shin-kicking
{{Short description|English combat sport}}
{{distinguish|Hacking (rugby)}}
{{Infobox sport
| image = Image:Shin kicking at the Olimpicks.jpg
| caption = A shin-kicking contest:
Two men (in shepherds' smocks) grasp each other's shoulders and attempt to kick each other.
| imagesize = 200px
| union =
| nickname = Shin diggings; purring; clog fighting; sufficient
| first = Early 17th century
| registered =
| clubs =
| region = England
| contact = Semi-contact
| team = Individual
| mgender = No
| type = Indoor; outdoor
| category = Combat sport; martial art
| equipment = Clogs or steel-toe boots
| venue =
| glossary =
| olympic = No
| paralympic = No
}}
Shin-kicking, also known as shin diggings or purring, is a combat sport that involves two contestants attempting to kick each other on the shin in order to force their opponent to the ground. It has been described as an English martial art, and originated in England in the early 17th century.
History
It was one of the most popular events at the Cotswold Olimpick Games[https://archive.org/details/annaliadubrensi00dovegoog Drayton, Michael, et al. (1636), Annalia Dubrensia: upon the yearly celebration of Mr. Robert Dovers Olimpick Games upon Cotswold-Hills, London: Robert Raworth.] from 1612 until the Games ended in the 1850s.{{cite news|last=Leighton|first=Neil|title=Old shin sport alive and kicking|url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/uk_news/england/gloucestershire/4605157.stm|accessdate=6 June 2011|newspaper=BBC|date=3 June 2005}} When the Games were revived, in 1951, the sport was included as the World Shin-Kicking Championships and remains one of its most popular events, drawing crowds of thousands of spectators.
Shin kicking also became a popular pastime among Cornish miners as a subset of Cornish wrestling.{{Cite news |date=1883-01-13 |title=Scientific Shin-Kicking |url=https://timesmachine.nytimes.com/timesmachine/1883/01/13/106244611.html?pageNumber=2 |access-date=2024-04-20 |work=The New York Times |page=2}} Known as clog fighting or 'purring' in the mill towns of Lancashire, it was a combative means of settling disputes popular in the later 19th century until the 1930s. Clog fighting and its associated gambling by spectators was illegal.{{citation | last = Brady | first = Chris | url = http://chrisbrady.itgo.com/clogmaker/clogmaker2.htm | title = English Clogging in Lancashire in the 1800/1900s | date = 12 November 2007 | access-date = 25 June 2012 }}{{Cite web |title=What was clog fighting? |url=https://www.historyextra.com/period/victorian/qa-what-were-wooden-clog-fights/ |access-date=2022-12-05 |website=HistoryExtra |language=en}}{{Cite web |last=Carter |first=Helen |date=2016-01-08 |title=Purring and Parring: the mysterious history of Clog Fighting |url=https://www.northernsoul.me.uk/clog-fighting-oldham/ |access-date=2022-12-05 |website=Northern Soul |language=en-GB}}{{Cite web |last=Britton |first=Paul |date=2016-01-04 |title=Brutal mill town 'sport' of clog fighting remembered at exhibition in Oldham |url=http://www.manchestereveningnews.co.uk/news/greater-manchester-news/brutal-mill-town-sport-clog-10682401 |access-date=2022-12-05 |website=Manchester Evening News |language=en}}{{Cite web |date=2016-01-06 |title=Clog fighting was a real British martial art |url=https://www.independent.co.uk/arts-entertainment/art/features/clog-fighting-anna-fc-smith-s-gallery-oldham-exhibition-reveals-the-history-of-the-lost-british-martial-art-a6799901.html |access-date=2022-12-05 |website=The Independent |language=en}}{{Cite news |last=Southworth |first=Phoebe |date=2021-11-24 |title=Take that, health and safety brigade! Ancient sport of shin-kicking returns |language=en-GB |work=The Telegraph |url=https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/2021/11/24/take-health-safety-brigade-shin-kicking-contest-returns/ |access-date=2022-12-05 |issn=0307-1235}} In the late 19th and early 20th centuries, the sport was also practised by British immigrants to the United States.{{cite news|title=Scientific Shin-Kicking|url=https://timesmachine.nytimes.com/timesmachine/1883/01/13/106244611.pdf|accessdate=6 June 2011|newspaper=The New York Times|date=13 January 1883}}
Technique
Image:CotswoldGames01.jpg. Two men are shin-kicking (near top right).]]
During each round, the combatants face each other and hold on to each other's collar or shoulders. Traditionally (in the Cotswold Olimpicks), they wear white coats, representing shepherds' smocks.
They typically attempt to strike their opponent's shin with the inside of the foot as well as their toes. Success in the event requires both agility and the ability to endure pain, the loser crying out "Sufficient" when he has had enough.{{cite news|last=Heffernan-Tabor|first=Kelly|title=World Shin Kicking Competition Takes Place In England|url=http://www.digtriad.com/news/watercooler/article/178237/176/World-Shin-Kicking-Competition-Takes-Place-In-England|accessdate=6 June 2011|newspaper=WFMY|date=5 June 2011|url-status=dead|archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20110618103353/http://www.digtriad.com/news/watercooler/article/178237/176/World-Shin-Kicking-Competition-Takes-Place-In-England|archivedate=18 June 2011}} The matches are observed by a referee, or stickler, who determines the score of the match. Modern competitions are won by the combatant who wins six out of ten against his competitor.
In modern competitions, the combatants are required to wear soft shoes and stuff their trouser legs with straw for padding. Ambulance crews also attend the events in case of injury.
See also
- {{annotated link|Clog (British)}}
- {{annotated link|Cotswold Olimpick Games}}
- {{annotated link|Robert Dover (Cotswold Games)}}
- {{annotated link|Wenlock Olympian Games}}
References
{{reflist}}
Bibliography
- [https://archive.org/details/annaliadubrensi00dovegoog Drayton, Michael, et al. (1636), Annalia Dubrensia: upon the yearly celebration of Mr. Robert Dovers Olimpick Games upon Cotswold-Hills, London: Robert Raworth.]
- Gandy, Rob (2021), "Bold Dover", The Fortean Times, FT408, (August 2021), pp.46-50.
Category:Folk wrestling styles