As the champion of the Mongolian national wrestling said, it took him 45 years to create 3 volumes of this book. In other words, the books are the result of his life and struggle.
The books are called “Mongol bohiin barildaany ov, mehiin chuulgan sudar” - “Sutra-collection of the heritage of Mongolian national wrestling techniques”. In 3 volumes, 725 techniques of the Mongolian national wrestling are described, which are illustrated with photographs, provided with instructions and comments. In the comments you can find out about every move of the wrestler. Each technique has its own name. Translating them from Mongolian to another language is very difficult. Nevertheless, the Great Giant decided to translate his books into English.
He even mentioned the high skills and tricks of each of the famous champion wrestlers. For example, he described how and what techniques were used by his former eternal rival, the father of the yokozuna Hakuho, J. Monkhbat.
No one has written about the Mongolian national wrestling before, including the Mongolian wrestling techniques. These books are the result of a huge work, in addition to describing the techniques, they also contain the results of the author's scientific work devoted to the study of the Mongolian wrestling.
The same author identified the 800-year-old Mongolian national wrestling technique mentioned in the Secret History of the Mongols. This technique belongs to Buri-bohu of the Khatagin clan, the son of Khutagt Monkhor from the Zhurkhen aimag tribe. He fought with Genghis Khan's younger brother Belgutei, the son of Khatun Sochigel, one of the Khatuns of Yesugei, Genghis Khan's father. The “Secret History of the Mongols” says: “Once Genghis Khan appointed a fight between Buri-Bokh and Belgutei. Buri-Bokh possessed such strength that he could knock down Belgutey, acting only with one hand and one foot.
It is written about zhurkhents like this: "Each of the husbands is skilled, a mighty fighter with the Force."
Their avarga (Great Giant Champion) H. Bayanmönkh in his book described in detail how to use Mongolian techniques in judo, freestyle wrestling, sambo and other types of wrestling.
The author decided that his books would be sold in bookstores, but in order for Mongolian children to inherit these precious skills and the history of the Mongolian national struggle, he would first of all sell them in secondary schools.
His books will be bestsellers, that's for sure. So he wants to distribute them to all schools in Mongolia before the books become scarce.
This book will be for children who dream of becoming fighters, a teacher, mentor, close friend and friend, as the Russian writer V.F. Bokov wrote. And for those who respect and honor the Mongolian tradition and national history, it will become a real “sutra”. Over time, the value of these books will only increase.
Khorloogiin Bayanmonkh, at the birth of Khorloogiin Sukhbaatar, was born on February 22, 1944 in Khyargas soum, Uvs, Mongolia - a Mongolian freestyle and Greco-Roman wrestler, sambo wrestler, participant in five Olympiads, silver medalist of the Olympic Games, world champion, champion of the Asian Games, 14- multiple champion of Mongolia in freestyle wrestling, silver medalist of the Asian Games in Greco-Roman wrestling, world champion in sambo, 10-time winner of tournaments in national Mongolian wrestling, one of two holders of the title “Great Nationwide Invincible Giant” in national Mongolian wrestling. Honored Master of Sports of Mongolia and the USSR (1972). Doctor of Pedagogical Sciences (1994). Hero of Labor of Mongolia. Father of Bayanmunkhin Gantogtokh, a participant in the 1996 Olympic Games, a multiple winner of the Asian Championships in freestyle wrestling.
Born in 1944 in the family of an arat cattle breeder. At the age of six, due to his susceptibility to diseases, his name was changed from Sukhbaatar to Bayanmunkh.
At the age of 10, he lost his father. From the age of 12 he began to take part in local competitions in national wrestling and already at the age of 16 he was able to achieve the title of zaan (“elephant”, for seven victories in a row during the tournament). He was noticed, and since 1961 he began to study at the university and engage in wrestling in Ulaanbaatar.
Since 1963, he successfully performed at national wrestling competitions.
At the 1964 Olympics, he competed in freestyle wrestling in the middleweight division. In 1973, he was only fourth at the World Championships. 1974 was a busy year for the wrestler. He became the silver medalist of the World Championship and the winner of the Asian Games in freestyle wrestling, the silver medalist of the Asian Games in Greco-Roman wrestling, and, speaking at the World Sambo Championship in Ulaanbaatar, won a gold medal there. In 1975 he became the bronze medalist of the World Cup and the world champion in freestyle wrestling, won a silver medal at the World Sambo Championship. At the 1976 Olympics, he competed in freestyle wrestling in heavy weight and remained in fifth place.
After the end of his international sports career, he was in coaching and at the same time competed in national wrestling until 1992.
In 1994 he defended his doctoral dissertation on pedagogical problems in Mongolian wrestling, its traditions and style. Author of the autobiographical book "My Victories". Member of the Mongolian Parliament (since 2000).
The open freestyle wrestling championship of Mongolia last weekend (Mongolia open - 2017) clearly showed that several Buryat wrestlers at once look worthy even against the background of the best Mongolian freestyle wrestlers.
And in Mongolia open - 2017, as many as five Mongolian teams participated, in which the whole color of Mongolian freestyle wrestling was gathered. Note that two athletes from Buryatia, who represented Russia at this tournament (along with wrestlers from Yakutia, Krasnoyarsk, Novosibirsk and Moscow), became the champions of Mongolia this year. These are Baldan Tsyzhipov, who performed in the weight category over 125 kg, and middleweight Evgeny Zherbaev (over 70 kg).
All Mongolian experts agree in principle that today the bronze medalist of the 2016 Russian Championship Baldan Tsyzhipov, who, according to the results of last year, is actually the fourth or fifth strongest Russian wrestler in this weight, is clearly stronger than all Mongolian wrestlers.
With my participation in tournaments for Mongolia, nothing is clear yet. Work is currently underway to resolve this issue. I myself have a great desire to play for Mongolia, because this gives a good chance to enter major international competitions - the World Championships, Asia, the Olympic Games. And in general, I really like Mongolia, I like to come here, to participate in competitions, - says the champion of Mongolia in 2017 Baldan Tsyzhipov.
Carpet friend of Boris Budaev
In this Olympic cycle until 2020, there are no equals among Mongolian heavyweight wrestlers (over 125 kg) to Baldan Tsyzhipov, - Vice-President of the Mongolian Freestyle Wrestling Federation Buyandelger Bold told us. - He could compete for Mongolia, as do many athletes who compete for other countries. Freestyle wrestling federations of Mongolia and Buryatia can agree on this. But finally, such issues should be resolved at the level of the Ministry of Sports of Mongolia. In this sense, Baldan Tsyzhipov has a good chance. Because, as far as I know, his wife is a citizen of Mongolia.
Mr. B. Bold himself is a titled athlete, champion of Asia and Mongolia, winner of the world championships, honored master of sports of Mongolia, who competed in the same weight as the Buryat world champion in 1989 Boris Budaev. By the way, the first major international success of the famous Buryat wrestler, when he won the title of world champion among youth in 1979, was achieved not without the help of Bold. The fact is that Boris Budaev defeated Bold at that tournament, but lost on points to a wrestler from the USA. And in order for Budaev to become a champion, it was necessary for Bold to win cleanly (on the carcass or with a clear advantage) against the American.
Before the last fight, I didn't care, because I was in second place in this championship anyway, - says B. Bold. - But I clearly won against Bori's opponent and helped him! And Borya became the first Buryat world champion in freestyle wrestling among youth. And then, in 1989, Boris Dugdanovich became the adult world champion! But I didn’t, although I was second in the world three times ...
Triumph Zherbaev
It is interesting that even today in this weight (68 - 70 kg) an excellent wrestler is growing in Buryatia. This is yesterday's junior 24-year-old Evgeny Zherbaev, who recently added the title of Mongolian champion to his title of bronze medalist of the Russian Championship in 2015.
We really liked Evgeniy Zherbaev, who showed quite confident and spectacular wrestling, - said Lubsanzunduin Nyam, Doctor of Science, International Class Master of Sports and one of Mongolia's leading specialists in the physical training of freestyle wrestlers. - Participation of Buryat wrestlers in tournaments for the Mongolian national team is a good idea. All of us just need to agree well and promote this idea in the public field, in the media.
At Mongolia open - 2017, Evgeny Zherbaev won all his bouts ahead of schedule and with a clear advantage. At this tournament Alexey Ivanov, an athlete from Yakutia, who is getting in shape, and the three best Mongolian wrestlers in this weight category, Ulziymunkh (1/4 finals, score 0:10), Mandakhnaran (semifinal, score 7:17) and Sukhbat (final , score 0:12)!
By the way, Ganzorig Mandakhnaran is the same Mongolian wrestler who represented his country last summer at the Olympics and around whom then there was the biggest scandal at the wrestling tournament in Rio. Recall that in order to win the Olympic bronze medal, Mandakhnaran lacked only four seconds.
In the last seconds of his fight for third place with a wrestler from Uzbekistan, Ikhtior Navruzov, the score was 7:7, but the Mongolian wrestler had an advantage due to the fact that it was he who held the last hold evaluated by the judges. Four seconds before the end of the fight, Mandakhnaran began to celebrate the victory, but the judges assessed this as an evasion of the fight and gave the winning point to Navruzov. It was at that moment that the coaches of the Mongolian national team, outraged by the actions of the judiciary, began to tear off their clothes and shoes and throw them on the wrestling mat with a flourish.
I am sure that if Evgeny Zherbaev had competed for Mongolia then in Rio de Janeiro, the Mongolian coaches would not have had to show the audience their naked torsos and, waving their arms, loudly appeal to higher powers in search of justice. Since Evgeny Zherbaev in this situation, most likely, would have won by more than one point!
Bazarguruev's example
According to international rules, an athlete can represent any country at the Olympics if he participated in domestic competitions in this country or played for it at international tournaments at least two years before the Olympic Games. Thus, the upcoming sports year (2017 - 2018) will be decisive for our wrestlers.
Today wrestlers from the North Caucasus and Sakha-Yakutia compete for many countries of the world. There is an example of our wrestler Bazyr Bazarguruev. Playing for Kyrgyzstan, he won Olympic bronze in Beijing, was a bronze medalist at the World and Asian Championships. Our archer Miroslava Dagbaeva also participated in tournaments for the Mongolian national team, the famous wrestler, world champion Boris Budaev played for Uzbekistan at the end of his sports career, became the champion of Asia. The age of an athlete is short, and why don't we give our athletes - the second, third, fourth numbers in the Russian team - the opportunity to participate in international competitions for other countries that are friendly to us? - considers the former Minister of Sports of Buryatia Vladislav Bumboshkin.
Today, a number of sports and public figures from Buryatia held several meetings in the Freestyle Wrestling Federation of Mongolia and the Olympic Committee of the neighboring country, at which the prospect of participation of Buryat athletes in competitions for the Mongolian national team was considered. Recall that today it is rather difficult to obtain Mongolian citizenship, since the laws of this country do not allow dual citizenship for residents of Mongolia. And to become a citizen of Mongolia, you must renounce the citizenship of another country.
According to the participants of these meetings, the deputy of the People's Khural of Buryatia Stepan Kalmykov and the honored coach of Buryatia, professor of Belarusian State University Kirill Baldaev (the current coach of Baldan Tsyzhipov), their Mongolian partners at the level of sports figures are all in favor of attracting athletes from Buryatia (wrestlers, archers, boxers) to the Mongolian team. And now it's the politicians' turn.
Photo by Xinhua Agency
The Mongols came from the plains of the north and northwest of China. In 1206 this nomadic group united around a tribal prince named Temujin who took the name Genghis Khan which means “universal ruler”. The Mongols had no settled homes and did not grow any crops. Their families lived in portable felt dwellings, called yurts or gers, which were made of thick woolen cloth stretched over a wooden frame. These nomad warriors moved from place to place, hunting wild animals for food and seeking fresh grass for their horses, sheep and cows. Everyone traveled on horseback – Mongol children were taught to ride by the time they were five years old. Mongol men and women valued warrior skills, such as toughness, bravery and strength.
During long military campaigns when men were out women took care of homes and land, so they had to know how to fight, with weapons or without it. The Venetian merchant Marco Polo describes a Mongol princess named Ai-Yaruk, or “Bright Moon,” (she is known as Khutulun*) who refused to get married until she met a man that could throw her. It is likely that during his travels Polo really did see some Mongol women wrestling. Mongol wrestling is jacket wrestling and the ulterior motive is to gain reputation and/or property. Princess Ai-Yaruk, for instance, reportedly won thousands of horses during her bouts with luckless suitors.
Wrestling in the modern Inner Mongolia territory has a history of nearly 2,000 years. On the bronze plates unearthed from the ruins of the Hun of the early Han Dynasty, there are even motifs featuring wrestling. Originally, Mongolian wrestling Bokh was very much focused on its nature as a military sport, mainly for strength, stamina and skills training. The Yuan-Dynasty Emperors were keen supporters of the wrestling sport. Whenever there were important feasts, wrestlers were invited to add to the fun. And wrestling was a key item for deciding the candidate rankings in imperial martial exams. Outstanding wrestlers were entitled to high distinctions.
In old times, any wresting event included a female round. Till the 14th century there were also Mongol women warrior wrestlers such as Khutulun. Ancient Mongols thought that strong, healthy, fully productive and developed women are essential to maintain the nation. Then this practice ceased, probably due to Buddhism influence. While in Mongolia women stopped wrestling long ago, in Chinese Inner Mongolia they managed to preserve the sport. Currently, the biggest wrestling events in Inner Mongolia occur during the Naadam Fair (“Game Fair”), a festival of Mongolian ethnic group. Naadam Fair is the most important holiday of Mongolians. Nowadays, hundreds of female wrestlers come together at this annual folk festival held on the grasslands of Inner Mongolia – to pit their skills and strength against each other and to amuse numerous spectators.
Mongolian wrestling style Bokh (“strength, solidarity and durability” in Mongolian), which remains extremely popular until now, was born in the 11th century This style consists of two sub-styles: Khalkas style Bohiin Barildaan, popular in the state of Mongolia and Bukh Barildah popular in the Chinese province of Inner Mongolia.
In fact, Bukh Barildah is a form of the traditional Mongolian wrestling Bokh (Bukh), extremely popular across Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region in China, among local ethnic groups – Mongols and Buryats. Some other ethnic groups call this wrestling style differently: Validi, Tali, etc.
The technical rules in the Mongolian version and what is found in Inner Mongolia have some divergence. In both versions a variety of throws, trips and lifts are employed to topple the opponent. Wrestlers use specific technique – grabbing by a jacket (“jodag”) which is mandatory for wrestlers. The Inner Mongolians may not touch their opponent's legs with their hands, whereas, in Mongolia, grabbing your opponent's legs is legal. In addition, striking, strangling or locking is illegal in both varieties.
The wrestler's outfit is also different in Inner Mongolia and Mongolia itself. Wrestlers of the state of Mongolia wear a tight heavy-duty short-sleeved jacket “jodag” of red or blue color. Traditionally made of wool, modern wrestlers have changed to looser materials such as cotton and silk. Wrestlers in Mongolia must have the front open, but tied at the back with a simple string knot, thus exposing the wrestler’s chest. According to a legend, on one occasion a wrestler defeated all other combatants and ripped open the jodag to reveal her breasts, showing to all she was a woman. From that day, the jodag had to reveal the wrestler's chest. In the state of Mongolia, wrestlers wear small tight-fitting briefs made of red and blue colored cotton cloth (“shuudag”) covering thighs and exposing the belly. In Inner Mongolia exposing chest is not mandatory (which suits women); wrestler’s attire consists of leather jacket (“tseezhne”) lined with silver or copper circular plates, multicolored belts and loose trousers (“shalbyr”). Wrestlers of both styles wear leather boots with slightly upturned toes (“gutal”). Wrestlers who have gained considerable renown through contests may also wear a jangga, a necklace decorated with strands of colorful silk ribbons. Depending on the numbers of victories, wrestlers are awarded lifelong titles: Avraga (Giant), Arslan (Lion), Zaan (Elephant), etc.
Nowadays, wrestling is very popular in Inner Mongolia – among both men and women. Competitions are held in a simple and solemn manner. The number of participants in a wrestling match must be the power of 2, such as 32, 64, 128, etc. When the match begins, wrestlers wave their strong arms and dance into the site by imitating the movements of lions, deer and eagles. While women in the state of Mongolia do not participate in wrestling contests unless for tourist amusement, in Inner Mongolia their participation is on a large scale.
Bukh Barildah matches are typically conducted outdoors, except during extremely cold winters, when it is held indoors. Mongolian wrestlers are not paired by size or weight, and there's no time limit for the match. A wrestler loses if and when he touches the ground with any part above his knees. The sport of wrestling requires good coordination between waist and leg movements. A wrestler is expected to fully display his strength and skills in the match.
The legendary grappling skills of Mongolian wrestlers have influenced Chinese Kung Fu practitioners and Russian Sambo.Sources
In nomadic communities, where 30% of the population of Inner Mongolia lives, the ancient art of special wrestling, beh barildaan, has been preserved. This sport symbolizes high status, and for many men of the country it becomes the main part of life - therefore, when a boy is born in the family, relatives pray for him to become a wrestler. Photographer Ken Hermann and art director Gemma Fletcher went to the steppe and captured Mongolian wrestlers for the Beh project.
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1 According to the photographer, he is fascinated by Mongolia and has long wanted to go there: “When I heard about these wrestlers, I realized that this was the perfect excuse for a trip. Gemma and I have worked on several projects together, and we've made a pretty good team. She is very creative, and I am technically savvy, these qualities complement each other well.
3 “We got to know our characters a little, and one feature in particular stands out in them - the movement between the past and the present. They are passionately devoted to the centuries-old tradition of wrestling and at the same time are interested in modern fashion and culture, although they live far from cities, without free access to the Internet.
4 "The wrestlers move like they're doing a dance, and their every gesture is carefully planned."
5 Even Genghis Khan forced his fighters to do physical exercises so that they were always ready for battle.
6 In Mongolian wrestling, the fight takes place in an open space, each wrestler has his own "second" - zasuul. The second defends the interests of the ward in front of the judges, watches the fight, encourages the wrestler, holds his hat, and in case of victory, raises his right hand up.
7 When the wrestlers enter the field, they reproduce the flight of the mythical bird Garuda: they wave their arms, squat, pat their thighs.
There are no 8 weight categories in this fight. Previously, there were no time limits, but now they have been added.
9 The winner is the one who first touches the ground with any part of the body, except for the soles of the feet and hands. After the duel, he must pass under the winner's raised right hand as a sign that he admits defeat. The winner performs the traditional eagle dance.
10 More than 400 techniques are used in Mongolian wrestling. Tripping is allowed, but undercuts are not allowed.
11 Opponents fight in special costumes: they include national boots with curved toes - "mongol gutal", shorts - "shuudag", a shirt with an open chest - "zodog" and a headdress with the image of a "knot of happiness" - "ulziy".
12 In Mongolia, there is a legend about why wrestlers wear open shirts. As if once an invincible hero appeared in the steppe, who had no equal. The hero defeated all the strongest fighters, and then it turned out that he was not him at all, but a woman. Then one old man suggested wrestling in shorts and with an open chest - so that women "do not meddle in men's affairs."
13 From July 11 to July 13, the country celebrates the national holiday of sports - Nadom, from 512 to 1024 people participate in wrestling competitions. Nine or ten rounds they fight in pairs, knockout. Special titles are awarded for victories: "nachin" ("falcon") - for winning in five rounds, "hartsag" ("hawk") - for winning in six rounds, "zaan" ("elephant") - for winning in seven rounds , "garuda" ("sacred bird") - for the victory in eight rounds. The winner in nine rounds is called "arslan" ("lion"), and in ten, when 1024 wrestlers fight, - "avraga" ("giant").
14 Since 2002, wrestling competitions have been held according to new rules: the time of the fight is limited, monetary penalties have appeared, bonuses for each victory have increased, judges began to take into account the discipline and level of preparation of wrestlers for the competition. If earlier titled wrestlers named their opponent themselves, now the commission is doing this.
15 The mass enthusiasm for wrestling also helps the development of other sports: classical and freestyle wrestling, sambo, judo, sumo.
16 Of the 69 yokozuna, as the greatest sumo wrestlers are called, only four are non-Japanese, and two of them are Mongols.
