Juego del Palo
Juego del Palo ( The game of the stick ) is a traditional martial art and national sport in the Canary Islands . The fight is with sticks from 120 to 180 cm in length.
origin
The Juego del Palo comes from the native inhabitants of the Canary Islands, the old Canarians . These were often shepherds and had the stick as their only weapon. Later, the islanders are said to have used it to defend themselves against pirates and the Spanish. Under the dictatorship of Franco , fighting with the stick was forbidden as a popular custom and was only practiced in secret.
Type of game
Two players (Spanish: jugadores ) compete against each other, who only simulate the blows with the stick. The players are not protected and should not have any real contact with the opponent's stick. This requires a lot of skill, agility and balance. The game distinguishes between different game positions, the caudras , which are determined by the type and part of the stick that determines the stroke. The attacker takes the mandado or tirados position while the other defends himself in the atajes and paradas positions .