Bastone Italiano -Italian stick fighting-Basics

Italian stick fighting
BASTONE ITALIANO - A folk martial art from southern Italy
...also known as Bastone Siciliano or Bastone Napoletano which, historically, refers to the southern Italian regions that belonged to the Kingdom of the Two Sicilies (with Naples as capitol) before the unification of Italy in 1861 (Abruzzo, Molise, Campania, Basilicata, Apulia, Calabria and Sicily).

Originally a rudimentary method of defense against wild animals used by the southern Italian shepherds and peasants, a complex fighting system had been developed in the 18th / 19th century at the latest.
In addition to the shepherds, who resolved disputes over pastureland in ritualized stick duels, the military stick fighting of the 19th century as well as the fighting and defense methods of the brigands, carters and criminal clans had an impact on the development of the didactics and techniques. Some of the remaining regional styles have been passed on for at least 200 years, almost unchanged.