“It takes a great tolerance for pain,” said the visibly insane British man. “But it’s quite skillful. There are rules. You can only kick the shin.”
The Daily Mirror reports that it’s part of an “age-old English tradition.”
The competition forms part of the Cotswold Olimpicks, a collection of largely harmless and fun activities for the community in Gloucestershire, western England, originally created by lawyer Robert Dover and dating back to 1612.
During those games people compete in novelty races like wheelbarrow racing and tug-of-war.
But, according to event chairman Graham Greenall, the headline event – the world shin kicking championships – is what everyone is talking about.
The sport is also known as hacking and purring. From Wikipedia.
It originated in England in the early 17th century, and was one of the most popular events at the Cotswold Olimpick Games until the games ended in the 1850s … Legend has it that some shin-kickers wore steel-toe boots during the competitions and tried to build pain tolerance by hitting their shins with hammers. 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
Legend has it.
