Many more senior New Zealand wrestling fans will well remember Anton Koolman, and especially those in the Wellington area, where the famous Koolman's Gymnasium was situated. All the top wrestlers, body-builders, boxers, weightlifters, gymnasts and general sports enthusiasts used to frequent this famous gym.
I well remember my own trips to Wellington as a youngster, and they were not complete without a visit to Koolman's to check out who may be training there. Anton Koolman was without a doubt, one of the most skilful scientific wrestlers to ever set foot in this country. But he was too small for the visiting professional wrestler's circuit, and just far too good for most of them. It was a well known fact in wrestling circles that the visiting pro's used to by-pass Koolmans gym, after first tangling with the master craftsman and getting a wrestling lesson into the bargain. The light-heavyweights, and even the heavyweights of the day including Tom Alley, Dean Detton, Dr. Len Hall, and so on, wouldn't have any part of this talented toe-twister. Even though Anton was only 5' 6" tall, and weighed less than 160 pounds, he was arguably the best wrestler, pound for pound, that this country has ever seen.
Anton did get a break after a rival group to the New Zealand Wrestling Union started promoting bouts among the smaller men at Wellington's Winter Show Buildings. This was in the mid-thirties and Hughie Whitman, Jock Sinclair, Len Naylor, "Maltese" Joe Keotos, and New Zealand policeman King Elliot were some of his best-remembered opponents. The American imports used to dodge Anton because he was just too clever. They all knew his capabilities, as they worked out with him in his gym, but they weren't keen on meeting him in public.
When George Walker formed the Dominion of New Zealand Athletic Association, Anton was forced to don a mask and work on the undercard as the professional preliminary. Word of his ability quickly got around, and Anton found it hard to get top billing. The young Estonian originally came to New Zealand after cutting a wide swathe through amateur and professional wrestlers in Australia, but here the opportunities for making money were severely limited. He did however manage to secure a niche for himself as an instructor in later years. One of the apples of his tutorial eye, Pat O'Connor, had moved from his blacksmiths shop in Raetihi to be in the capitol for some expert training. Pat, of course, went on to become America's most sought after wrestler, and the first kiwi-born star to win the World professional Heavyweight title. It is still a sore point with me that to this day Pat O'Connor has not been inducted into the New Zealand Sports Hall of Fame. Other Koolman boys to make good money in the hurley-burley of the American mat circuit have been Harry “Snow” Bartlett, who wrestled in the United States as Jack O'Reilly, and Dick Hrstich (who wrestled as Ray Gordon.} Hrstich was the man who had preceded Pat O'Connor as New Zealand heavyweight amateur champion.
Indeed those national amateur championships were dominated for many years by Koolman pupils, with such men as Leo Nolan, Bill Adams, (father of professional wrestler Del Adams), Dick Godfrey, Sammy Bradley, Bob Hutchinson and Tom Anderson setting the pace.
Anton passed away on 29th June 1953, but not before he had started his two young sons in amateur wrestling. Both Andrew and John appeared in amateur preliminary bouts in the Wellington Town Hall, and showed signs of the maestro's tuition. John later turned professional, and teamed with the New Zealand heavyweight champion AI Hobman. John was huskier than his illustrious dad, however he did continue the family tradition, bringing back into circulation the Koolman Crab, a match winning hold embracing a full-nelson with sitback, which Koolman senior had used with devastating effect.
Among Anton Koolman's coaching achievements, is a very rare published in 1938 book he wrote titled Koolman's Correct Wrestling. Included in this publication are a number of training tips, many of which are applicable not just for wrestlers, but for sports-people in general. In future issues, we will be featuring some extracts from this book. We hope that readers find the masters advice interesting and helpful in their chosen sport. The following is the foreword from Anton's book, written by the master himself.
FOREWORD
During the seven years of-my stay in New Zealand I have received many letters from wrestling enthusiasts asking me to advise them as to what books they should procure to improve their knowledge of the game. Practically all the books that I have ever seen written in English are, more or less, endeavouring to teach a hold with one illustration. There are, of course, in America and other English-speaking countries publications on wrestling courses, which are seldom in book form. The wrestling holds and moves are so numerous that no book or course can demonstrate all of them, and to procure them all would naturally become too expensive. It is a fallacy to say that one cannot learn anything useful out of a book. Provided they have some little knowledge of wrestling they can learn quite a lot.
I personally, have gleaned several good holds and moves from books through having some experience in the art of wrestling.
Speaking of my own experience, I feel it fitting to mention to whom I am indebted for most of my knowledge of the game. First comes my schoolteacher, Mr. J. Leo, of Loksa, Estonia, who, with a Swedish drill instructor, used to make us perspire in the middle of winter when out in a snow-covered yard. After the drill we were paired off and made to "chest-hug," known as the "Cumberland" style of wrestling.
During the Russian Revolution, while serving in the Estonian navy, I got my first lessons in wrestling from Mr. Herman. Mr. Herman, seeing possibilities in me, took me to the Kalev Sports Club, Tallinn, Estonia, and put me under the wing of "Papa" Tomson. Kalev is noted as the Club where George Hackenschmidt, George Lurich, and Alex Aberg were moulded to become world's champions.
The present day world's amateur champion, Kristjan Palusalu, won the heavyweight in Greeko-Roman and catch -as -catch- can styles at the Berlin Olympiad and also European Championships at Paris in 1937, belongs to the same Club. (It is remarkable that for a little country like Estonia, with a population of less than one and a quarter millions, to produce so many worlds’ champions during the past 35 years.)
The Kalev Sports Club is always after the best instructors. In 1922, Robert Oksa, who at that time was the world's best light-heavy weight amateur at Greeko-Roman style, was appointed as an instructor. Although "Papa" Tomson taught me a great deal, I can safely say Robert Oksa instilled more into me than all the rest put together. It is a sad loss to the game that Oksa never gave his knowledge to the world in book form.
Wrestling here and there during my sea travels, I eventually settled in Australia in 1925. Immediately I started learning the catch-at-catch-can style of wrestling with wrestlers like Ad Santil, with whom I practised scores of times, Mike Yokel, Martin Lydeck, Billy Meeske, Bert Potts, Dan Koloff and others, and who have helped me in learning the American style.
In addition to these two styles, I had the services of R. Shima, the jiu-jitsu expert, to teach me the art in my gymnasium in Wellington. From Shima I learned several moves that can be used advantageously in catch -as-catch-can wrestling. While Tiger Duala and Harbin Singh, the Indian wrestlers, were in Wellington, I took particular notice of Indian styles while they trained in my gymnasium.
All told, I have had a thorough schooling in Greeko-Roman and catch-as-catch-can styles of wrestling, and more than a general knowledge of jiu-jitsu and Indian styles.
With this experience behind me, it was suggested that I should publish a book on wrestling that would be invaluable to young men aspiring to become wrestlers. The expense of such a publication was beyond me, but the idea occurred to me that if I could get a publication to issue a series of articles illustrated with photographs it could help considerably. The first man I saw was Mr. A. C. Geddes, Editor of the "Free Lance," Wellington (I take this early opportunity of thanking him most heartily for his kind consideration of this scheme), and he agreed to publish weekly illustrated articles in the "Free Lance" on wrestling, and afterwards kindly presented me with the blocks to do with as I pleased.
I have also to thank Mr. R. H. Parker, who helped me in many ways, and last, but not least, Mr. J. Casson, who straightened out all my "back-to-fronts" and "foreign knobs" that I wrote.
This book is only a part of the complete book that I intend to publish eventually. I hope that you who study it can understand all that you read and see in it.
ANTON KOOLMAN.
