Sqay
| Focus | Swords |
|---|---|
| Hardness | Light-contact |
| Country of origin |
 Pakistan India
|
| Olympic sport | No |
Sqay is a South Asian form of sword-fighting originating in Kashmir, currently divided between India, Pakistan and China. Armed sqay makes use of a curved single-edge sword paired with a shield, or one sword in each hand. Unarmed techniques incorporate kicks, punches, locks and chops.
The early history of sqay is limited to mythology. Folklore traces it to remote antiquity several thousand years ago, as far back as the ancient Kashmiri flood myth. The Shaivite snake-worshipping Naga people are said to have created the art prior to the Indo-Aryan invasions, and it was later patronised by kings. The first written evidence of sqay dates to the Muslim period when Persian writings told of sabre-fighting (shamsherizen) in Kashmir. The word sqay itself is first recorded in this period, and is said to mean "knowledge of war" in Persian. Sqay first began to decline in the colonial period but its popularity suffered more during the post-independence Kashmir conflict. In the 1980s, the sqay grandmaster Nazir Ahmed Mir feared that the art would go extinct, and so introduced modern types of competition influenced by karate and taekwondo. The subsequent founding of the International Council Of Sqay and the Sqay Federation Of India have allowed the system to be promoted on a national level. It is now taught in twenty Indian states as well as Bhutan and Kathmandu, Nepal.
Sqay competition typically involves sparring, breaking and preset routines. Competitors use a stick to simulate a sword, paired with a shield. Specifics of the regulations differ slightly between gender and age groups, such as the size of the arena or the duration of a bout.
Under the International Council Of Sqay's rules, the sword (tora or tura) is made of synthetic fibre covered in leather. Depending on age group, it measures 2-2.6 feet long. The sword is paired with a shield (bargula) measuring 9-19 inches in diameter, also covered in leather. The official uniform is blue, sometimes with red or yellow piping, consisting of trousers and a cross-front jacket with a belt around the waist. Chest and head guards are required only for sparring.
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