Lucha Canaria is a traditional Canarian sport dating back to times of the first inhabitants of the islands. The Canarian aborigines were said to use the wrestling sport to resolve conflicts.
The Canarian Wrestling consists of one of the two fighters knocking down the other. It is sufficient even for one person to just touch the ground with a part of his body, except with the sole of his foot. The fight takes place on a circular area called “terrero”, which is made up of two circles with diameters of 15 and 17 meters respectively. Generally the ground is made of sand or clay, but also, depending on the place, the floor can be made of modern materials such as mats, which are normally used for the practice of martial arts.
In the past, the fight arose spontaneously in rural areas after a working day, or in urban areas such as beaches or parks. When the regulations were established in the 1940s, some styles disappeared and new rules, weight categories, teams, etc. appeared. The fight begins when they grab each other’s right leg trousers with their left hand and the other hand in the sand. The grips give rise to different terms of application (art & skill). Among the tricks or gripping techniques, the most common are the following: Donkey, Thigh Grab, Cango, Pardelera, Inside Touch, Back Touch, Chascón, etc.
If anyone would like to go along to see the sport there is an event taking place in Haria on Friday 23rd February at 20.00