The Official Shin Kicking Championships

I can’t make this up. Loyal readers will have noticed that we at Stray Monkey have covered a few stories from Great Britain. We love the UK, but this takes the cake in terms of unique British talents. They host the official shin kicking contests, which they claim is like a kicking-wrestling-judo contest. The object is to knock your opponent off balance by kicking him in the shins, the first person who is knocked over loses. I know what I will be proposing for the next Stray Monkey team meeting as a way to…oh who am I kidding? I just want an excuse to kick Ray, he stopped falling for the roshambo trick.

The competition is part of Robert Dover’s Cotswold Olimpicks, which were first held in 1612 after getting approval from King James I. And, no joke, in its 2012 Olympic hosting pitch, the British Olympic Association credited the Olimpicks as an inspiration for the modern Olympic Games.

Originally, the sports included wrestling, singlestick, dancing, and the ever-popular “jumping in sacks”. Today’s Olimpicks have tests of skill like obstacle courses and tug of war. Oh, and shin-kicking contests. Check out the video below: