Collar-and-elbow - Characteristics and Rules

Characteristics and Rules

It was the smaller man who usually excelled in this style, it is said that practitioners would utilize balance and speed to achieve positioning so that strength could then be applied towards the leverage gained. It was practiced both with and without jackets with double sewn seams. Footwear was banned from being worn in competition early on due to the kicking and tripping techniques employed. The wrestlers who practiced this style referred to themselves as "scufflers" and "trippers". An impromptu scuffling match was known as a scuffling bee.

While there is no evidence showing that the Irish style of collar-and-elbow wrestling in Ireland was a groundfighting game, the Irish who came to the United States in the late 18th and early 19th century had a style that included a fairly large amount of ground wrestling, which goes against the mold of other indigenous styles. It works for a throw then a pinning combination. The beginning stance is the foundation of the style as well as the origin of its name. The wrestlers face each other, grabbing the elbow with the left hand and the collar area with the right hand. This very stance forced the scufflers to use technique rather than a bull rush on their opponent. The initial "Collar-and-Elbow" grip/tie up could not be intentionally broken and instead must be broken by the opponent. Once/if the grip is broken, the competitors were then allowed to catch any grip possible. The collar-and-elbow grip also varied depending on the competitors. Which hand gripped which area was strictly preference caused by the competitors dominant side. The beginning of the match was often a test of strategy and balance. The scufflers would try to circle each other clockwise while a series of unbalancing maneuvers, including kicking and tripping, would be played-out by both combatants. This stage of the match could last a very long time, indeed, there are accounts where the standing portion of the match had lasted over an hour. Inevitably a take-down would occur. A flying mare or a snap mare was a common takedown. A mare was a throw in which the feet of the thrown opponent actually were higher than his head. Ground wrestling began after one or both of the scufflers hit the ground. Half-nelsons and various grapevines and other ground control techniques were then employed. A match was originally won only when all four points of the body were pinned to the ground for the count of five. Four points meaning both shoulders and both points of the hips. In the late 19th century, the requirement to win was lessened to a three point touch. The Irish style of Collar-and-Elbow originally resembled that of Cornish Wrestling. The American style featured, or possibly evolved to feature, a wide array of pinning techniques and submissions performed with and without a jacket.

It appears that many of the techniques had names derived from things found in their work environments. Mares, Windmills, Grapevines, etc.