Juego del Palo

Juego del Palo ( The game of the stick ) is a traditional martial art and the national sport in the Canary Islands. Will be fought with sticks of 120 to 180 cm in length.

Origin

The Juego del Palo is from the natives of the Canary Islands, the Guanches. These were often shepherds and had the floor as the only weapon. Later, the islanders are said to have thus defended against pirates and the Spanish. Under the Franco dictatorship, the struggle was prohibited with the stick as a folk custom and was only practiced in secret.

Sport

It pits two players (Spanish: jugadores ) against each other, which only simulate the blows with the stick. The players are not protected and are no real contact with the floor of the opponent have. This requires a lot of skill, agility and balance. The game distinguishes between different playing positions, the caudras which are determined by the type and part of the bar that determines the shock. So the attacker takes the position Mandado or tirados, while the other atajes in the positions and paradas defended.