Country: Myanmar/Burma
Group Members: Tevin, Kai, So Hyun, Stanzin
Practical Sport / Activity: Chinlone
P.E. Block: F

Introduction / brief History: Our assigned EXPO country is Myanmar. We have chosen the national and traditional sport of Myanmar, Chinlone. The sport became an official sport in 1908. It is a 1,500 years old tradition which was performed for Burmese Royalties. It is performed mostly during the annual Buddhist Festivals. Many teams participate in one of the largest festivals of the year. Another interesting fact is that the players follow a rhythm/beat as the orchestra performs during the festivals.

The origin of chinlone could be traced to the oldest form of soccer, the ancient Chinese game, cuju/tsu chu. The modern day hacky sack and foot bag is thought to derive from the game of chinlone, as well as other games of soccer played over the centuries. This particular game of football is related to other football games in South East Asian countries such as the takraw in Thailand; speak rage in Malaysia and Singapore. In addition, the Philippines mini-football game, sipa.

Chinlone is a diverse sport with about 200 ways of kicking the rattan ball. Most of the moves are similar to dance and martial arts movements. The player should be in a correct form to execute a good move (positioning of hands, arms, torso, and head). The team should also be focused or attentive to passes, for a successful game of chinlone. It can be played in different styles, the team style-circle kick (wein kat) or the solo (tapandaing) performed by women.

The “cane-ball” (Chinlone) is played with a 12 cm woven ball of rattan (cane), which makes a distinctive sound of clicking when kicked. The game can be played on any flat surface. The total number of players that can play Chinlone is six in a group. However, one can choose to play it individually. It is for all ages and genders, therefore attracting the general audience. As chilone is a combination of dance and team sport with no opposition; it is not competitive at all. Yet, many competitions are held annually at the Mandalay Waso Chinlone Festival.

The main goal is not to win or lose, but how one truly plays the game of Chinlone skillfully. There are six basic contact points: your knees, heels, inner and outer sides of the foot, top of the toes, and the sole. During a game, a player cannot use his/her hands as he/she must pass the ball with their feet or knees, while walking around a circle. A typical playing circle is about 6.7 meters (22 ft) in diameters. A solo then moves in the center performing a variety of dance movements. The rattan ball then must be passed back and forth to the soloist through one kick. When the ball drops to the ground, the play commences once more (a rotation).

(*Demonstration of a game*):-

Skill 1: The first skill would be to practice juggling (as in soccer) the rattan ball individually in an empty space. (10 minutes).

Skill 2: For the second skill pair up with peers/classmates, and practice passing the rattan ball using the six main contact points. (10 minutes)