Cossacks battle to become sword fighting masters
HTML-код
- Опубликовано: 6 окт 2024
- (12 Aug 2019) LEAD IN:
Cossacks have been gathering in Russia to show off their ferocious sword skills.
The winners must slash their way through water filled bottles and thick vines, showing dexterity and precision, as well as a determination to succeed.
STORY-LINE:
Here in the town of Bogdanovich Cossacks and Cossack fans are gathered to witness who will be champion of the long-blade weapons.
Contestants compete by chopping and slicing their way through different targets.
Here Galina Shmakova demonstrates another skill called shashka flanking, shashka being the type of swords Cossacks use.
Shmakova has been practising this discipline for three years, but she still encounters surprise when people find out she can play with shashkas like this.
This is the only competition discipline where women are allowed to show off their skills.
In this very traditional sport only men can compete in cutting with a shashka.
"Everybody likes it, but if you compare a boy doing the same thing or a girl, of course more attention will be given to the girl, because it is a cold weapon. Most often people are surprised," says Shmakova.
There are more than 200 Cossacks here competing for the Champions of Russia titles.
The games are based on Cossack traditions although they now use more modern targets such as plastic bottles filled with water.
Six thousand bottles were cut during the tournament.
The rules of the competitions were developed just five years ago and envisaged using plastic bottles as more accessible and cheaper targets than traditional ones.
Nikalay Eryomichev, chief competition judge and president of all-Russia federation of Cossack sabering "Kazarla", explains:
"Originally, it used to be watermelons (instead of bottles with water), or 'kovuns' as we call them in Kuban. Zucchini (courgettes) were (also) used (for cutting). Pumpkins can be chopped, but pumpkin is difficult, it is very thick. Clay cones were chopped before that, but it's also expensive - you can imagine what it takes to make a clay box for just two strokes, how much good clay which cups are made of would cost."
There are dozens of different types of competition exercises.
It can be either cutting right in front of you, or with a turn, either one bottle, or several at once, and while you need to do this right, you also need to do it as quickly as possible as contestants are also being timed.
Traditionally the warriors would have been on horseback, but for the competition they're dismounted.
Each exercise varies in complexity with the skill level of each participant.
"The main thing is to hold shashka horizontally, the hit should fall behind the target, the quickness of the hit also matters, well, a lot, of course, depends on the shashka, on how sharp it is," says Igor Artyukhin, Head of the Federation of Cossack Sabering in the Svredlovsk region.
The most difficult type of exercise is cutting different types of targets in movement, when the targets are located in such a way that participants need to change direction.
In these competitions, participants need to cut a bottle, as well as a vine under a hat making sure the hat remains on the vine.
The tournament's organisers believe this is a sport rather than a cultural pastime.
"It is a sport. Not even an ethnic sport, but sport of high achievements, because any man starting from the very basics, gets better and better and achieves high results," says Artyukhin. "So here you can see non-Cossacks too, for example, ordinary citizens, for example, they wear kimono in karate, but they are not all Japanese."
Choosing your shashka is also an important step.
Find out more about AP Archive: www.aparchive.c...
Twitter: / ap_archive
Facebook: / aparchives
Instagram: / apnews
You can license this story through AP Archive: www.aparchive.c...
These guys really hate water bottles
Awesome 👍 Thank You 💞
Svetlana was considered a massive dork to in highschool but by God could she weild a shashka...
Lol Arkona's running in the background
Любо!!!
@@MrHackmy с острыми клинками проблема, так что можно сказать честно не умею. Здесь глазомер и твердость руки нужена, по правилам скошенный порез не зачитан в бал. Я любитель, поэтому только выражаю восторг грандиозности мероприятия ...ЛЮБО!!! По Фланкировке соревнования конечно должны проходить в режиме перепляса (Батла), и здесь вы играет более выносливый и хорезматичный выход. Штрафные снимать здесь нужно за неподвижность (стойку сусликом приравнивать к оскорблению судей! - скрюченный, взгляд в землю, свободная рука прижата к груди), за повтор одного элемента более двух раз (особенно любимые всеми Черты! - ниж. 8-ки), за неподвижность клинка (кроме упоров), не говорю уже о потере, хватание за вострие или безполезные гимнастические элементы (типа шпагат, круток за спиной, оставления клинка и переход на рукопашку Руками, ну и за распальцовки). Но это только набросок, как и движение Казарла будут и др. пункты и дисциплины. А ща опять повторюсь только Любо проделанной работы, начало положенно!
@@MrHackmy пробовал, не прошол отборочный тур. Искромсал в хлам стойку, чуть не убил судью и заставил зрителей залечь...по мишени правда не попал ( она куда то исчезла ). Короче сказали перекрестясь, что бы от греха подальше боевое оружие кантуенным не давать, на том и порешили, сделав ещё один пункт в правилах для меня ;-)
Where’s the sword fighting? All I see is guys cutting bottles
ok
Ok