Guide
The Wrestling Festival Survival Kit: Well-equipped for the Swiss Wrestling Festival
by Simon Balissat
A German explains swinging to me
22.8.2019
Translation: machine translated
I have no idea about swinging. What a pity. Now that the whole world is rediscovering the Swiss national sport and suddenly everyone wants to know everything there is to know about wrestling. That's why I'm asking a German.
Swiss television has discovered swinging. Yes, they also used to report on the trouser fly. But today Sascha Ruefer, sorry Ruefer Sascha (you always say your surname first when you're swinging, that much I know), stands on the Brünig or another mountain, calls down into the valley and praises the beauty of the Swiss landscape and the power of the Senns in epic live programmes for hours on end. And the highlight is yet to come: ESAF. The Swiss Wrestling and Alpine Festival in Zug. The broadcasting time in between, it seems, will be bridged with Jass broadcasts.
My colleague, Balissat Simon, has also caught wrestling fever.
Suddenly I'm surrounded by wrestling experts. They all know what a Gestellter is and how the Brienzer goes. And when and where to have a drink. Swinging is hip, not just on the Alps, but also in Zurich West. I need to improve my knowledge, after all I want to be able to have my say. I already know who I'm going to ask. There's just one problem: the man is German. Of all things!
Himself is the lump
Ludwig Matthias is a Swabian. No, not Schwoob, that's a dirty word. He comes from Swabia and has been living and working in the greater Zurich area for several years. Ludwig Matthias is a qualified sports scientist, personal coach and also looks after a number of wrestlers, among others. And he is a handsome contemporary himself.
You are currently coaching three wrestlers. Do your athletes also take part in the Swiss National Championships?
Ludwig Matthias, personal coach: Yes, one of them is Vollenweider Jeremy.
Do you have any idea why the wrestler is called by his surname first?
No idea. Tradition that comes from somewhere. I honestly don't know.
What is your job as a personal coach?
I'm responsible for strength training. As you can easily tell from my dialect, I'm not originally from here and had little to do with swinging until four years ago. In the meantime, however, I have acquired quite a bit of knowledge. Without presuming to call myself an expert. But let's stay with Jeremy. He lives in my neighbouring town and regularly comes to me for strength training. We do a lot of high-intensity barbell work in ten-minute blocks. So that he's prepared for the duration of a walk and a little longer.
And the swingers who aren't your neighbours?
That also works online. For example, I worked with von Weissenfluh Kilian, who I looked after until recently. I draw up a specific training plan, we check it with video and I also visit the athlete to set up the barbell training properly, for example. It works perfectly.
You mentioned the duration of the gait earlier. Why isn't the gait called a competition or round?Because the competition or Schwinget/Schwingfest refers to the whole event. The course is the individual section of a competition. Normally, the wrestlers compete in six rounds, but there are eight at the Swiss National Wrestling Festival.
And how long does such a course last?
The length of the course depends on the size of the event. At a regional festival it is four minutes, at the final round of the Swiss Wrestling Festival 16 minutes.
And the historical background of wrestling?
Wow, now it's getting difficult. I'm stepping into a minefield. If the German says the wrong thing ... I think swinging goes back to the 13th century. There are said to be illustrations of it. It was probably a sport practised by farmers or herdsmen in the countryside and eventually came to the city. Modified versions of similar wrestling can also be found in other countries such as Austria and India.
Name the most important swings, please. Can you summarise the five most important ones?
Important is of course relative (laughs). I'll try it: So there's the short one. Then the Brienzer, I think there are two variants: up and down. Then the Wyberhaken, the Hüfter and the Fußstich. That's five, isn't it?
Let's talk about the judging panel. Also a peculiarity of wrestling. The judges not only divide up the courses, they also award marks. And so it can happen that a wrestler wins the final round but not the wrestling competition. How come?
Exactly. The judges score the way the wrestler swings. If you win flat, i.e. you put your opponent on his back with both shoulders without having to push on the ground, you get 10 points. If you have him on the ground but have to push first one shoulder and then the other into the sawdust, you might get a score of 9.75. The judges also judge how actively or passively you swing. Many factors play a role in the scoring. And so in the end, the wrestler with the most points wins and not necessarily the winner of the final round.
That certainly always leads to discussions. Is this score fair or not? I was active, why do I only get this score?
There's human behaviour everywhere. In the end, the judges are always right.
Then there are the wrestlers in white and those with the famous Edelweiss shirts. What's that all about?
The "white one" is affiliated to a gymnastics club, the Senn is not. He is a member of a wrestling club. As far as I know.
Swinging also has something polite about it. You shake hands before the round. Afterwards, the winner wipes the sawdust off the loser's back. I like that.
Yes, a lot of value is placed on respect.
Last question: What should I make sure I have with me when I visit the Swiss Wrestling and Alpine Festival?
Binoculars, seat cushions (if not provided by the sponsor), raincoat, pocket knife, sun cream, sausage. And a beer, as it's taking place in Zug this year, then white wine in Welschland. A long time ago, I had a friend from Valais. They only ever had white wine there.
Ludwig Matthias, thank you for this walk through the sawdust.
You're welcome.
Look here at my author profile.
Patrick Bardelli
Senior Editor
Patrick.Bardelli@digitecgalaxus.chFrom radio journalist to product tester and storyteller, jogger to gravel bike novice and fitness enthusiast with barbells and dumbbells. I'm excited to see where the journey'll take me next.
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