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Etienne Hamel
Location: Granby (QC) canada Joined: 09 Sep 2006
Posts: 443
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 Posted: Mon 16 Feb, 2009 8:52 pm Post subject: Zulu stick fighting |
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Hi all! i saw an episode of ''last one standing'' about the Zulu stick fighting and i would like to know more about it for now im just able to find poor pictures about the stick and the buckler and i can't find anywhere a site for the history of this sport.
the pictures would be for the making of a foam reprodution of the weapons by calimacil inc. (for those who do not know about them they are famous for their realistic and safe foam weapons) heres the link for those who wants to take a look at them: http://www.calimacil.com/compagnie.htm
lets just return to the real topic... it would be great to know more about this cool sport.
any help would be apreciated
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Ole W.
Location: Norway Joined: 21 Jan 2009
Posts: 15
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| Posted: Mon 16 Feb, 2009 9:28 pm Post subject: |
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Are you perhaps referring to Ethiopian stick fighting? I saw such a tournament in a TV show. There did not seem to be any system or martial knowledge involved, it simply consisted of africans beating each other with sticks. Men from competing tribes would whack each other with long sticks, encircled by a horde of tribe-people excitedly screaming and jumping up and down.
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Bill Tsafa
Location: Brooklyn, NY Joined: 20 May 2004
Posts: 599
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| Posted: Tue 17 Feb, 2009 7:00 am Post subject: |
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| Ole W. wrote: | | Are you perhaps referring to Ethiopian stick fighting? I saw such a tournament in a TV show. There did not seem to be any system or martial knowledge involved, it simply consisted of africans beating each other with sticks. Men from competing tribes would whack each other with long sticks, encircled by a horde of tribe-people excitedly screaming and jumping up and down. |
Ethiopian and Zulu stick fighting are related. I have seen videos with a great deal of variation from place to place and tribe to tribe. In some places they use very light sticks and tap each other, in others they use thicker sticks and really hurt each other. Apparently organized stick fighting goes way, way back.
I found a link with information on Ancient Egyptian Stick Fighting based on hieroglyphics. It really blew my mind that they were doing something similar to what we do in the SCA in 1350 bc and prior. Sports in the ancient world were not intended to be primarily fun, they were a form of military training and display of martial prowess. In cases of religion, the games were still war related, such as the funerary games in Ancient Greece. It would seem they regarded stick fighting as a good form of war training.
http://ejmas.com/jcs/2007jcs/jcsart_riddle_0807.html
They appear to be wearing helmets in the images. Some of the comments on the website seem like unfounded speculation. If you focus on the images themselves you can draw your own conclusions.
The high guard that they are taking in the images will seem very familiar to anyone who fights in the SCA. Notice the parry device on their arm that they hold in a similar manor in which people in the SCA hold their shields. It seems like the High Guard with the stick is poised to do a flat-snap over the shield.
Someone pointed out to me the apparent knuckle guard in one of the Images and that the knuckle guard was predecessor to the basket hilt. Imagine that, a knuckle guard prior to 1350 bc.
Here are some Zulu fighting videos:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7vH600iNUHE
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Rw6T0twetng
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qb-LV705f3g
The first two videos seem like they may be more ceremonial or what we call stage fighting. The last video is very competitive. They are very mindful of their range, they give priority to defense over offense, they use deception. In short, its a real fight.
No athlete/youth can fight tenaciously who has never received any blows: he must see his blood flow and hear his teeth crack... then he will be ready for battle.
Roger of Hoveden, 1174-1201
www.poconoshooting.com
www.poconogym.com
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