Chinlone, which is also known as cane ball, is the traditional sport of Burma or Myanmar. Chinlone is a team sport which is a combination of sport and dance. It is a non-competitive sport played typically in six people teams.
The ball used in the sport is made from handwoven rattan that sounds like a basket when hit. In this game, players pass the ball between each other without using their hands and within a circle.
Professionally, teams wear a matching kit of t-shirt and shorts, but there’s no hard and fast rule for what players should wear – many men hitch up their longyi and Burmese monks wear their maroon robes.
The ball is very light, so playing barefoot or in special chinlone shoes allows players to sense and feel where the ball is.
During the game, the players walk while passing the ball with one player in the center of the circle. The objective of Chinlone is to keep the ball from hitting the ground while passing it back and forth as creatively as possible. The game is played by two teams with six players each.
They pass the ball back and forth using their feet, knees, and their heads as they walk around a circle. While the rest pass the ball around, a player goes into the middle alone, and the player creates a dance of different moves strung together.
If they drop the ball to the ground, the play should start again. This game is usually played barefoot or using chinlone shoes that will let the players feel the ball and the ground.
The players can make contact with the ball through the top of their toes, the inner and outer sides of the foot, the heel, the sole, and the knee.
Chinlone festivals are held across Burma (Myanmar) in circular rings surrounded by cross-legged crowds. Witty commentary and live bands accompany the teams, influencing the style and speed of their movements.
Teams travel from all over the world to “compete” in the Waso Chinlone Festival held at Mahamuni Pagoda in Mandalay every year.
It’s traditionally played on beaten earth, but in 2013 it was included in the SEA Games (Southeast Asian Games) for the first time, and teams took to a court.
After the independence of Myanmar from British colonial rule in 1948, the country needed traditions which should be unique to Burmese culture, free from any colonial influence.
That time, Chinlone originated and now is played by men, women, and children, usually together, interchangeably.
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