[Wizard of Os]

This is amazing stuff; a whole new sport. A team sport played with a ball with no opposing team.

Check out the wikipedia entry on "chinlone," then check out the trailer for a documentary film.

Incredible, beautiful stuff. Hope you like it.

Cheers, all.

[Lefty Noob]

Not sure you could call a 1,500 year old game "new" but I know what you're saying. Its new to us. After reading the article, I can't even imagine what it looks like, and sadly I'm on dial-up so no movie trailer for me. Hopefully that movie - "Mystic Ball" - will make its way to the states, if not in theaters then maybe on the Independant Film Channel or something.

[MJHMarc]

It sounds like a variation of the game known as "soccer".

Well, more like a way to train for it.

[Wizard of Os]

Basically, for those up you with dial up (??????? I'm a luddite and i have DSL, for Jordan's sake), it looks a lot like hacky sacking actually, but you can actually see the rules in play.

The key to the whole thing seems to be the guy in the middle (i should learn the Burmese word for the position, eh?). When watching the trailer, which is essentially a highlight film, the interaction between all the players and the center is evident. The center either has amazing control of the ball and he's hacking it around, tosses it up high and does some insane bicycle kick kind of thing, or saves the ball from hitting the ground.

In the clips shown, the players are mostly using a soccer ball, but i assume this is because of their prevelance and easy availability.

Just remember to check it out when you can...you'll really like it, i'm sure. Something really quite different...

[LSC9901]

Didn't get into checking out what the games point actually is but the trailer was really something to watch. It appears that they are really going to boot it and then they gently tap it with their other leg, thigh , ankle or whatever. What is the purpose or ultimate goal of the sport?

[Wizard of Os]

Originally Posted by LSC9901

Didn't get into checking out what the games point actually is but the trailer was really something to watch. It appears that they are really going to boot it and then they gently tap it with their other leg, thigh , ankle or whatever. What is the purpose or ultimate goal of the sport?

Hey, how's it going LSC?

The wikipedia page says that, other than avoiding the ball actually touching ground and being declared dead, the only point of the game is aesthetics. Today, it is a sport like figure skating or (these days) ballroom dancing, where the only competition between teams can be scored by judges on mostly abstract criteria. Whoever plays the prettiest ball wins. In this sense, chinlone is utterly unique -- a ball game with no defense and no points.

However, chinlone does have "accepted moves," which now number over 200. (How one makes an innovation, i'm sure i have absolutely no idea...though i could soon; i could get into this sport.) I assume that, as in figure skating and such, a program is created in which moves of type X, Y and Z must be executed, etc. etc. and the judged give scores on a scale of 1 to whatever.

I'm glad you like the trailer. I wish i could download it.