Ancient Grappling #2 – Persian Wrestling (Koshti Pahlavani) & Varzesh-e-Bastani

I have been fascinated with the history of Iranian (or Persian) Wrestling ever since I saw the movie American Wrestler: The Wizard a couple of years ago. The film is about an Iranian boy who comes to the United States in the 1980s and competes in wrestling at his local high school. His uncle teaches him how to wrestle using methods passed down in their family for generations. If you like martial arts or wrestling films, then I highly recommend that you watch it.  Below you’ll find a synopsis of the training and practice of that art. Please be aware that this article discusses a martial art that incorporates grappling but also has many other components. The rules for competition will focus solely on the grappling, but the history and training/conditioning will discuss all parts of the art.

Brief History

The ancient roots of Iran’s wrestling heritage are not really disputed; what is questioned is how much of that ancient art remains in existence today. Iran currently practices a martial art called Varzesh-e-Bastani that combines grappling with strength training, calisthenics, and stretching composed to music and chants. The wrestling component is independently called koshti pahlavani.  Varzesh-e-Bastani is an art that has changed over the years. It has influences from Zoroastrianism and Islam. In fact, because of it’s non-Islamic roots, there was a time when the art was banned within the country and suppressed, meaning some elements are likely to have been lost or changed. However, Islamic beliefs have been fused within the art and it is practiced widely throughout Iran today, but its peak was during the 19th century.

Varzesh-e-Bastani dates all the back to Ancient Persia. It is said that it was used to train ancient Persian soldiers; koshti pahlavani (wrestling) was just one part of that training. As practiced today, Koshti Pahlavani is but a small part. A lot of focus goes into strength training and calisthenics. Varzesh-e-Bastani mimics the styles and behaviors of Persians that were once used in war and incorporate a variety of different equipment.

The art is practiced in a low domed building called a zourkhāneh (which means house of strength). To this day, zourkhanehs rely on public donations to remain open. It used to be in times past that the zourkhaneh was place to train warriors that would then protect the community and act as a local police force. The zourkhaneh teaches men in the art of religion,  history, and philosophy just much as physicality. They are expected to leave a strict code of contact as members. The entrance to the zourkhāneh is low, forcing one to bow when entering. The interior of the building is structured with a large octagonal pit (called a gowd) in the center where the athletes actually train. The men were required to be shirtless and barefoot within the gowd.

The Rules of Koshti Pahlavani

The ancient rules of koshti pahlavani were unable to be verified in the research of this article. However, modern rules have been provided below:

The match is done on a mat that is 12×12. It has one small and one large ring painted on the mat to specify the inner and outer areas.

Rounds go for five minutes each. The athlete who scores the most points during that time will be the winner.

Points are awarded in the following ways (taken from the rulebook of the International Zurkhaneh Sports And Koshti Pahlavani Federation).

1. Throw the opponent on the Ground position by Pish Kaseh, Pas Kaseh, Pish Qabz & Pas Qabz will have 2 points & taking the opponent’s leg, as mentioned in Regulations (above knee) will have 1 point.
2. If the wrestler could not carry out the technique within 10 seconds after ground work, the Referee will restart the Koshti.
3. In the main area of the mat, two points will go to all techniques that led the opponent side “Pahlu” thrown to the Ground position. And if this technique started in the main area of the mat and led to outside area of the mat, it will take 1 point. The referee will announce one or two point by announcing “Pahlou” word.
4. One point will go to the wrestler who started the work in the main area of Mat and make the opponent in Ground position outside of the warning area. By whistle of referee the Koshti will be restarted in the center of Mat.
5. The defensive wrestler will loose 2 points in the case of using his hand in reaction to the opponent’s leg Technique. 2 points and one announce will go to his opponent. The whistle of referee will restart the Koshti in the center of Mat.
6. Three points will go to the wrestler who started the technique in the mat center & warning area which led to knocking down the opponents in the out area. Koshti will be restarted in the center of Mat.
7. Two points will go to the wrestler who started the technique in the mat center & warning area in the ground position which led to knocking down the opponents in the out of the main area. Koshti will be restarted in the center of Mat.
8. If any of above conditions happened for the wrestler who is doing the techniques, points will go to the defensive opponent.

There are additional rules for instances where two athletes end with the same number of points.

Training Regimen

Warm-Ups

The warm starts with slow walking that moves into a jog. There are also periods where the athlete will alternate hopping on one or two legs.

Training of Varzesh-e-Bastani / Koshti Pahlavani

Note: A number of great videos showing the below training types can be found in the Medium article “House of Strength…” (in references below). Many of these types are also used in the performance shows and competitions of Varzesh-e-Bastani. Much of the information for this section (but not all) comes from the article mentioned above.

Athletes used to train shirtless while wearing a pair of embroidered pants that go just below the knee. In moderns times a t-shirt is also worn.

Different types of tools are used to help train athletes and develop strength and flexibility. One of these tools is the meel or Persian clubs (also called Indian clubs in other places). These clubs were meant to mimic ancient maces and were practiced with to train for their use in times of war. When used in training, they would be rotated and spun around the shoulders both clockwise and counterclockwise in different patterns. They could weigh anywhere from 10 to 60 pounds.

Another is the kabbadeh, which is a bow and chain. The bow mimics the type used with archers in ancient times. Attached to the bow is a chain of metal rings that shaken against the bow to the rhythm of music and chants. These bows can weigh anywhere from 22 pounds to 110 pounds.

Athletes would also train with the sang, which were used to mimic shields. Sang used to be made from stone, however, today large wooden panels are used instead. There is an area in the center that is cut out for a handle where the athlete is able to grip. The athlete lays down with his back against the ground while lifting two sang (one in each hand) above him and moving them in up and down. This is done while also shifting his legs side to side by moving his hips.

A Takhteh-Shena (push-up board) is said to be symbolic of the sword. a couple of different pushup-like exercises are done using this board.

Charkh and Pazadan involve an athlete spinning (with arms outstretched) and “stomping” the ground while music and chants are playing. It said that this is to mimic fighting multiple opponents and kicking.

Koshti Pahlavani is freestyle wrestling. It is performed last and anciently was practiced in the gowd but has moved to areas more open mat space in modern times to avoid injury. The matches used to not set be weight or age, however that changed in modern times.

Cool-Down

Once training is complete, a massage (called a moshtemal) is performed on the upper body of the athlete. This done by kneeling and then laying forward on one’s forearms while the back, shoulder, arms, and neck are massaged. After the moshtemal is completed, the athletes gather for a prayer to conclude the training.

Diet

Unfortunately, no specific information on foods consumed in diets for ancient or modern athletes was able to be found. There was one study about the macronutrients in wrestlers from one specific region in Iran, but no specific details on the types of foods actually consumed. A broader search for nutritional information on all Iranian athletes also did not produce any results.

References / Additional Resources

Amirtash, Ali-Mohamad. Zoorkhaneh and Varzesh-E-Bastani. Journal of Movement Sciences & Sports, Special Issue, No1, pp. 59-73. Accessed from https://www.traditionalsports.org/images/sports/asia/zurkhaneh/Zoorkhaneh_and_Varzesh-E-Bastani.pdf

Daneshforouz, Devlin Nestor . (2018). “House of Strength: The History and Traditions of The Zurkhaneh”. Medium.
https://medium.com/@dforouznv/house-of-strength-the-history-and-traditions-of-the-zurkhaneh-4c41c58d569a

Hooshyar F. Naraghi. “Traditional Iranian Martial Arts (Varzesh-e Pahlavani)”. http://www.pahlavani.com/

KOSHTI PAHLEVANI. International Zurkhaneh Sports And Koshti Pahlavani Federation. accessed from http://www.izsf.net/en/post/47/koshti-pahlevani/page/21#:~:text=Technical%20Rules&text=2%2D%20The%20wrestler%20can%20take,just%20above%20the%20opponent’s%20knee.

Matt Fisher. “The Ancient Roots of Iran’s Wrestling and Weightlifting Olympic Dominance”. The Atlanic. https://bit.ly/2YbYfa9

Zur-Kana. Encyclopedia of Iranica. https://iranicaonline.org/articles/zur-kana

Zurkhaneh or Pahlevani (Iran). Traditional Sports. https://www.traditionalsports.org/traditional-sports/asia/zurkhaneh-or-pahlevani-iran.html