Wednesday, December 23, 2009
Training for GotchGeorge Hackenshmidt drew a crowd while in training to face Frank Gotch for the second time, in Chicago in 1911. Hack is shown here building his neck strength with the the wrestler's bridge. His training partners Dr. Benjamin Roller and Gus 'Americus' Schoenlein, look on.
Labels: Americus, Barbell, Benjamin Roller, Build Neck Strength, Frank Gotch, George Hackenschmidt, Gotch vs. Hackenschmidt, Gus Schoenlein, Neck Bridge, Neck Exercise, Wrestlers Bridge
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Saturday, September 19, 2009
The Farmer Burns School of Wrestling Another example of an advertisement for the Farmer Burns school of wrestling: "Never before have actual World's Champions offered their most secret methods of training to the pubic." A lesson from Frank Gotch must have been quite an opportunity. This ad dates back to 1915 but the courses are still available here.
Labels: Advertisement, Farmer Burns, Farmer Burns School of Wrestling, Frank Gotch, Lessons in Wrestling and Physical Culture, Wrestling Exercise
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Wednesday, July 15, 2009
George LurichEstonian born George Lurich was a great wrestler and strongman during the early 1900's. He was was a great friend and training partner to George Hackenschmidt (It was actually Lurich who introduced Hackenschmidt to weightlifting.) Lurich's brother-in-law was Alex Aberg, another champion wrestler of the time period.
Lurich was the world Greco-Roman wrestling champion in 1912 and was the last man to face Frank Gotch before Gotch retired in 1913. As far as strength feats, among others, Lurich is credited with a one-hand jerk of 267 lbs., and a two-hands clean & jerk of 344 lbs.
Labels: Alex Aberg, Clean and Jerk, Estonian Strongman, European Strongmen, Frank Gotch, George Hackenschmidt, George Lurich, Greco-Roman Wrestling, One Hand Jerk, Strongman, Wrestler
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Saturday, March 21, 2009
Gotch vs. HackenschmidtThe greatest pro wrestling match ever held is undoubtedly on April 3rd, 1908 when the Frank Gotch and George "The Russian Lion" Hackenschmidt stepped in the ring to face each other after years of build-up. The undefeated Hackenschmidt was favored to win but after two hours of grappling, he finally submitted to an ankle lock by the American Champion Gotch. The match took place at Chicago's Dexter Park Pavilion.
The pair would face each other once again on September 4, 1911, this time at Comiskey Park in front of 30,000 fans. Gotch won the rematch in two straight falls and would go on to hold the heavyweight title until he retired in 1913.
Labels: Frank Gotch, George Hackenschmidt, Gotch vs. Hackenschmidt, Professional Wrestling, Wrestling Match
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All Contents, Including Images and Text, Copyright © 2010 by John Wood and Thunderdome Media Inc., Not to be reproduced without permission, All Rights Reserved
Monday, January 26, 2009
Carl BuschCarl Busch was a great strongman and wrestler who was active in the early 20th century. After winning the 1901 German national title, he toured europe performing feats of strength and wrestling all comers. He even wrestled the great Frank Gotch to a draw under Greco-Roman rules. Busch also wrestled the likes of George Hackenschmidt, Professor Roller, and even Farmer Burns.
As far as feats of strength, Busch could bent press 250 pounds at a bodyweight of 175. Here he does a Crucifix with a pair of German Kettlebells.
Labels: Bent Press, Carl Busch, Crucifix, Farmer Burns, Frank Gotch, George Hackenschmidt, German Strongman, Greco-Roman Wrestling, Kettlebell, Strongman Feat, Wrestler
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All Contents, Including Images and Text, Copyright © 2010 by John Wood and Thunderdome Media Inc., Not to be reproduced without permission, All Rights Reserved
Thursday, December 11, 2008
Dr. Benjamin RollerDr. Benjamin Franklin Roller was an early catch wrestler who sparred with the likes of Gotch, Hackenschmidt, Great Gama, and Zbyszko. Aside from wrestling, Roller was a great athlete in other sports, captaining the football and track teams at DePauw University where he attended in the late 1800s.
Upon graduating from medical school at the University of Pennsylvania, he accepted a professorship at the University of Washington. Shortly after, he instead chose to chase fame and fortune -- mostly fortune -- as a professional wrestler. Roller was a very good (but not great) wrestler although he did win his fair share of matches. Eventually he became a training partner for George Hackenschmidt
Labels: Benjamin Roller, Catch Wrestler, Frank Gotch, George Hackenschmidt, Wrestling
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All Contents, Including Images and Text, Copyright © 2010 by John Wood and Thunderdome Media Inc., Not to be reproduced without permission, All Rights Reserved
Wednesday, December 10, 2008
The Great GamaAfter seeing this picture it is not difficult to see why The Great Gama was known as the greatest of all the Indian Wrestlers. In a match against Benjamin Roller the great Indian Champion "threw" his opponent 13 times in 13 minutes! From then on it was tough for the Great Gama to get matches. It was said that George Hackenschmidt and Frank Gotch both refused to face him in the ring. This rare picture was taken in 1934 - Gama was 51 years of age at the time.
Labels: Benjamin Roller, Frank Gotch, George Hackenschmidt, Indian Wrestler, The Great Gama, Wrestling
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All Contents, Including Images and Text, Copyright © 2010 by John Wood and Thunderdome Media Inc., Not to be reproduced without permission, All Rights Reserved
Friday, April 18, 2008
| Iowa-born Martin "Farmer" Burns was a champion wrestler and America's premier grappler at the turn of the last century. The "Old Farmer" trained hard, and that made him hard to beat. Plenty of wrestler's bridges gave him a 20" neck at a bodyweight of only 165 pounds and his level of conditioning was legendary, regularly tiring out much larger and stronger opponents until they could easily be pinned. His top student, fellow-Iowin Frank Gotch, became arguably the greatest wrestler who ever lived, with Burns' training methods. |  Martin "Farmer" Burns |
Labels: Farmer Burns, Farmer Burns Workout, Frank Gotch, Iowa, Iowa Wrestling, Wrestler, Wrestling
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Friday, February 01, 2008
Frank Gotch Step Over Toe HoldFrank Gotch's step over toe hold was the most feared submission move probably of all time. It could be applied quickly and efficently from almost any angle and few people knew how to defend it -- his opponents never knew what him 'em.
He used it to dispatch the likes of George Hackenschmidt, Benjamin Roller and Stanislaus Zbyszko.
Gotch, as masterfully trained by Farmer Burns had two main weapons: a precise execution of his moves and holds, and an almost superhuman level of conditioning.
Labels: Benjamin Roller, Conditioning, Farmer Burns, Frank Gotch, George Hackenschmidt, Gotch vs. Hackenschmidt, Stanislaus Zbyszko, Step Over Toe Hold, Wrestling, Wrestling Hold
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All Contents, Including Images and Text, Copyright © 2010 by John Wood and Thunderdome Media Inc., Not to be reproduced without permission, All Rights Reserved
Wednesday, November 07, 2007
| At the turn of the century, wrestlers and strongmen were often one and the same. Stanislaus Zbyszko was born in Poland in 1879 and began his training career at a gymnastic school. Soon after he followed his contemporary George Hackenschmidt into the wrestling profession where he would hold the Heavyweight World Championship Belt on two occasions. |  Oldtime Wrestler Stanislaus Zbyszko |
Labels: Benjamin Roller, Frank Gotch, George Hackenschmidt, Oldtime Strongman, Stanislaus Zbyszko, The Great Gama, Wrestling
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All Contents, Including Images and Text, Copyright © 2010 by John Wood and Thunderdome Media Inc., Not to be reproduced without permission, All Rights Reserved
Friday, October 05, 2007
George Hackenschmidt: The Russian LionGeorge "The Russian Lion" Hackenschmidt was equally well known as a wrestler and as a strongman.
As a wrestler, he faced all comers. He met and defeated Tom Cannon and later American Heavyweight Champion Tom Jenkins before he famously lost to Frank Gotch twice.
He used his great strength very effectively in the ring. Hackenschmidt could long jump 16 feet and excelled at gymnastic events in addition to his lifting feats. He bested Eugen Sandow's bent press record in 1898, and could could perform a "pullover and press" with 361 lbs.
In order to prepare for his matches, he would often walk around the gym with a heavy sack of cement on his shoulders.
You can learn more about George Hackenschmidt, his training and his fascinating life in The Way to Live published in 1908.
Labels: Frank Gotch, George Hackenschmidt, Oldtime Strongman, Supporting Feat, Wrestling
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All Contents, Including Images and Text, Copyright © 2010 by John Wood and Thunderdome Media Inc., Not to be reproduced without permission, All Rights Reserved
Monday, September 24, 2007
Frank GotchHe defeated George Hackenschmidt twice, and the likes of Tom Jenkins, Benjamin Roller and Stanislaus Zbyszko on his way to holding the Heavyweight Championship longer than any man before or since.
It was his technique that made him a Champion (Gotch's feared step-over-toe-hold was nearly impossible to defend) but it was his training that made him a Legend.
There have been few wrestlers since then who trained more seriously than Gotch... and he trained just like a wrestler should.
Calisthenics, road work and sparing gave Gotch a killer's heart and an advantage in every single match.
The "Old Farmer" Farmer Burns understood the game of wrestling better than anyone and trained his student to be the best.
Labels: Benjamin Roller, Calisthenics, Farmer Burns, Frank Gotch, George Hackenschmidt, Stanislaus Zbyszko, Tom Jenkins, Wrestling
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All Contents, Including Images and Text, Copyright © 2010 by John Wood and Thunderdome Media Inc., Not to be reproduced without permission, All Rights Reserved
Wednesday, September 19, 2007
| Just before the turn of the century, Martin "Farmer" Burns was one of the fiercest wrestlers the world had ever seen. He wrestled over 6000 matches, lost only 7 and held the World's Championship on two seperate occasions. Once his competitive career came to an end, the "Old Farmer" as he was known, focused on managing and training other wrestlers and athletes. |  Farmer Burns |
His most famous pupil was Frank Gotch, who, thanks in large part to Farmer Burns' coaching, became arguably the greatest wrestler of all time.
The foundation of Burns' method was physical conditioning. After all, a wrestler can never be too strong or well conditioned -- and at his "School of Wrestling" in Omaha, Nebraska, he employed any method that would help his athletes become the best.
Here's a look at his thoughts on training with the medicine ball:
Of course, if Farmer Burns were still alive and running his school of wrestling today, this is the medicine ball he would be training with:The Medicine Ball
"Perhaps some of my students are not familiar with the Medicine Ball. It is a ball that has been used in training during recent yeats and from my observations in training camps, I have decided that it has an important part to play in the routine work of the athlete...
It is a large leather ball of considerable weight, yet soft enough to avoid hurting or damaging the contestants.
Two persons are required when exercising with the ball. It is merely thrown back and forth from one to another, but is thrown and caught in a great variety of positions.
It should be thrown and caught in a variety of positions. It should be thrown with both hands over the head, from the right side and from the left side. It can also be thrown with the right arm alone and the left arm alone, and from various positions when you are sitting or lying down.
The person catching the ball should catch it first with the right arm and then with the left and make special efforts to exercise as much as possible, while catching and returning the ball to his companion.
If you have never worked out with the medicine ball, you will think from this description that it is child's play, but let me assure you that if you devoted ten minutes to fast work with the medicine ball, you will change your mind and readily appreciate the fact that it is a great exercise for limbering up the muscles and working up a good sweat."
Everlast Classic Leather Medicine Balls
Labels: Farmer Burns, Frank Gotch, Medicine Ball Training, Physical Culture Equipment, Strongman Equipment, Wrestling
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All Contents, Including Images and Text, Copyright © 2010 by John Wood and Thunderdome Media Inc., Not to be reproduced without permission, All Rights Reserved
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