VietNamNet Bridge - Con, also known as club in English, is one kind of weapon in many traditional Vietnamese martial arts schools.

Con is divided into two kinds: short and long. The short club, 1.5-1.7m long, is used for practicing and fighting and the long club, more than 3m long, is used in competitions.

In 2010, based on historical records and objects preserved in the museum of Quang Nam province, martial arts masters from the Tay Son-Binh Dinh Martial Arts Institute and others in the central provinces of Quang Nam, Quang Ngai, Da Nang and Khanh Hoa researched and restored the martial arts performance with long clubs, a competing event of the traditional Vietnamese martial arts that was lost for nearly 100 years.

According to research, the long club was normally 3-3.5m in length and made from Kien wood that is flexible and springy. The Kien tree is polished and turned into a round club. The stump of the tree is 3cm in diameter and the top of the tree is smaller, about 2cm. The top of the club is wrapped in a knot made of fabric to avoid causing wounds to an opponent.

When competing, the martial arts artists use techniques, namely stabbing, catching and wagging but they are forbidden to attack their opponents by flinging or striking blows. It is aimed at showing off the talent and flexibility of martial arts artists without causing wounds to the opponents and not for wanting to win at any cost.

Under the competition rules, two martial arts artists, one wearing red armor and the other wearing green armor, participate in each competition. The combatants wear masks to ensure safety when competing. After a drumroll, the two opponents come into a circle, 8m in diameter, with a long club in their hand followed by a referee. Hearing the command of the referee, the martial arts artists skillfully and flexibly catch or shake the long club to stab at the head and body of their opponent to record points. Each competition consists of three rounds, each round takes place for three minutes and the participants take a rest for one minute between rounds. The rules to get points are rather simple: stabbing at the opponent’s body gets 1 point, at the opponent’s head gets 2 points, making the opponent hop gets 3 points, knocking down the opponent gets 4 points, making the opponent’s long club fall out of his hand gets 5 points and making the long club fall out of both the opponent’s hands one becomes the winner.

A performance of long club is listed in the martial arts performance held on the 14th of the lunar month at Ky Son Martial Arts Club in Hoi An, Quang Nam Province to serve tourists. Martial arts master Tran Xuan Man from Ky Son Martial Arts Club said that during the Nguyen Dynasty in the 19th century, a long club performance was a competing event in martial arts examinations to select martial arts talents to serve the court or in examinations to nominate military mandarins for higher positions. By the end of the Nguyen Dynasty when martial arts examinations were no longer held, the long club performance became a folk sporting game.

The restoration of long club performances and turning it into a folk sporting event by martial arts masters is highly appreciated because it has made a contribution to preserving and developing the quintessence of the Vietnamese traditional martial arts.


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