s forward, and twisting you round, so as to make you fall on your back. But if his head be not under your arm, he will mostly prefer taking the outside-clamp, by throwing his left leg over your left thigh, and pressing you either backward or forward.
If he throw you backward, he will try, as you both come to the ground, to turn himself so as to fall on his left side, and make you fall on both your shoulders. If he throw you forward (which may be done with either the outside or inside-lock), he can, by pressing the back of your neck with his left hand, oblige you to fall on your head.
The inside-lock may be taken so as to throw either backward or forward.
To take the inside-lock forward, twist your right leg round the adversary’s left by passing it between his legs, and bringing the toe round to the front of his shin, and then proceed as in the outside-lock.
-Fig. 30.
To stop the inside-lock forward, the adversary will either pull strongly with his left arm round your loins, or will press against the back of your head with his left hand, which will bring your head to the ground.–
-Fig. 31.
If you find you cannot throw your antagonist with the insidelock forward, slip the lock, and take the cross-buttock.
To take the inside-lock backward, after twisting your right leg round the adversary’s left, turn yourself forcibly to the
right, and you will both fall backward; he on his back, and you on your right shoulder.
The way to stop this, is with the double-lock, which the adversary will execute by throwing his right heel inside your left, and pressing you backward (fig. 32); or, with the heave, which may also be used as a defence against the inside-lock forward, and the outside-lock.
The hip is the same as the cross-buttock.
To take the cross-heave from the forehand-play, slip your right hand round your adversary’s right side, to his left loin, so as to have him under your right arm; and slip the left hand along his belly, so as to get hold of his left elbow. You may thus throw him heels over head.-Fig. 33.
This is the only throw in which both parties are in exactly the same position. All, therefore, depends upon the promptitude with which the position is made available.
To stop this, the adversary will take the hip or cross-buttock, by throwing the right leg over yours, as before described; or, the cross-lock, which is performed by putting your right heel round the inside of the adversary’s right heel, pulling his right arm, and pushing him backwards. Fig 34.
To take the cross-heave from the after-play, remove your right hand from your adversary’s collar, and pass it round behind his back to his left loin, as was described for the forehand-play. But you cannot take it from the after-play if the adversary hold your elbow.
The pull-under is performed as follows:-Move your right hand from his collar to his left elbow, pass your left hand under his chest to his left loin, and make him take the insidelock.
To stop the pull-under, remove your right hand.
The home-tang is taken by getting both the hands round under the adversary’s chest to his left side.
Fig. 36.
To stop the home-tang, withdraw your right hand, or, if you wish to throw, take the hip.
To take the double-lock, turn round, and take the left-forehand-play.
There is no regular way of stopping this.
I may now suppose the reader to have the after-play.
I have described the back-clamps as guards against the outside-lock, cross-buttock, and hip. But they are also used as throws, of themselves.
There is no regular way of stopping the clamps; but if the outside clamp be taken below the knee, it may be stopped by walking one step forward.
To take the heave from the after-play (by which is meant throwing your adversary backwards over your left shoulder, and falling on it, while he falls on both of his), you must hold firmly with both hands, lift your adversary well up, pull strongly with your right arm, and, as you come to the ground, turn yourself so as to fall on your left shoulder, and make him fall on both his.
Fig. 35.
To stop the heave, the adversary will take the cross-lock, strike your standing leg, * or take the hip.
* In the after-play, the right leg is called the standing-leg; in the forehand-play, the left leg is so called.
Available online via Google Books.