The Skills of a Luchador

1. a person who competes in lucha libre wrestling.

King is a luchador!  A luchador, as you can see above, is someone who competes in lucha libre style professional wrestling matches.  Lucha libre is a time-honored cultural tradition in Mexico (and South American countries) which evolved (like US professional wrestling) from catch wrestling!  We’re going to talk about what it takes to be a luchador!

Catch Wrestling

Catch wrestling is shortened from “catch-as-catch-can” wrestling, referring to a form of freestyle wrestling popularized around the turn of the 20th century which featured largely freeform, no-rules style combat (think mixed martial arts with less striking and more eye gouges.)  In this era, catch wrestling was both a competitive martial art and a form of entertainment, with traveling competitors, strongmen, and sideshows all participating in the fun.  Over time, catch wrestling evolved into a form of entertainment, rather than a simple combat sport, with storylines, rivalries, and other elements coming into play.

In both the USA and Mexico this happened independently, giving rise to entertainment production companies for “catch” wrestling in both countries.  The concepts were similar: submit, ring out, or pin your opponent (or the opposing team) to win a match.  Large, muscular individuals would slug it out, throw it out, and wrestle it out in front of live crowds and, eventually, on television.  Each region has its own flavor, but for Mexico, the flavor tends to be a bit more…stylish.

Before we jump into that, though, let’s talk about beginning in the “art” of catch wrestling.  Most professional wrestlers (luchador or otherwise) already have athletic backgrounds.  In fact, in Lucha Libre organizations, it’s not uncommon for luchadors to begin mentoring in their mid-teens!  In America, on the other hand, pro wrestlers tend to start as athletes (often wrestlers, but other sports like football, track and field, or gymnastics.)  Either way, the best way to start on the road to becoming a pro wrestler is to get involved in some sort of athletic activity (more on that in a bit.)  Getting in shape (helloooo King Workout,) and learning good bodily coordination are basically the first step on the road.

The Flair of the Luchador

Luchador tend to take things a step further, however.  Lucha libre sets itself apart from the more northern varieties of wrestling promotions by high-flying, top-rope style flips and tricks, as well as their signature obsession with masks.  In US and Canadian pro wrestling, matches tend to center around massive, hulking brutes slugging it out with power moves and slams.

In lucha libre, by contrast, you see the middle and lighter weight brackets becoming the most popular, because of the insane acrobatic maneuvers the weight classes are capable of.  As such, if you want to become a luchador, it would behoove you to start getting involved in tricking and flipping. Here’s a few places to get started:

TricksTutorials.com – Started by Jujimufu, the anabolic acrobat, trickstutorials has a whole bunch of really great tricking tutorials to get you started.  Though the site is no longer updated, it’s a treasure trove of info with walkthroughs for dozens of different moves.

Ginger Ninja Trickster – Ginger Ninja’s channel is an awesome place in general, with tons of martial arts, flipping, and tricking videos.  Check it out!

Upraiz Tricking – Tricks.  Ticks.  More tricks.  If the previous two weren’t enough, Upraiz has you covered.  =D

The Mask

The mask of a luchador carries a lot of mystique.  While not all luchadors wear masks, they all respect the mask, and it definitely carries a lot of weight.  Grave matches will be settled with a “mask vs mask” wager, where the loser is unmasked (and often will remain so permanently, or at least never wear their mask again.)  The identity of a luchador is as secret and safeguarded as any superhero.  Luchadors will even wear their masks in public, concealing their identity when moving around outside their show.

Often step one to becoming a true luchador is obtaining your own mask, and assuming your stage identity.  Now, of course you could buy a mask, or pay someone to make one for you…but usually we like to do things ourselves around here.  So, in that respect, check out this site:

Elle Revel’s Mexican Wrestler Mask Tutorial

Making a badass jaguar mask is a bit of a tall order, so you might want to give this a shot a few times first, so you can get the practice in.

The Show

You also need to develop your own on-stage persona!  The best pro wrestlers (lucha libre and otherwise) are full of charisma and showmanship!  Knowing the tricks and wearing the mask isn’t enough, you need to sell it!  So, here’s a couple resources for that:

Charisma on Command

This is a great YouTube channel with a whole bunch of videos about developing charisma, a memorable personality, and a whole bunch of other cool tricks.  Check it out!

Michael Caine on Acting in Film

While this has to do with primarily with film acting, considering the fact that most successful luchadors perform on the small screen (and large screen,) this video is just too damn good to pass up.  An hour long masterclass from Michael Caine himself.  Absolutely fantastic, check it out!

Beyond that, you just need to get involved with some sort of live production anyway.  If there isn’t an amateur wrestling company in your area (there probably is, try a web search,) then you want to get involved in a local theater group of some sort while you wait.  Developing the ability to exude an on-stage persona is incredibly important to a luchador (and also super helpful in real life, too!)

The Mentor

Finally, we need to look at one final aspect of King’s character, and luchador culture in general.  Typically, any prospective luchador will train under a mentor for YEARS before going big in a main event.  Luchador “stables” are typically a family affair, with uncles and aunts, mothers and fathers, cousins and siblings all taking part in raising up a young luchador.  When the time comes, you need to mentor others, too.

Teaching something is often the best way to understand it.  Learning is a process that is never really finished, and you’d be surprised how much showing someone else how to do something can help you understand it.  You don’t need to be some old, wizened master to mentor someone!  You just need to be “ahead” of where they are in their journey.  So, don’t wast time in mentoring and inspiring others!  Show what you’ve learned, teach it to others, and grow as a person and a performer.