Talk about the “legs” of strength.
If Brazil is the hub of jiujitsu, then Ashbourne in Derbyshire is the mecca of toe wrestling – every year, competitors flock to this small UK town to see who reigns supreme in this unusual sport.
“I am currently a six-time world champion and today I plan on making it seven,” said Lisa Shenton, a 14-year veteran of the sport who goes by the wrestling name “Twinkletoes.” The Independent ahead of this year's competition.
The Ashbourne resident retained the women’s title once again and won the foot-shaped trophy. The BBC reported.
Shenton was one of 28 toe wrestlers who competed in this phalangeal strength test, which takes place on an eight-foot platform aptly called the “Todium.”
More than 200 spectators gathered to watch the recent tournament.
For those who aren't familiar with the sport, toe wrestling involves competitors locking their limbs together to see who can grab their opponent's flipper – it's like a thumb fight for the feet.
“It's just like arm-wrestling, although you compete on a toe-dium and you have two straight planks,” said Ben Woodroffe, 35, the current men's division champion and known on the circuit as “Toe-tall Destruction.” It has been explained earlier.
“The referee says 'get the toes away' and you begin your fight. You want to push your opponent's toes into the plank,” the Digit Duelist said.
Competitors begin on their right foot, and when a wrestler scores a point, they begin the bout on their left foot. This process can reportedly take up to two hours and is complicated by slipping during the bout (which observers try to minimize with tape).
Toe wrestling is said to have been invented in 1974 by a group of drunken revellers in Watton, Derbyshire.
It is said that it takes a lot of dedication and training to master the brutal form of footsie.
“I train with weights on my ankle, [do] “I do as much stretching and toe wrestling as I can throughout the year with my partner Ruth,” said Shenton, who got into the sport in 2008 while drinking and is one of the few women to compete in the sport.
“Most people don’t realise how much skill this sport actually requires – it requires a lot more strength and core muscles than people realise,” he said.
Meanwhile, Woodroffe, who first competed in the junior league at age 14 and joined the men’s competition four years later, said he wrestles every day.
The 6ft 5in prodigy also exercised with toe stretchers, which make ligaments flexible and thus prevent pigs from going to market. He also removed his body hair to increase the amount of friction on stage and even had both his big toenails surgically removed because they were digging into his skin.
During this latest championship match, Woodroffe broke his thumb at a horrific angle while wrestling 17-time world champion Alan “Nasty” Nash, who has come out of retirement several times to face his rival.
Despite the injury, Tor Frazier emerged victorious.
“Toes can get broken and blisters and sore knees are common, but the pride is worth it,” the champion told the BBC.
Though toe wrestling has international appeal — the sport has received sponsorships from companies like Ben & Jerry's in the past, and fans travel from countries as far as India to Japan and Canada to watch the latest kumite — the pastime has yet to gain widespread popularity
An attempt to add toe wrestling to the Olympics in 1998 failed, though supporters hope it will get a second chance.
“This sport has everything it takes to be in the Olympics,” said Woodroffe, who recently visited Paris to pursue his passion.
He said, “We need to recruit enough people from different countries to give wrestling the recognition it deserves around the world.”
“I have no doubt that if breakdancing is a possibility, toe wrestling is a possibility too.”
