About
The United States Historical Ringen Association (USHRA) was founded to help research Historical Ringen, advance the general practitioner's ability in this wrestling style, and promote historical wrestling.
Historical Ringen is the traditional wrestling seen in the German speaking States of the late Medieval and Renaissance period. This Art is documented in several different treatises and manuals written over this time period. The techniques within run the gamut from purely sporting in nature to brutal self defence.
The USHRA is not just about competitions, it shall also involve itself in technical research, self-defense work, physical preparation and promotion of the Art. With your help we can rekindle the passion and and popularity historical Ringen as seen in the 15th and 16th centuries.
The USHRA has the following goals:
To promote cordial and friendly relations between its members, and support further community growth nationally and internationally.
To organize USHRA events, to support events organized by its members and to encourage the inclusion of Ringen in all HEMA events.
To develop the practice of Ringen throughout the country.
To establish rules for practicing Ringen and the rules applicable to competitions for Ringen.
To improve the quality of Ringen training.
To supervise the awarding of grades, including Instructor ranks, and their compliance with USHRA rules.
Community
The USHRA seeks to bring together US based clubs and schools studying Ringen into a cooperative organization. This organization seeks to build upon the current knowledge base and to the benefit of all involved.
The USHRA will connect these groups together through local and national gatherings, online discussion, and by fostering the growth and creation of new clubs and schools. It is the organisation's desire to be opening and welcoming to those with a similar passion for Ringen.
This organisation is here to help both established clubs, and those that are just starting down the path.
Research Sponsorship
The USHRA will encourage and sponsor research into topics related to historical Ringen, including research, translation, and interpretive material. Additionally we will make available a video library or Ringen techniques, drills, and curriculum.
Clinics
The USHRA will host clinics throughout the year for both students and instructors.
The clinics will cover a wide breadth of topics related to historical Ringen and will feature both established instructors as well as those emerging in the field.
These clinics will be held at both official USHRA events, and at member clubs. The USHRA will help at club looking to hold a clinic to the best of its abilities.
The topics covered at these clinics will include:
Introduction to Ringen
Workshops on specific techniques
Workshops on specific Masters or Texts
Safety aspects pertaining to Ringen
Lectures
Etc
The Instructors for these clinics will be experienced Ringen practitioners both from the USA and Europe. We hope to provide a knowledge base that is wide and deep.
Competitions
The USHRA will sponsor Ringen competitions throughout the year in different locations around the country.
These competitions are meant to test practitioners’ skills in a non-cooperative arena and play a vital part in the organization’s training philosophy.
Through competitions the student may test their skills against uncooperative wrestlers.
This test shall allow them to gauge their skills and what they have to with upon.
For those who are researching the art it gives them an opportunity to live test their interpretation and gives them valuable feedback. This allows them to further refine their work and progress our understanding of the Art.
They are a vital tool in becoming a good wrestler, but not the final goal of the art.
Each club which organizes a USHRA Ringen competition is free to use their own ruleset, or that of another event. However, there will be guidelines for rulesets at USHRA sponsored events.