SSIREUM: APPROACHING KOREAN WRESTLING

Abstract

The objective of this paper is to present and discuss the practice of ssireum, or Korean wrestling. The practice is a short-range combat sport where fighters are linked through a belt (satba) that each holds in order to throw the opponent down. Our study employs a method based on phenomenology to comprehend the experience of practicing ssireum through intertwinement. It also considers its history and definition, as well as the descriptions of a technical research visit carried out in South Korea in 2019. Descriptions were made considering perceptual processes and also gender issues that arise from practical experiences with ssireum. We claim that ssireum should be replicable in non- Korean environments, and could be developed as an important tool to promote engagement in fighting activities and broaden cultural diversity through embodied knowledges.