Clogs and clog fighting martial art

[Sam Baughn]

Stating clogs seems fairly straightforward; either treat them as cheap boots or wood armour over the foot. Either would give +1 to kicking damage. Some clogs had metal caps, which would probably be equivalent to steel-toed boots (High-Tech, p. 69) and some reports of clog fighting (probably sensational) said they used spiked clogs (probably not enough to add any damage).

Apparently the standard rules were that the fighters held each other by the shoulders and kicked until blood was drawn or one fighter fell down or submitted. I'm not clear if a man who drew blood was considered to have won or lost the fight. A variant involved both fighters holding onto a hankerchief or piece of rope with their teeth, which is something I've also seen described as being used in knife duels. Edit: there also seems to have been a version where both fighters sat with their feet in a barrel, which might use the Fighting While Seated technique and is probably more of a sport than a combat style.

Clog fighting itself probably uses brawling as it's primary skill. Some bouts ('up and down fights') allowed punching and grabbing the opponent. Techniques which seems likely are Counterattack, Jam, Kicking and possibly Stamp Kick (for 'scrapes' down the shin; the clogs themselves make attacking the feet pointless). Perks would be Iron Legs, Technique Mastery (Kicking), possibly Neck Control (it doesn't require you to strike at the upper body, only be holding on to it). Common advantages would be DR (Tough Skin, Shins only) and High Pain Threshold.

Although it was a sport, it was a very brutal one and practitioners seemed to get into a lot of street fights, so I'd call it a genuine combat form rather than a combat sport. The rules seem pretty simple, so not sure if Games skill would even be needed. Modern shin kicking is far less nasty and would use Brawling Sport.

[Kilmore]

They were apparently worn for the damage resistance. With less than an inch of pretty heavy wood I would say they have a DR of 1. If you've lived with them your whole life are they really hard to get around in? Would a Perk allow you to move easier in them?

[Refplace]

Originally Posted by Kilmore

They were apparently worn for the damage resistance. With less than an inch of pretty heavy wood I would say they have a DR of 1. If you've lived with them your whole life are they really hard to get around in? Would a Perk allow you to move easier in them?

Its solid wood, no give or flexibility in the sole and heel. I would let a perk let you walk around heel first so no penalty but doubt its very realistic.

[tbone]

Originally Posted by Refplace

Its solid wood, no give or flexibility in the sole and heel. I would let a perk let you walk around heel first so no penalty but doubt its very realistic.

You probably have in mind the existing perk (I forget the name) that allows no-penalty action in high heels. So, cinematically speaking, the same sort of perk for clogs sounds fine.

[Dalillama]

Originally Posted by tbone

You probably have in mind the existing perk (I forget the name) that allows no-penalty action in high heels. So, cinematically speaking, the same sort of perk for clogs sounds fine.

Probably generalisable to 'Exotic Footwear (1)': You have trained yourself to function without penalty in some type of impractical or encumbering shoes.