Publisher's Synopsis
This book is about traditional wrestling which is one of the oldest sports in the world. It has been contributed to by a total of 26 contributors as scholars and experts from 16 countries with many popular traditional wrestling styles. This well-written book is a great resource for anybody such as teachers, athletes, coaches in traditional sports, scholars in sports science, sports historians, physical educators, people in sports ministries, and agencies. The book not only covers traditional wrestling from a historical point of view but also provides guidance about culture, current application, and present rules and regulations that everybody in the field of traditional sports and games needs to learn. The book has certainly accomplished the promise of being the single most comprehensive work on the subject matter to date, covering the broadest and most inclusive list of traditional wrestling styles and bringing together the collaboration of the leading scholars and experts from many countries under one publication. This book includes perspectives on traditional wrestling from all over the world, including Siberia, South Africa, Argentina, Scotland, Japan, the USA, Nigeria and Pakistan. As a result, this groundbreaking book will advance the understanding and enjoyment of the sacred sport of wrestling. Editors and some of the contributors are among the best scientists in the scientific field of sports history and traditional sports and games. One of the editors, Dr. Mehmet Turkmen, is considered one of the best-known scholars in sports history in the world with many academic publications and awards. Not only does this book educate and entertain, but it also gives the reader a connection on a personal level to all those who have come before him or her that are all united by this shared physical and cultural heritage. Wrestling is a powerful common denominator that has the singularly unique ability to unite all those involved in a brotherhood, giving readers a common link that will bridge the distance of language, location, and culture.
