Britain Crowns the World’s Shin Kicking Champion [VIDEO]

Yes, this is a real thing.

Minus a few years when the event was put on hiatus (the big "Shin Shortage of 1834" really took its toll), the Cotsworld Olimpick Games have taken place in Chipping Campden in Western England since 1612. And in those 300-plus years since their inception, the shin kicking competition has been the center piece.

Just so we're clear, "shin" is not some term they use for something else, like calling an elevator a "lift" or an apartment a "flat". When they say, "shin kicking" they literally mean two people kicking each other in the shins.

Apparently there is more to it than that. As to Shin Kicking Competition Judge (you got to keep it legit, yo!), James Wiseman explains, "it's more like wrestling...with lots of contact below the knee. The idea is to throw the person to the ground...you unbalance them by kicking them first." OH! That makes perfect sense! Where do I sign up?

Competitors are allowed to stuff as much straw as they can fit into their socks in an effort to help cushion the blow, but by the sound of some of these kicks, it probably doesn't help.

[Source: The Post Game]