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SHIN KICKERS
OF THE WORLD UNITE!!!!
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NUDE SHIN KICKING:
THE NAKED HISTORY
OF THE SPORT
This excerpt on the hidden history of Shin
Kicking is from True Brits:
A Tour of 21st Century Britain in all its
Bog-Snorkelling, Gurning and Cheese-Rolling Glory,
by honorary SKAB member JR Daeschner. Copyright © 2004.
(Shin kicking) was once common throughout
England, Wales and parts of America…
Lancashire is now better known for clog
dancing—a forerunner of American tap-dancing
—but back in the day, the locals also
enjoyed clog fighting.
“Clog toe pie” wasn’t a
regional delicacy, and “a leather ‘n’ timber
kiss” wasn’t a sign of affection;
they both meant that you were about to
receive a good kicking.
What’s more, miners would grapple
against each other wearing only their clogs—stark
naked, except for their clunky,
metal-trimmed footwear.
This may have been a conscious imitation of
the Greeks,
or it may have simply seemed like a good
idea at the time.
Whatever the reason, naked shin kicking was
common throughout Greater Manchester,
when “hot and rebellious liquors were
indulged in to excess,
and the Sabbath was desecrated and made
hideous by drunken orgies”.
Miners from Oldham, Bacup and Ashton would
pit themselves against quarrymen
from Whitworth. The Oldham “rough
heads” were renowned for being as slippery as
“snigs,” or eels.
But their winning streak ended after they
were caught cheating by rubbing soap all over their bodies.
Another report tells of a clog fight near
Manchester in 1843
between two young men
named Ashworth and Clegg—“(both
in a state of nudity with the exception of
each having on a pair of strong
boots)”. They kicked each other for 45 minutes…
all for one pound (£60 today).
Ashworth won, but both were severely injured.
In another fight, he actually killed his
opponent and emigrated
Down Under, aptly enough—though
it’s unclear whether
this was his choice or Her
Majesty’s Pleasure.
To buy JR's book, click here
To read JR’s account of Shin Kicking
or
see video clips—visit
http://www.truebrits.tv.
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