Canary Islands Wrestling
Canarian wrestling in a sand circle where whole teams compete. Wrestlers grip the trouser hem and win by making the opponent fall.
Quick Facts
SpainCharacter & Origin
Training
Who It Suits
Organisation & Competition
What the style is built from
Editorial rating on a 0–3 scale, based on how much room each area gets in ordinary training.
Catalogs & Databases for Canary Islands Wrestling
About Canary Islands Wrestling
Lucha canaria, Canarian wrestling, is a traditional wrestling of the Canary Islands, associated with the Guanches, the original inhabitants of the islands. It is wrestled in a sand circle called the terrero and differs from most wrestling in that teams compete: the match ends only when all members of one team are defeated. Under the rules of the Federación de Lucha Canaria, a wrestler grabs the opponent by the trouser hem with the left hand. A fall counts when any part of the body other than the feet touches the ground, the bout does not continue after a fall, and joint locks and chokes are not allowed. The moves are called mañas. Passivity is a wrestler making no clear attempt at a throw within 25 seconds. In the tres las dos mejores format, twelve wrestlers per team take part. According to historian Manuel Hernández González, the oldest documented written code arose in 1872 in Matanzas, Cuba, where Canarian emigrants wrote it. According to Spanish Wikipedia, a common code for all the islands came only with the Reglamento General Orgánico of 1960. Today the federation runs three levels of men's club competitions, a women's league and youth competitions.
History
Lucha canaria is traditionally linked to the Guanches, the original inhabitants of the Canary Islands before the Castilian conquest. According to Spanish Wikipedia, limited contact led each island to develop its own rules, and a common code for all islands came only with the Reglamento General Orgánico of 1960. The oldest documented written code arose not in the Canaries but in Cuba. According to historian Manuel Hernández González, Canarian emigrants wrote it in Matanzas for the Candelaria festivities of 1 to 4 February 1872. The latest changes to today's code were approved by an extraordinary general assembly of the Federación de Lucha Canaria on 5 October 2019.
How it differs
Lucha canaria differs from most wrestling in its team competition. According to English Wikipedia, the match ends only when all members of one team have been defeated. Under the federation's rules, a single bout lasts three minutes in lucha corrida and a minute and a half in other formats and in personal challenges, with a possible one-minute extension for a move under way. When both wrestlers fall at once, the referee declares revuelta, also called tabla.
Technique
Under the rules of the Federación de Lucha Canaria, a wrestler must grab the opponent by the trouser hem with the left hand, and the rules distinguish the mano metida and mano abajo grips. A fall counts when any part of the body other than the feet touches the ground. A fall caused by pulling the opponent's arm does not count. The bout does not continue after a fall, and joint locks and chokes are not allowed. Passivity is a wrestler making no clear attempt at a throw within 25 seconds, and a warning follows. The moves are called mañas. Spanish Wikipedia divides them into grips (cogida de muslo, cucharón), blocks (garabato, traspiés) and evasions (tronchada, vacío), but the official rules do not group them.
Training
We have not found a specific training methodology in the sources. The federation organises club competitions for cadets and juniors and island selections from the youth category. Every team must have a qualified coach or a mandador accredited by the federation, who sets the wrestlers' order. According to the television RTVC, lucha canaria reaches schools through events such as the Week of Canarian Traditional Sports in May 2025.
Ranks and progression
We have not found a grade system in the sources, and progress is through competitions. According to the federation, men's club competitions have three levels, first to third league, and women have a separate category with their own league and the Interinsular competition. Women's bouts are also shown at ceremonial matches on Canary Islands Day.
Today
Wrestling takes place in the terrero, which under the federation's rules consists of two concentric circles with a diameter of at least 15 and 17 metres, a five-centimetre layer of sand or loosened earth and lime lines. A second federation document, the Reglamento, gives a minimum of 8 metres, so the documents disagree. In the tres las dos mejores format, twelve wrestlers per team take part, and with fewer than nine the match is not held. In lucha corrida there are eighteen wrestlers, in todos contra todos six or eight, and each team may have up to four substitutes.
Did you know
At the festivities in Matanzas in 1872, according to Hernández González, wrestlers were paired by lot and prizes were 50, 25 and 10 pesetas by number of defeated opponents. The wrestling took place in a circus built only for this, and spectators could not applaud the winners. According to Spanish Wikipedia, Club Adargoma from San José is regarded as the oldest Canarian club.
Frequently asked questions
How do you win in lucha canaria?
By making the opponent fall. A fall counts when any part of the body other than the feet touches the ground. In the team competition, the match ends only when all members of one team are defeated.
How many wrestlers are on a team in lucha canaria?
Under the federation's rules, twelve in the tres las dos mejores format, eighteen in lucha corrida and six or eight in the todos contra todos format.
How big is the terrero?
Under the federation's rules it consists of two concentric circles with a diameter of at least 15 and 17 metres and a layer of sand. A second federation document gives a minimum of 8 metres.
Similar styles
Selected by overlap in the style profile, not by historical lineage.