Koch ( Arm. Կոխ ) - Armenian national struggle . One of the oldest and most popular types of national wrestling. It has several varieties (Lori kokh, Shirak kokh).
The President of the National Federation of Koch of Armenia is Arman Sedrakyan [1] .
Equipment
The costume is a national dress, but wrestlers, as a rule, wear a special dressing gown - a chohu with a soft belt.
Rules
The winner must throw the opponent with his back on the carpet, not booster and without turning it, or push him out of the battlefield. Captures are performed for the belt and above the belt for the Chokha. Throws allowed. The time of the fight is not limited, but usually the struggle lasts no more than 5-10 minutes. The fight begins with a warm-up dance, which lasts at least half a minute. According to the rules of the fight, in the event that a wrestler has achieved an effective and explicit win, at the request of spectators, judges and participants, he performs a victory dance.
Views
Lori kokh . A variation of the Armenian national wrestling kokh. In the scrum, grabs below the waist are prohibited, footwork is permitted. The goal of the fight is to throw the opponent with his back on the carpet. Wrestlers act in clothing of a special cut (Chokha), which is a variant of the Circassian style, a belt is an obligatory element. Warm-up and fight are performed to the accompaniment of national music.
Shirak kokh . A variation of the Armenian national wrestling kokh. Wrestlers are dressed in harem pants , naked to the waist. Captures by legs and harem pants are allowed. The aim of the fight is to throw the opponent with his back on the carpet (ground). The fight is accompanied by special national music. Before the start of the fight, a warm-up in the form of a dance with musical accompaniment is carried out.
History
Koch has an ancient history - at least over one and a half thousand years. Mention of him is found in ancient Persian manuscripts. The Persians met kokh, passing through Armenia . French scholar Henri Chardin also wrote about him in the Middle Ages. Scenes of the struggle can be seen on the walls of the church on the island of Akhtamar .
In antiquity, they competed in kokh mainly during festive celebrations and weddings. From the side of the bride and groom came out fighters. Before the start of the battle, the rivals performed a ritual dance. The one who managed to make “kokh”, that is, to throw the opponent under him, had to knee the opponent to the ground, fixing his success. After that, a special dance of the winner was performed. National music has always been an integral part of koch.
In Soviet times, Koch did not have an official status. Until about 1988, festive events were held in the villages, during which fights took place, but there were no professional kokh wrestlers. Wrestlers, sambo wrestlers, just strong village guys competed. Many sambo elements were drawn from kokh. There are two main schools of classical kokh - Shirak and Lori. The difference is that in Shirak kokh you can do hand grabs by the legs and wrestlers fought naked to the waist, and in Lori kokh rivals fight dressed in chokha.
Video
- Armenian folk wrestling "Koch" on YouTube
- Jivan Gasparyan, "Koch Couples" on YouTube
- Armenian wrestling Koch, part 1 on YouTube
- Armenian wrestling Koch, part 2 on YouTube
- Armenian Wrestling Koch, part 3 on YouTube
Famous Representatives
- Malkhasyan, Martin Yuryevich (1976) - World Champion Mix Fight M-1 (1999, 2000), world champion in valetudo, world champion in combat sambo
Note
- ↑ Koch is still unattended Archived on September 27, 2013.
2. kokh.info
Sources
- Sports terminology. Explanatory Dictionary of Sports Terms, 2001
- Ancient Dances and Theatrical Performances of the Armenian People, Volume 1 - Page 86
See also
- Sports in Armenia