LAUSTAK - The Martial Art of the Vikings by Tyr Neilsen

The Viking Age is the 300 year period of history between 790 - 1100 A.D. It is also the only period in history named after warriors.

Throughout Europe, Vikings were admired and feared as they opened up trade routes, fought to keep them open, and carved out kingdoms. In the East, Viking warriors were admired and feared as the elite fighting force called the Varangian Guard.

In the Middle East in the year 922, Muslim diplomat Ibn Fadlan wrote that he had never seen more perfect physical specimens than Viking warriors, and that they were the fiercest fighters he had ever seen.

On land and at sea, Vikings had the skills to survive against the various forms of warfare they encountered in their travels around the world. The reason for the Viking warriors fighting prowess is found in the way they trained both with and without weapons.

Viking battlefield wrestling was created and developed by Norse warriors who had to survive attacks from all kinds of weapons. It was a no-nonsense way of fighting that cut out all unnecessary movements, and was tried and tested in single combat and on the battlefield, with life and death on the line.

Over time, Viking battlefield wrestling was given the name Lausatök and was practiced in two forms; wrestling for sport, and wrestling for combat.

Although people all around the world have heard of Vikings, not everyone has heard of the Viking martial art of Laustak, from the Old Norse word Lousatök, which means Loose-grip/Free-grip. The reason for this name was that all grips could be used, instead of a single compulsary grip, which other styles of Viking sport wrestling had.

Laustak techniques include grappling, wrestling, throws, hand strikes, elbow strikes, kicks, chokes, locks, pain techniques and weapon techniques, and Lousatök is comparable with the best complete martial arts systems from around the world. 

In Viking Age scandinavia, there were several types of folk wrestling; Lausatök, was loose-grip wrestling, Brokartök was trouser-grip wrestling, and Hryggspenna was back-hold wrestling.

Scandinavian children began training in these forms of wrestling at the age of 6 or 7, and it was practiced by male and female alike.

The people of Viking Age Scandinavia loved all forms of sport, but wrestling was by far the most widespread sport. Wrestling competitions were extremely popular, and wherever the people of the north gathered, it was a big part of the entertainment. Wrestling was so important for Viking society that their most popular god, Thor, was also the god of wrestling.

Viking Age children learned balance, grappling, wrestling, and pain techniques, from training in Lausatök. These techniques could be used for self-defense, and this training formed the basis for Viking armed and unarmed combat. Training in Lausatök also developed strength, reflexes, endurance and courage, the perfect foundation Viking warriors needed to survive in battle.

In order to have a structured form of unarmed combatives against weapons, the Vikings had to know how to use a variety of weapons, such as sword, axe, spear, seax, stick and knife. Through combat glima, Vikings became experts in knife fighting, stick fighting, spear fighting, axe fighting and sword fighting.

Training in Lausatök battlefield wrestling, with and without weapons from an early age, gave the Vikings such a comprehensive combat foundation, that they had no problem adapting to the different styles of warfare, or other fighting styles they met on their travels.

Viking warriors were renowned for their fighting abilities in raids and against larger and less mobile soldiers, because Lausatök, combined with forestry and hunting skills, made Vikings extremely dangerous in guerilla warfare.

Over the centuries, the nature of combat in war has changed due to the constant development of weapons, but when it comes down to hand to hand combat, Laustak is an extremely effective martial art. 

Since the Viking Age, glima has always been practiced for realistic combat situations in Scandinavia. From historical documents, we can see that Viking fighting techniques were in use all the way to the 19th century, when Lousatök was used as the foundation for bajonettkamp (bayonet fighting) by the Swedish and Norwegian military.

With the changing methods of warfare, where one on one combat on the battlefield began to disappear, combat glima also began to disappear. At the beginning of the 20th century, Lousatök was even made illegal in some parts of Scandinavia, when all dangerous hand-to-hand combat techniques for the common man were banned. Lousatök survived only by keeping it a secret.

As a sport, Brokartök trouser-grip wrestling not only survived, it developed into what is now known as Icelandic Glima, which became the national sport of Iceland.

There are national championships in all forms of sport glima throughout Scandinavia, and thanks to the interest of Viking groups, Viking festivals, historical reenactment and martial artists, Laustak is gaining in popularity all over the world.

Just as it was in the Viking Age, when Norse warriors had to compete with different styles of fighting from around the world, modern Laustak has continued to develop so that it remains a relevant martial art in today’s world.

As a sport, Laustak builds flexibility, endurance and strength, as well as being energetic, effective, educational and fun. As a means of self-defense, Laustak is a martial art that is unrestricted by style, and can be used against any and all individual martial art techniques.

Laustak - the Martial Art of the Vikings!

Hávamál – verse 15

People should be
quiet and thoughtful
and brave in conflict
Each person should live
happy and joyful
until their last day.