Could this be the next best Martial Art?
Shin Kicking has been around in England since the 1700s and has been a celebrated sport in the annual Cotswold Olimpick Games. The games were started by Robert Dover with the approval of King James around 1612 and are held near Chipping Campden, in the Cotswolds of England.
What looks like it started one night outside of a pub between two drunken Englishmen is really a gentlemen's sport with a very sophisticated set rules.
Competitors draw lots, leading to a final bout, to identify their opponents.
Equipment. Competitors normally wear long trousers or tracksuits and may cushion their shins by using straw or other padding. They sometimes wear smocks or white shepherd's coats. Footwear is normally trainers or shoes.
Stance. A competitor begins by holding his or her opponent by the shoulders with arms straight.
Contest. The aim is to weaken an opponent by kicking his or her shins. Once the legs have been weakened, a competitor may throw an opponent to the ground off-balance over a leg, provided that the grasp of the shoulders is kept.
An arbiter decides the fairness of a contest.
A contest is decided on the best of three throws.
(a) Shins must be kicked before a thrown can be achieved. Contact must be made. (b) A throw is not valid unless the thrower is in the process of kicking and has one foot off the ground. (c) If the arbiter deems that the kicker has made an intentional trip, the throw goes to the opponent. (d) If a kick is above the knee, the throw goes to the opponent. (e) The first person to hit the ground loses the throw.
The arbiter's decision is final.
Traditionally, the contestants would wear white smocks that look like lab coats. This is not to make them look like scientists while they bash each other in the shins, it is the smock of the traditional Cotswold Shepherd.
Many fans of the sport are petitioning to get Shin Kicking in the Olympics and have started a petition on change.org. If you are interested in seeing this sport in the Olympics, you can show your support and sign the petition here:
https://www.change.org/p/the-international-olympic-committee-let-s-make-shin-kicking-an-olympic-sport
On http://www.shinkicking.com/ they have many compelling reasons as to why it should be included in the Olympics. Some of my favorite are:
It beats competitive walking, synchronised swimming, ‘DanceSport’ and any number of namby-pamby pastimes already recognised by the International Olympic Committee (IOC).
Even the wrestlers of Ancient Greece used to kick shins (though they also wrestled in the nude, something that modern shin kickers save for the privacy of their own homes).
There have been some pretty awesome sports come out of England, like egg throwing, cheese chasing, and black pudding hurling, but I think shin kicking may be the one that could get the world's attention and catch one. At least I hope so.
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