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I was born and grew up in a rural village in the Moscow region; our neighbor, tetya Tonya ("tetya" - respectful form of address to an older woman - translator's note), a milkmaid, just belonged to that category of exceptional women. Being the young girl, I happened to see how tetya Tonya impressed everyone, accomplishing a febulous wrestling technique - she threw a young robust girl over the hip holding her by the flaps of the girl's padded jacket. It was a jocular "match" but I was so impressed that my interest to women's wrestling was roused, once and for all. Of course, Tonya didn't practice any sport and she was not noticed in such an activity before or after that occasion. That time I didn't know anything about judo and sambo but when I saw the sports after years, I just realized that the Tonya's throw was a judo technique of the first order. Definitely, Tonya herself had never heard such words - it was just her natural instinct and physical knack. The villagers already respected Tonya very much but after that incident, she became a real celebrity. I asked her how she managed to wrestle so skillfully. Always laconic, she just said, "Blood of my ancestors". Once she told me about her ancestors, who all were very strong and brave - both male and female ones. Her great grandmother stood out among them, she was famous for her strength and bravado in her young years. According to Tonya's family legend, her great grandma not only skillfully wrestled and toppled opponents of both sexes but also would come out for fistfight in men's wall-on-wall lines during Maslenitsa festivals (Pancake week - the only purely Russian Holiday that dates back to the pagan times - translator's note). I had elicited everything she knew about the matter.
Of course, Russian peasant women wrestled not frequently - they really had no time for that. However, if they did, they often took each other by clothing; not only by the scruff of the neck or shirt sleeves as men did but also by coat flaps. So, long before Sambo was invented and Judo spread, Russian rural women applied clothing grips in wrestling practically. In fact, The clothing of a Russian female peasant in old times was long, loose and "multilayered" (perhaps, there was some similarity with Japanese combative kimono). Let's imagine a female peasant in the 19th century in our area (the north of the Moscow region). Burlap (or more good-looking brocaded) shirt, sarafan (outer female clothing having shoulder straps), "epanechka" or "dushegrey" (quilted vest). Women also put on more clothes - apron, "nagrudnik" (breast cover); the multilayered clothing made a woman's figure much wider - plump women were appreciated in old Russia. In winter, they wore fur coats or padded quilted jackets. The shirt sleeves were very long, with inside cuts for hands. According to tetya Tonya, in the old-time girls and young women engaged in amusing games in holidays and festivals - they grabbed each other by long shirt sleeves or by coat flaps trying turn an opponent down. The one who fell or stumbled first was considered as a loser - no ground grappling. In the Summer time, the most cheerful holiday was Ivan Kupala (Ivan the Bather) day - a lot of things might happen there, including "mixed wrestling" - the boldest girls came out against guys. In Maslenitsa different games were held - wall-on-wall fistfights, snow castle assaults, etc. There were mostly men's amusements but the most daring girls and young women got into that too; and they were successful sometimes (like Tonya's great grandmother). Young babes threw open their jackets or coats and grabbed hold of the opponents' flaps, then pulled and jerked each other cheerfully yelling until one of the two opponents (more often both ones) fell down to the snow. Tetya Tonya emphasized in her story that (according to her grandfather) in old times girls and women measured their strength against each other in their peculiar way, they didn't imitate men. (Russian peasant men used the traditional techniques: attempting to trip an opponent up by a leg and throw him over the body, being dropped to one knee; they didn't use holding clothing.) I guess, women grabbed each other by clothing because close body contacts in front of people were not allowed by the strict traditions (even for woman-to-woman). Actually, non-bellicose Russian female peasants, not knowing that, invented wrestling techniques based on grips by clothing like Jiu-jitsu wrestlers did. I even created a cycle "Sambo precursors" - I keenly imagined a confusing wrestling match between women dressed in a hundred loose long clothes.
Actually, I didn't meet any mentioning of Russian female peasant wrestling, I think, this is because the taboo: women, they say, don't fight and don't wrestle. This is like Russian curse - everyone uses it but you don't see such words in the old literature.
By the way, in some countries, women have participated in wrestling of folk styles from old times until now. The most striking example - the Swiss style "Schwingen", in which wrestlers snatch each other at special wrestling pants made of sackcloth - I had occasion to see women's matches - it was the fascinating and wonderful show! Russian women should also restore their old tradition!
Sketch by Lillie Lefort. Background by Vitaly Gubarev
I used to know an old female Pomor, Daria Prutova (Pomors: Russian-Korela settlers and their descendants on the White Sea coast - FSCC); she claimed that from time immemorial Pomor women wrestled often each other, at that almost all tehir moves and techniques based on cloth grips. Old Pomors were famous by stature and strength, particularly their women. Daria asserted that in old times, skills in wrestling were considered as useful for girls in everyday life and even attracted suitors. I just attempted to depict a wrestling between Pomor girls; please be lenient toward adequacy of the old Pomor clothing.
The text and the sketches by Lillie Lefort
Exclusive of the Female Single Combat Club
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