page_title: Glima
section_title: Trouser-grip wrestling
hierarchical_section_title: Glima / Variants / Trouser-grip wrestling
caption_attribution_description: English: Pictures of 2 glima belts
context_page_description: Glima is the name that covers several types of Nordic folk wrestling practiced as sport and combat. In one common form of glima, players grip their opponent by the waist and attempt to throw them to the ground using technique rather than force. Other variants allow for more aggression.
context_section_description: The trouser-grip (brókartök) version is by far the most widespread in Iceland and is Iceland's national sport. It favours technique over strength. The wrestlers wear a special belt around the waist and additional belts on the lower thighs of each leg, which connect to the main belt. A fixed grip is then taken with one hand in the belt and the other in the trousers at thigh height. From this position the glima-wrestler attempts to trip and throw his opponent. In this style of glima, a thrown wrestler may attempt to land on his feet and hands and if he succeeds in doing so he has not lost the fall. The winning condition in this type of glima is to make the opponent touch the ground with an area of the body between the elbow and the knee.
  There are four points that differentiate it from other forms of wrestling:
  The opponents must always stand erect.
  The opponents step clockwise around each other (looks similar to a waltz). This is to create opportunities for offence and defence, and to prevent a stalemate.
  It is not permitted to fall down on your opponent or to push him down in a forceful manner, as it is not considered sportsman-like.
  The opponents are supposed to look across each other's shoulders as much as possible because it is considered proper to wrestle by touch and feel rather than sight.
  The core of the system are eight main techniques, which form the basic training for approximately 50 ways to execute a throw or takedown.
  Surrounding glima is a code of honour called drengskapur that calls for fairness, respect for and caring about the security of one's training partners.
  The word glíma is the Icelandic term for "wrestling" in general. The same word has also a wider meaning of "struggle".
  Glima differs from other ethnic grips in three ways:
  Upright position – Pursuers shall remain upright. The positioning in many of the ethnic grips sports often resembles a setsquare but in glima that is called ousting and is banned.
  Stepping – Glima involves steps, which involves contestants stepping forth and back like they are dancing in a clockwise motion. Stígandi is one of the characteristics of glima and designed to avoid a standstill and create opportunities for offence and attack.
  A ban on knocking over – It is forbidden to push your opponent down with force. That is considered to be unsportsmanlike and in opposition to the nature of glima as a sport for honorable sportsmen and women. Opponents should be conquered by using a well implemented grip that makes the opponent fall gracefully to the ground without any further action.
caption: Two glima belts
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