glima
Glima is a grappling art originating in Norway. It is categorized as a grappling style, meaning its practice centers on close-range physical engagement between practitioners rather than striking or weapons use. Its training focus is rooted in Nordic and Viking trouser-grip wrestling, a method in which participants use holds on each other's clothing, particularly around the waist and thigh areas, to gain leverage and control during a match.
As a grappling art with a foundation in traditional wrestling, training in this style generally emphasizes balance, body positioning, and the use of grip strength to off-balance an opponent. Practitioners typically work on controlling distance at close range, maintaining a stable base, and applying leverage-based techniques to take an opponent to the ground. Conditioning and repetition of fundamental movement patterns are common elements in grappling-focused training of this kind.
Anyone interested in learning glima is encouraged to locate schools or clubs in their area and, where possible, observe a class before committing to instruction. Watching a session in person allows a prospective student to assess the teaching environment, the pace of training, and whether the style suits their personal goals. Links to related grappling arts can be found below.
Gear to expect. Grappling training typically calls for a gi or no-gi rashguard, and quality mats for home drilling — your school will tell you exactly what, and when. New students rarely need to buy anything for a trial class.
Find your martial art →Related grappling styles
Classification and facts from our open-data taxonomy (Wikidata CC0 base + our editorial classification). Where a fact (like origin) isn't recorded, we leave it out rather than guess. Methodology.