Kowat Alrami in Bahrain: The Arab Combat Sport, and How to Train for It

What is Kowat Alrami?

Kowat Alrami — Arabic for "power of the throw" — is a modern Arab combat sport that blends striking, throwing, wrestling and self-defence into one system. Independent accounts trace its development to the Lebanese sports-medicine doctor Walid Kassas, who founded it in 1980; it later gained a world registration in Italy in 2007 and an Arab federation from 2009. Like many combat sports it is contested at different intensities — light, medium and full contact — so it scales from a beginner's drill to a full bout.

What makes it interesting from a fitness point of view is how complete it is. A single round can ask you to strike, close the distance, take an opponent down and control them — which means it draws on almost every physical quality at once. That is exactly why it makes such a good lens for thinking about your own training.

Inside the Bahrain Open

The 2026 edition was held at the BTTF Arena in Isa Sports City, Riffa, and drew competitors from Saudi Arabia, Kuwait and Bahrain — a genuinely regional field for a home-grown Gulf sport. It was organised by the Bahrain Combat Sports Council's Kowat Alrami committee, chaired by Mahmood Yaseen, and backed by the General Sports Authority, the Bahrain Olympic Committee and the Bahrain Table Tennis Federation, with a referee workshop, match draw and weigh-in in the build-up. For a sport still building its profile, that is a serious organising line-up.

How to train for combat-sport fitness

You do not need to enter a tournament to train like the people who do. Combat sports are, above all, conditioning sports. The NSCA's Strength & Conditioning Journal describes strength and conditioning as central to grappling and combat disciplines, built on functional movement patterns — pushing, pulling and rotating — that mirror the throws and strikes themselves. Add the mix the same source lists for grappling — strength, agility, flexibility, speed and aerobic work — and you have a template any gym-goer can borrow.

Grip is the quiet foundation. The same journal highlights grip strength as fundamental in grappling and wrestling, because control of an opponent begins with the hands. You can build it with simple gym work, and you can practise the patterns without ever taking a hit — the exercise library is a sensible place to learn a clean hinge, a strong pull and a stable rotation before you load them.

Build the base

• Functional strength — push, pull, squat, hinge and carry. Powerful throws and takedowns start with a strong posterior chain and a braced core.
• Grip and pulling — rows, chin-ups and loaded carries. Wrestlers with stronger grips control the tie-up.
• Conditioning — short, hard intervals that mimic a round: work, brief rest, repeat.
• Striking practice — bag and pad work to sharpen coordination and timing.

For the striking side, a coached boxing class teaches the hands safely, while a functional fitness class builds the pull, push and engine that throwing and wrestling demand. If you would rather have a plan built around you, a personal trainer can put the whole thing together.

Try it for yourself

You do not have to be an athlete to train like one — combat-sport conditioning is really just complete, full-body fitness with an edge. The easiest way to start is to come and try GymNation on a free day pass, use the functional floor and the classes, and feel how a session built around strength, grip and conditioning lands. Whether or not you ever step onto a mat, your everyday fitness will thank you.

Sources:
gdnonline.com
beirut.com
journals.lww.com

The opinions shared in the GymNation blog articles are solely those of the respective authors and may not represent the perspectives of GymNation or any member of the GymNation team.