a throwing technique as illustrated in the 1467 fechtbuch by Hans Talhoffer |
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| Focus | grappling |
|---|---|
| Country of origin | Holy Roman Empire |
| Famous practitioners | Ott Jud, Hans Talhoffer, Paulus Kal |
Ringen is the German language term for grappling (wrestling). In the context of the German school of historical European martial arts during the Late Middle Ages and the German Renaissance, ringen refers to unarmed combat in general, including grappling techniques used as part of swordsmanship.
The German tradition has records of a number of master-Ringer of the 15th to 16th centuries specializing in unarmed combat, frequently Jews, such as Ott Jud and Jud Lew.
Unarmed combat was divided in two categories, sportive grappling or geselliges ringen and serious unarmed combat or kampfringen (where kampf is the Early Modern German term for "duel").
While sportive grappling had fixed rules that prohibited dangerous techniques, usually starting in grappling hold and ending with a throw or submission, kampfringen can be considered a system of unarmed self-defense including punches, joint-locks, elbow strikes, chokeholds, headbutts and (to a limited extent) kicks.
The German tradition of ringen was eclipsed during the 17th century as the modern Baroque understanding of nobility precluded the participation of the higher classes in wrestling matches. Wrestling continued to be practiced among the lower classes, giving rise to the various traditional styles of folk wrestling.
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One of the primary men to have shaped kampfringen at the dawning of the Renaissance appears to have been Austrian master Ott Jud. Ott was a master of the early 15th century, probably from southern Germany. He is said to have developed a system of grappling to be used in combat, including joint breaks, arm locks and throws designed to cause serious injury. No treatise from Ott's own hand has survived, but his system is taught by several fencing masters of the later 15th century, including Hans Talhoffer (1443), Peter von Danzig and Jud Lew. Paulus Kal counts him among the "society of Liechtenauer", saying that he was wrestling teacher to the "lords of Austria"[1] (possibly under Frederick III).[2] According to both Talhoffer and Lew, Ott was a baptized Jew.[3]
Welle (p. 260) cites an anecdote told by Martin Luther in a lecture on Genesis 32 (the wrestling of Jacob with the angel) published in 1580, according to which there was a famous Jewish wrestling master at the court of Frederick.
Jews teaching martial arts, especially ringen appear to have been not uncommon in late medieval Germany.[4] A late 14th-century master was called Andres Jud (probably identical with Andres Lignitzer) mentioned in MS 3227a. Hans Talhoffer's Thott manuscript contains an abecedarium of the Hebrew alphabet, as well as a drawing of a Jew with the inscription "here the Jew teaches Hebrew" (meaning the alphabet, which was used to write Yiddish, not the Hebrew language). In the later 16th century, a decree of Rudolph II forbade Christian teachers to train Jews, and competitions between Christians and Jews were forbidden around this time as well.[4]
Other treatises that contain material both on ringen and on swordsmanship include those of Fiore dei Liberi (c. 1410), Fabian von Auerswald (1462), Pietro Monte (c. 1480), and Hans Wurm (c. 1500).
Wrestling fell out of fashion among the upper classes with the beginning Baroque period. A late treatise on ringen is that by Johann Georg Passchen, published in 1659.[5]
Many manuals combine fencing and wrestling into a specialized branch of kampfringen called ringen am schwert ("grappling at the sword"), designed to be used during armed combat. This included closing techniques, disarms, weapon-seizures, pommel-strikes, and weapon-aided joint-locks.
Grappling techniques are particularly central to the discipline of armoured fighting (Harnischfechten).
Several manuscripts detail grappling techniques for mounted combat or rossfechten.