European Canne de Combat Championships

Discussion in 'Western Martial Arts' started by Pugil, Aug 27, 2010.

  1. Pugil

    Pugil Seeker of truth

    The European Canne de Combat Championships are being hosted this year by Cambridge Academy of Martial Arts® and this prestigious event will take place at the Leys Sports Complex Cambridge on 4/5th September, 2010.

    Spectators are welcome over the entire weekend, including attending the finals — totally FREE OF CHARGE!

    Last summer, a few members from CAMA demonstrated the sport of Canne de Combat at the Corn Exchange in Cambridge, as part of the City Council’s celebration of the London 2012 Open Weekend. Partly as a result of that, and the fact that we are one of a very few groups promoting this art in the UK, we were given the honour of hosting these Championships.

    This will be the first time ever that a sporting event of this kind will have been seen in the UK. We are expecting between 8 and 10 countries to send teams, up to 60 competitors in all. It is also expected that this event will include current and former World and European Champions. Teams will consist of three men, or three women. There will be separate categories for male and female competitors.

    The carrying of ordinary walking canes became popular, especial in France after the French Revolution, and following the ban on ordinary citizens wearing and carrying swords. Cannes (as they are known in France) became a popular fashion accessory for gentlemen, along with top hats and tails. (The highly flamboyant and charismatic character, former World Boxing Champion, Chris Eubank famously often carries a silver-topped walking cane today.) And in the absence of their swords, walking canes also provided gentlemen with a viable means of warding off street 'dogs' of various kinds. Canne de Combat has since become a stylish and exciting sport — a form of fencing with light-weight canes.

    If you have no idea what Canne de Combat is, or looks like, a high-level demonstration can be seen here: [ame="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eMdZjyU7i54"]YouTube- Canne de Combat et Bâton : Festival des Arts Martiaux 2010[/ame]

    The sport is also available to wheelchair users, as can be seen in this clip: [ame="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cgHjI7Mm8nw"]YouTube- Sebastien - Canne de Combat[/ame] Unlike in the sport of Fencing, the wheelchairs are not fixed on to a piste, but can instead move freely around within the fighting circle. This provides the wheelchair athletes with a much greater physical work-out than they would get from regular Fencing too — so it's a great sport for them to be involved in.

    As you can also see, 'Fencing' with sticks, is somewhat different to Fencing with epees and foils. The sport is very fast, athletic, colourful, safe to practice, and great to watch. Top competitors are highly athletic and fast-moving, and they will include: jumping, spinning, and switching the canes regularly from one hand to the other, making it a fantastically exciting event for spectators too. Cannistes compete in a circular area, which they can move around freely within, rather than compete on a linear piste, as in regular Fencing. Points are awarded on an on-going basis — which means that there is no stopping-and-starting to award those points. And yet, all points scored can be seen openly by everyone, due to a unique method of judging and scoring.

    CAMA's reputation for providing high quality training in the martial/fighting arts over the last 21 years is well known. We are also known for our diversity of training in those arts, and for providing students with a safe and friendly training environment, accessible to all members of our local community.

    Please call me on: <Deleted. Sorry, but posting contact details is not allowed.>
     
    Last edited by a moderator: Aug 27, 2010
  2. Polar Bear

    Polar Bear Moved on

    A fun day out for all.

    The Bear.
     
  3. Mitlov

    Mitlov Shiny

    I wish I was on the other side of the pond. I love watching Canne de Combat.
     
  4. Nojon

    Nojon Tha mo bhàta-foluaimein

    Cool videos! Me likey!
     
  5. CosmicFish

    CosmicFish Aleprechaunist

    Pugil - Sorry, I had to delete your contact details as it is against MAP's ToS. Probably the best thing to do is for people to PM you directly or leave a message on your profile.
     
  6. Pugil

    Pugil Seeker of truth

    No problem CosmicFish, I apologise for breaching the rules, and fully realise that ignorance of the law does not preclude someone from abiding by it.
     
  7. Pugil

    Pugil Seeker of truth

    Shots taken at the recent European Championships

    Here are a couple of shots that I took at the 2010 European Canne de Combat Championships. I took a stack more, but this guy was pretty amazing to watch:
     

    Attached Files:

  8. ap Oweyn

    ap Oweyn Ret. Supporter

    *strains eyes to see the wires*

    ...

    Nope. Dammit. He's actually doing that.

    I'm off to have a sulk.
     
  9. Van Zandt

    Van Zandt Mr. High Kick

    Looks awesome :)
     
  10. Cudgel

    Cudgel The name says it all

    That's what some of my shinai group in high school looked like.
     

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