BBC photo essay: Sengalese wrestling becomes the nation's most popular sport

**nightowl** · Posted On: 3/18/2010 4:56am

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/in_pictures/8568677.stm

**MMAMickey** · Posted On: 3/18/2010 5:15am

When I saw it on that Last Man Standing program, I'm pretty sure there was no punching.. perhaps they took it out for the ***** English TV

**nightowl** · Posted On: 3/18/2010 5:19am

Originally Posted by MMAMickey

When I saw it on that Last Man Standing program, I'm pretty sure there was no punching.. perhaps they took it out for the ***** English TV

According to wiki:

Since the 1950s, a number of West African traditions have been assimilated into Lutte Traditionnelle as it has become a major spectator sport and cultural event. The major variation has become Laamb, or Senegalese Wrestling, which allows punching (frappe), the only of the West African traditions to do so. As a larger confederation and championship around Lutte Traditionnelle have developed since the 1990s, Senegalese fighters now practice both forms, called officially Lutte Traditionnelle sans frappe (for the international version) and Lutte Traditionnelle avec frappe for the striking version

So basically they had the last man standing guys do the "safe for Europe" version.

**SonofSpiridonov** · Posted On: 3/18/2010 1:57pm

Cool. Pity they dont seem to have any groundfighting though.

**pauli** · Posted On: 3/18/2010 2:10pm

birdman kicked my ass,
birdman kicked my ass...

**Conde Koma** · Posted On: 3/18/2010 4:32pm

looks pretty awesome, is there any video available?

the bit on charms reminds me of Thai boxing culture.

**Holy Moment** · Posted On: 3/18/2010 4:48pm

Originally Posted by Conde Koma

looks pretty awesome, is there any video available?

**Conde Koma** · Posted On: 3/18/2010 5:05pm

looks like victory by some kind of ippon (or just getting the guy to his back) with bareknuckle boxing allowed?

**Valiss** · Posted On: 3/18/2010 5:20pm

Originally Posted by Conde Koma

looks like victory by some kind of ippon (or just getting the guy to his back) with bareknuckle boxing allowed?

That's more or less what I got out of the YouTube vid. I'm not sure what the slo-mo slapping thing is about. I mean if you're that close, you could be setting up strikes. I dunno, but interesting from a cultural point of view.