2 positions

It’s fair to say that not a huge amount of content has been written on the starting positions for wrestling. That’s something that’s worth correcting here.

In Parkyn’s preliminary instructions, the ‘great’ Parkyn described in part 4, that a wrestler should:

‘Camp (as in fencing) or stand low with your toes out, knees bent, and your left elbow close to your body, that he gets not his right hand betwixt your left elbow and side.’

In Walker (1840), we are told to:

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.

From The Art of Cornish Wrestling (1990):

With this grip an attack can now be affected from either the left or right side of the body. Having attained a satisfactory grip with your hands, it is now advisable to get your feet in a well-balanced position. To do this, spread your legs wide and move your feet away from your opponent as far as possible. Keep your body as low down as you can but make sure that no part of your person – other than your feet – touches the ground. The closer you are to the ground, the harder it will be for your opponent to throw you…
Now start to move around and slock (entice) him into a position where you can attack him with one of the throws described…

The result is that there are generally two stances used when initiating a hitch:

1. Wide, or Front stance – To stand facing forward, with both feet pointing forward and shoulder width apart. This is the Westcountry equivalent to the straddling, horse or sitting stance in other martial arts.
2. Narrow, or Side stance – To stand with one side of the body leading and the other one trailing, so that the profile of the body is presented to one’s adversary. The position was known in Boxing as ‘the square’ because the heels and feet create a right-angle. This stance is the Westcountry equivalent to back stance in other martial arts.

Both stances are used in both Devon and Cornwall, but it would be most likely for a wrestler of the Cornish style to use the Front stance, and the Devon style to use the Side stance.

It’s important for the wrestler never to put one’s feet too close together, but not too wide apart. The wider one’s feet, the more stability one has. The closer together one’s feet, the more mobility one has. Therefore, the general instruction is to stand balanced, with equal weight on both feet, and feet at a distance just slightly wider than shoulder-width.