Aycha, Batur, Caymaz, Gurshak and Kachut: the five disciplines of Alpagut, from limited-contact striking to belt wrestling and tactical self-defence.
Alpagut is a combat sport and martial art built on the warrior heritage of the Turkic peoples. One sport, one grading system and one referee corps, but five competition disciplines. Each one tests a different side of the same athlete, whom Alpagut calls an Alp.
At a competition an athlete enters one fighting discipline: Aycha, Batur, Caymaz or Gurshak. Kachut is held as a demonstration event, and athletes may enter it in addition to their fighting discipline.
Hand and foot strikes in the aypara (crescent) style, foot sweeps and throws. “Limited” refers to the target and the conditions, not to the power: strikes land with full force, but hand strikes to the head are not allowed (kicks to the head are), and there is no ground fighting after a sweep or a throw. All athletes compete in full protective equipment. Aycha is not light contact or point fighting.
The complete fight: full-power hand and foot strikes, clinch, throws, chokes and joint locks, standing and on the ground. Batur is the discipline that brings every part of the Alp’s technique together.
A pure striking discipline. All hand and foot strikes are delivered with full power, including punches to the head. There is no wrestling, no clinch and no ground fighting: the bout is fought standing from start to finish. Jumping and spinning strikes score higher, because they are harder and riskier to perform.
No strikes at all. The fight is built on grips, throws and ground technique, including chokes and joint locks. The discipline takes its name from the belt (gurshak): throws made from a belt grip earn an extra point, continuing the tradition of Turkic belt wrestling.
Kachut answers the question the ring leaves open: what does an Alp do when there are no rules, no referee, several attackers and a weapon? It draws on two roots: the weapons culture of the ancient Turkic warrior and real self-defence today. In competition athletes do not fight each other; they demonstrate official forms (Yörtem), their own armed and unarmed sequences, and self-defence situations. Judges score precision, power, speed and fighting intent.
For ages 8–13 every discipline protects the head. A strike to the head only needs to touch to score, so young athletes learn the full technique and aim for accuracy without taking hard blows. Throwing an opponent down after lifting him from the ground is forbidden in every age group.
Aycha measures precision, Batur completeness, Caymaz striking power, Gurshak strength and balance in the grip, and Kachut readiness for real danger. Together they make Alpagut a complete martial art: a sport on the mat and a skill for life.
The 6th World Alpagut Championship will be held on 3–6 December 2026 in Ankara, Türkiye, with competitions in all five disciplines.
World Alpagut Federation — international governing body for the sport of Alpagut, established 2014, present in 50+ countries.