What is stick fighting? Well as the name suggests, it is men fighting with sticks. I imagined the competitors treating each fight as a structured dance where the sticks come in contact with each other. But I could not have been more wrong!! It was basically a boxing match but instead of gloves, the competitors each held sticks.

Trinidad stickfighting semi-finals 2015 (9)

Trinidad stick fighting competitions

I was fortunate to attend the Trinidad stick fighting semi-finals in February earlier this year. The competitors were all weights, ages and fitness levels. There was no uniform worn,  no mouth guards and some even wore beanies on their heads. At first I assumed it was to look ‘cool’ but to be honest, I think it was and extra layer of protection to soften the blow of their opponents stick. Each competitor would  ‘dance’ to the beat of the band on the side of the ring, waiting for the right opportunity to attack and repeatedly whack their opponent until one of them started to bleed or one of the competitors gave in and walked away.

We were not allowed to take our own videos, but Moss got some great photos!

Tip: if you do have the opportunity to attend a stick fighting event, make sure you arrive early as tickets do sell out. We were nearly turned away at the entrance.

 

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