This is an old revision of this page, as edited by 129.112.109.253 (talk) at 23:03, 4 August 2006 (alex doss is the president of an organization that promotes tamil self independence. he is not a historian). The present address (URL) is a permanent link to this revision, which may differ significantly from the current revision.
Revision as of 23:03, 4 August 2006 by 129.112.109.253 (talk) (alex doss is the president of an organization that promotes tamil self independence. he is not a historian)(diff) ← Previous revision | Latest revision (diff) | Newer revision → (diff)Kuttu Varisai (Empty Hand Combat) (Template:Lang-ta) is an Indian martial art practiced in Tamil Nadu, South India. It is a form of hand to hand combat similar to Kung Fu and Karate. This Tamil martial art was first documented in the Tamil Sangam literature (c. 2nd-1st centuries BC).
Both Kuttu Varisai and Varma Kalai combined make up a deadly fighting art. In Kuttu Varisai, gymnastic, stretching (yoga), and breathing exercises are conducted before training. In combat, almost every part of the body is used such as the fists, elbow, feet, knees, etc. Various different animal styles such as the tiger, elephant, snake, eagle and monkey are used. All these styles include posture, grappling, throws, hits, and locks.
There are a huge variety of weapons used in this fighting system which can easily be seen in many Chola bronze statues of various deities. Weapons include the trident, sticks (kali or kaji) (short, long, or double sticks), swords (val) and shield, double swords, daggers (kuttuval) (simple or double), knuckle duster (kuttu katai), and whips with several flexible and metallic blades (surul pattai).
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