While the entire world talks about horizontal bar gymnastics, centuries back India has been doing vertical pole gymnastics called Mallakhamb. An art to make the body super flexible and mind super focused.
Mallakhamb is a traditional Indian sport in which a gymnast performs poses and feats while hanging from a vertical wooden pole or rope. Mallakhamb also refers to the pole used in the sport.
The word “Mallakhamb” is comprised of Malla, which denotes a gymnast or a man of strength, and khamb, which is a pole. Mallakhamb, therefore, can be translated in English as pole gymnastics.
Mallakhamb can be used as a form of exercise or as strength training for police or other jobs requiring a high level of fitness. The game is said to have originated as far back as the 12th century. However, this game is not as simple as it may seem. Exercising on the pole requires a gymnast to perform various tasks like twisting, turning and stretching apart from balancing on the pole. Mallakhamb demands refinement, nimbleness, great amount of flexibility and also super reflexes.
The Mallakhamb pole used in competitions is a straight pole made of teak or sheesham wood, standing 2.6 m in height with a circumference of 55 cm at the base. It gradually tapers to a circumference of 35 cm at the top.
India had been on top of the world not just in trade but also in martial arts. I know of some friends who have learnt mallakhamb and a 10 year old is so agile that they reflect a do-not-mess-with-me attitude.
Watch the video http://in.youtube.com/watch?v=Y7MUjFliBNk
I thought of reviving such ancient arts, culture through the blog. If you know more do write, comment or send me your posts through email.
PS :- Concluding the Mumbai course today with 100 people and the volunteers have really worked to make it happen.
VEry informative.
Bhaiya, you could have embedded the video here itself using the embed code but anyway.. thanks for this info.
And forgot to mention that Kung Fu was given by an Indian monk named
Bodhidharma to the monks at the Shaolin Temple when he saw that the monks were very weak and could not meditate for long hours.
A wiki link here: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bodhidharma
And even Karate, the japanese martial arts has its origin in India.
Link: http://www.kokino.org/korigin.htm
Very interesting bhaiya, thanks for sharing!
Oh how fitness inspires me.
lately was feeling too lazzy to go for my own jogging n all,,,,hope ths will work as an xtra push for me;-)
i am in chennai dist coach in mallakhamb. i know mallakhamb, gymnastics, and yoga i saw it is very nice,