An important characteristic of the native inhabitants of Gran Canaria was their great love of sports, many of which are still being practiced in modern times. An example is Canarian wrestling (lucha canaria), which is characterised by the nobility, valour and artistry of the way in which it is practiced. This ancestral sport, together with lateen sailing, are the most popular indigenous sports, having the biggest following in the island.

However, there are other indigenous sports that demonstrate the richness and variety of the traditions that have been handed down to the Canarian people. Examples of these are the pole game (juego del palo), stick fighting (la lucha del garrote), and pole jumping (salto del palo). It is clear from these disciplines that the earlier inhabitants developed great skill in the handling of sticks and poles as a means of fighting against their opponents. There are also other disciplines of skill and strength, such as plough lifting (levantamiento de arado), handball (pelotamano), Canarian petanque (bola canaria), cattle pulling (arrastre de ganado) or stone lifting - two varieties: with and without touching one's body (levantamiento y pulseo de piedra), respectively, which are all beautiful to watch. They are also deeply rooted in popular tradition.

LUCHA CANARIA (Canarian freestyle wrestling)

An aspect of this popular sport that provides palpable proof of its noble nature and which always surprised the early chronicles and other foreigners who witnessed the sport, is the gesture of the winner extending the hand to help the loser to his feet, after which he embraces the loser and accompanies him to his corner.

The typical clothes for Canarian wrestling consist of long pants rolled up to the thigh, which is where the opponents grapple each other, with a shirt that hangs below the waist. The contenders do not wear shoes. This indigenous sport is organised by the Federation of Canarial Wrestling, which was founded in 1943 and which is represented in Gran Canaria by the Island Federation of Canarian Wrestling.

SALTO DEL PASTOR (The Shepherd's Leap)

The unusual mountain landscape of the island of Gran Canaria obliged the inhabitants of rural areas to develop special means and techniques for moving about in difficult terrain and negotiating obstacles, which included large ravines, steep rocks and cliffs. El salto del pastor (the shepherd’s leap) was born from this need. The technique involves the use of a long wooden pole (which is called a "garrote"in Gran Canaria), to which a metal point is fitted (known as the "regatón"), in order to make it easier to move up and down hills, slopes and steep rocks, to leap across ravines and trenches and to scamper up slopes with the aid of the pole.

The usual method of using the garrote is to place the regatón firmly in the earth at a point below where one is standing,after which one jumps and slides down the pole to negotiate the steep drop, repeating the leap and slide as many times as is necessary to reach the bottom of the ravine. However, it must be pointed out that there are many other types of leaps, depending on the nature of the obstacle that needs to be cleared, some being so dangerous and fraught with risk that they have given rise to beautiful legends, such as "salto del enamorado" (the lover’s leap) and "salto de media luna" (the half moon leap).

The garrote is also used in competitive sports events, which include climbing up and jumping over walls, speedy descents down steep rocks, precision leaps, acrobatic leaps and leaps of various styles.

LEVANTAMIENTO Y PULSEO DE LA PIEDRA

The aim of this sport is to lift and raise an extremely heavy stone to the height of the stomach, after which it is raised to the chest and shoulders. When the stone is lifted above the head it is called "pulseo de la piedra" (pushing the stone).

This sporting activity first appeared in rural areas as a means of occupying moments of leisure after the completion of the day’s work in the fields. In order to display their strength and skill, peasant farmers applied different methods of stone lifting, such as lifting the stone with one hand or without it touching any part of the body, supporting the stone with various parts of the body, lifting it to the shoulders or onto the head, throwing the stone backwards or displacing the stone as far as possible.

The shape of the stone also varied. Normally, the stone was not tooled into any particular shape, with the result that it could be round, oval, etc. The greater the difficulty in getting a grip on the stone, the greater the strength and skill that was required to lift the stone. Naturally, persons who take part in this sport need to have enormous physical strength, not to mention the agility that is required, and they need to have a refined technique that enables them to avoid all unnecessary effort.

LEVANTAMIENTO DEL ARADO (Plough Lifting)

The objective of this activity is to lift a plough, which can sometimes weigh as much as one hundred kilogrammes, into a vertical position.

A variant of the sport is to lift the plough into a semi-horizontal position and to hold it in that position while doing a 360-degree turn, all this while the plough-lifter is squatting on his haunches and supporting the yoke of the plough on his thighs. Sometimes, the plough is kept in a vertical position, with the plough resting on the lifter’s chin, his mouth or in the palm of one hand, or while the lifter is lying on his back on the ground.

To lift the plough, the contestant grabs the yoke, which measures a little more than four metres, with both hands while planting his feet firmly on the ground and facing the plough. The contestant initiates the lift by leaning backwards in order to create a counterweight to the plough with his body, thereby lifting the plough into a horizontal position and raising it to the height of the hips. Next, the plough is lifted into a vertical position, where it is held in balance. While the plough is in this position, the contestant will execute some of the variations described, depending on his individual skill. Putting the plough down is perhaps the most difficult part of the entire manoeuvre. The contestant lowers the plough slowly, showing it to the public, sometimes stopping halfway to do a turn before the yoke and other parts of the plough are set down gently on the ground, without any sudden drops.

JUEGO DEL PALO (Stick Fighting)

This recreational sports activity involves the execution of a series of movements with sticks in simulated combat between twoparticipants. The aim is to "score" or simulate hits without there being any contact on the unprotected parts of the body.

The sport requires consummate skill and balance, as well as agility in the wrists, arms, hips and feet.

Spectators are amazed by the spectacular tilted stances of the fighters, as well as the characteristic manner in which the sticks are held at one end and twirled in windmill-like movements.

Some of the characteristic techniques that are used in the sport are "cuadras", a term that refers to the stances that the contenders adopt, "atajes" and "parados", which refer to defensive blocking moves, as well as "mandados" and "tirados", which are techniques for attacking with the sticks. These techniques are classified according to the manner of execution as well as the part of the stick that is used for scoring or indicating the hit.

The sticks, which may differ in size, are chosen in accordance with certain criteria, whereafter they are prepared in a specific way to obtain strength and lightness.

LUCHA DEL GARROTE (Pole Fighting)

Canarian herdsman have always made extensive use of poles, using them for support when moving about on difficult terrain and also to defend themselves whenever the circumstances required.

The aim of this form of fighting is to defeat one’s opponent without doing him harm. The most notable aspects of this sport are the unique enganches (techniques for immobilising the opponent’s pole) and revoleadas (creating an opening for attack), the zapatas and trabas that are used to knock one’s opponent over, the manner in which the fighters face each other squarely and the use of a large and solid pole, which is usually as long as the fighter is tall, or sometimes a quarter longer. However, the determining characteristic of this form of fighting is not the size of the poles, but rather the way in which the poles are gripped and wielded.

The main tactic consists of using the pole to cover the body while attacking at the same time, which is why the contenders face each other squarely, this being the most stable and secure position that enables the fighter to protect himself with the pole while being able to make equal use of both ends of the pole for attacking. Two characteristic attacking movements are "el braceo" and "mudar las manos".

ARRASTRE DE GANADO (Pulling with Livestock)

This rural sports activity is practiced with animals (cows and bulls in particular), the object being to get the livestock to drag a weight over a terrain in the shortest time possible. The weight differs according to the category, ranging from 600 to 800 Kg. for cows and 800 to 1,100 Kg. for bulls, as measured in the yoke.

The skill of the handler, who is known as the guayero or boyero, the strength of the yokes, the conditions of the terrain and the treatment of the animals, which may not be punished either during or after the competition, all contribute to the unusual beauty of this sport in which both man and beast participate.