Learnt with a coach

Kurash at home

A mat, a coach and the jacket-and-belt kit; at home, the bow, the commands, reaction games and the rules.

2 cards at home 1 for a park or court 3 for the club

What should we practise today?

Tell us where you are and who is playing. You get one card and the reason.

Where are you?

Who is playing?

Start a session

New to kurash? The game in a minute

Read this once before the first card.

The sport in short: Kurash is a traditional wrestling sport from Uzbekistan. Two players in jackets hold each other by the belt and jacket and try to throw the other to the mat. It is standing wrestling only: there is no fighting on the ground.
How a bout is won: A throw that lands the opponent on their back (both shoulder blades) is Khalol, a pure win. A strong, sharp throw that lands them on the side is Yonbosh; two Yonbosh also win. A throw onto the bottom or belly with mistakes is Chala, the smallest score. If nobody wins outright, the higher score wins. Bouts are short: 2 minutes for young children.
Penalties: Grips below the belt, armlocks, chokes and kicks are not allowed. Not attacking, false attacks and refusing to bow earn penalties that grow from a warning to a loss.
Rules children break first: Bow (tazim) before and after every bout.
Stop at once on "Tokhta".
Grip the belt or jacket only, never below the belt.
No throws at home: falls and throws are learnt on a mat with a coach.
At home you learn the rules: The bow and the commands, reaction and leapfrog games, and the scores and penalties. Grips, falls and throws are at a club.

Words you will hear (16, in plain language)

Yakhtak: The kurash jacket.
Belt: The belt tied round the jacket, which players grip.
Tazim: The bow before and after a bout.
Kurash: The referee's calls: "begin", "stop" and "time".
Khalol: A pure win: a throw onto both shoulder blades, or two Yonbosh.
Yonbosh: A strong, sharp throw that lands the opponent on the side.
Chala: A throw onto the bottom or belly with mistakes; the smallest score.
Tanbekh: The penalties, from the first warning to the heaviest.
Jazo: When a bout has no score at half time, the referee stops it; both players take a belt grip and must try a technique.
Passivity: Not attacking; it earns a penalty.
Grip: Holding the partner's belt or jacket.
Sweep: A throw made by sweeping the partner's foot or leg.
Throw groups: Families of throws, such as sweeps, reaps and hooks, hip throws and back throws; Yelka and Bardor are two of the named groups.
Breakfall: A safe way of falling, with the chin tucked and the forearms slapping the mat.
Weigh-in: Checking each player's weight before a competition, so they fight in the right weight category.
Leapfrog: Jumping over a crouching partner with the hands on their back.

Try it, nothing to buy

Mark the space once. Every card starts from it.

The cards, level by level

Nobody is late. A beginner of any age starts at Basic.

Basic 3 cards · show· hide Bowing, stance, walking and turning with a belt grip, and safe falls on a mat; the rules already allow bouts for 4-year-olds, which is a strong reason to teach falling and bowing first. Around 7, children learn stances, falls in four directions, moving, grips and taking a partner off balance, and get a first look at the leg sweeps.

Move on when the coach says the child falls and grips safely.

Intermediate 2 cards · show· hide Throws and leg sweeps aiming at the three scores, grip fighting and counters; knowing the penalties and the passivity rule. The rules give three scores: Khalol (a pure victory: two Yonbosh throws, or a throw landing the opponent on both shoulder blades), Yonbosh (a strong, sharp throw after which the opponent falls on the side) and Chala (a throw onto the buttocks or belly with serious errors; Chala never converts to a higher score).

Move on when the coach says the player knows the rules and throws with control.

Advanced 1 cards · show· hide Sequences of throws, quick grip changes, match plans using the scoring rules, weight management (the weigh-in is two hours before competition) and discipline. The harder throw groups come in the early teens, without heavy loads or adult training plans.

a1 Match plans At a club what the coach teaches, what to ask

Teaching this at home

Contact, falls, weapons or heights. At home only games and knowledge; the skill is taught at a club.

You do not need to know the sport. Each card tells you where to stand, what to say and what to look at. Pick one thing to say in a session and say only that. The first week looks messy; that is normal. End every session on one that works.

Cards marked At a club are taught by a coach. They tell you what the coach teaches, what is safe at home, and what to ask the club before your child joins.

How to warm up before playing is at workonfitness.com. The rules of the game are at sportsmaze.com.