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2023 International Ethnosports Festival
Background of the event Implementation of the "Plans for the Promotion and Development of National Sports" project in Uzbekistan Presidential Decree No. PD-259 on May 25, 2022, To promote and popularize Uzbek sports and folk games (Ethnosports), we intend to extensively engage children and teenagers, strengthen international relations, and contribute to the revitalization of Uzbek tourism in Uzbekistan Festival Overview   - Event name : International Ethnosports Festival International Ethnosports Festival *Decided to be held every two years   - Period : For 4 days from September 7, 2023 (Thursday) to 10 (Sunday)   - Place : Ichan Kala Cultural Complex in Horism Province, Hiba Province, Uzbekistan *UNESCO World Heritage/Silk Road Oasis City Center   - Scale : Target of 1,500 people in 65 countries * Senior 250 (Minister, Vice Minister, President of the National Sports Association, etc.) Executives and 1,250 athletes   - Host/Organized : Ministry of Youth Policy and Sports in Uzbekistan Key Schedule   - September 7 (Thu): Interview with delegates, check-in of accommodation   - September 8 (Fri) 08:00 to 09:00: Parade (from Hiba Train Station to "Lee Chan-Kala")                       09:00-17:00 : Event                       14:00-20:00: Exhibitions, performances, and events                       17:00: Opening Ceremony   - September 9 (Sat) 09:00 to 19:00: Exhibitions, performances, and events                       19:00-22:00: Closing Ceremony   - September 10 (Sun): Delegates and overseas participants leave the country Major program   - (Popular culture and arts performance and exhibition): tightrope walking, wedding customs, Korean traditional music (macom), dance, literature, etc   - (Exhibition of handicrafts): Paper making, fabric making, ceramics, woodworking, etc   - (Woodsbeck Sports 12)     : Kurash, Strongman Games, Uzbek martial arts, Uzbek jangsanati (mute), mas wrestling, falconing, archery, equestrian racing, horse wrestling, horse archery, etc. Demonstrations and games *World Championship 2, International Tournament 9   - (Uzbek Folklore 8)     : Demonstrations of folk games such as tag, tug-of-war, and chicken fight (shoulder pushing) *More than 200 teenagers participate   - (Uzbek Food and Melon Festival)     : a cooking contest, a melon exhibition Benefits for overseas participating teams   : Accommodation, meals, and local transportation (Tashkent Airport ⇌Hiba) *Depending on protocol targets, hotels, restaurants, and transportation will vary

07/18/2023

Martial arts Elements (Archive)

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I-ai-do, 居合道

Iaido is the Japanese art of drawing, cutting, and resheathing the katana. It places a great emphasis on correctness of form, precision and efficiency of movement, and mental focus. Practitioners of the art – iaidoka – use real swords (or else replica blades which are still quite dangerous) so it is primarily a solo art. The practice is conducted performing kata or sets forms that teach how to respond to attacks made by opponents in various positions and situations. Many techniques take place from a formal kneeling position (seiza), while others begin from a half-kneeling position, or from standing. The ideal is to be able to deal with an attack at any time, no matter what you are doing. The character 居 "i" means "to be" (especially "to sit") in a particular place, while 合 "ai" means "to match" or "to respond". Taken together, the name can be interpreted to mean “the way of responding appropriately to any situation you are in.” On the battlefields of medieval Japan, samurai were armed with various weapons such as bows, spears, halberds, and eventually firearms. But when these weapons failed, or when fighting came down to close-quarter combat, the ability to swiftly draw one’s sword and the attack were essential. The exquisite sharpness of the Japanese sword meant that fights could end an instant after they began, so quick actions with no wasted motions meant the difference between life and death. Batto (“sword drawing”) was taught as one of the many martial arts required for samurai. Schools of swordsmanship developed that placed a great emphasis on the initial draw-and-cut. The name iaido came later. In the 16th century, Hayashizaki Jinsuke Shigenobu founded Shin Muso Hayashizaki-ryu, a school of iaido that spread across Japan and branched off into numerous other traditions or ryuha. Today, the most popular are Muso Shinden-ryu, Muso Jikiden Eishin-ryu, Tamiya-ryu, and Mugai-ryu, but dozens, if not hundreds, of other styles exist. Each has its own stylistic differences and approach to training. Iaido was outlawed by the occupation forces after World War II, but after the art was reinstated, iaidoka created groups to standardize practice. The largest group is the Iaido section of the All-Japan Kendo Federation. Iai and kendo have a special relationship, and are sometimes said to be “Two wheels of the same cart,” with many people practicing both arts. Kendo teaches distance and timing with a live opponent, while iaido teaches the correct use of a real sword.

Kalaripayatt

Kalarippayattu is a traditional holistic Martial Art with strong links to Yoga and Ayurveda. 'Kalari' translates as “place of training”, 'Payattu' as “combat exercises”. Kalaris are also important centers of religious worship. The initial physical training (Meippayattu) consists of animal postures arranged in flowing forms which, like Yoga, develop far more than flexibility and strength. It operates on a psychophysical level which can aid personal awareness and confidence amongst other attributes. The next level of practice involves wooden and metal weapons which again develop the senses as much as key fighting skills. What is also interesting, and again confirms Kalari's holistic ways, is the stages of training combine fighting with healing at almost all levels. The primary aim is the ultimate coordination between mind and body. Another focus of Kalaripayattu is specialization in indigenous medicinal practices. Kalaripayattu masters practiced not only the martial craft, but also medicine (kalari chikitsa) and herbalism, which they used to heal the wounds of soldiers who had been hurt in battle. Kalaripayattu originates in the southwest of India, in today’s state of Kerala and also partly Tamil Nadu. It is often believed to be the oldest martial art in the world, with deep roots in Indian mythology that look back on thousands of years of tradition. There are 3 acknowledged styles of Kalaripayattu – Northern, Southern, and Central – with the names referring to different parts of the Kerala region. The Northern and the Southern styles each have their own mythical gurus – Parashurama and Agastya Muni, respectively – and their own founding myths. For millennia these arts, their military techniques and associated rituals were shrouded in mystique, with only ancient Indian literature to go by. They started becoming less arcane around the 10th-12th century AD when Keralite society became militarized due to fights between kingdoms and dynasties. Military academies, known as Kalari, were created to instruct young people on how to use weapons and then join local troops. After a heydey in the 16th and 17th centuries, the importance of Kalaripayattu and the warriors who practiced it gradually declined due to developments in societal structure and military technique. When the British colonized India in the mid-19th century, they considered the warriors a threat to British authority, and the practice of Kalaripayattu was banned on penalty of death or exile. It wasn’t until the 1920s when a wave of rediscovery of historic traditions swept over India, there was the rise of Kalaripayattu schools, as well as a revival of the spirit of the martial art itself. Kalaripayattu presentations became very popular, as people enthusiastically recalled the heroic past of their country. Nowadays, there are many kalaris in Kerala, with dozens of schools in every town, and quite a few in other parts of India, in big cities such as Mumbai, Delhi, Chennai, or Bangalore. There are also teachers operating in countries all over the world.