Jogo do Pau

Histoire

Jogo do pau is Portugal's traditional stick-fighting art. It comes from the rural north — Minho and Trás-os-Montes — where men carried a long wooden staff for work, travel and settling disputes at fairs and pilgrimages.

In the late 19th and early 20th centuries it was taught in Lisbon's gymnastic clubs, and masters wrote it down: Joaquim António Ferreira published "Arte do Jogo do Pau" in 1886, and Frederico Hopffer wrote on it in the 1920s. Today it is taught in clubs in Portugal and abroad, with its own federation.

Le saviez-vous ?

• The stick is traditionally about as tall as the player's chin or shoulder.
• Jogo do pau trains fighting against one or several opponents at once.
• The 1886 book by Joaquim António Ferreira is in our library to read for free.

Armes et équipement

Pau

long wooden stick, traditionally of ash, holly or quince

⚔ In the Arsenal

VarapauCajado

Figures clés

• Joaquim António Ferreira (19th century) — author of "Arte do Jogo do Pau" (1886)
• Frederico Hopffer (20th century) — master who wrote about jogo do pau in 1924

Sources: Federação Portuguesa de Jogo do Pau · Joaquim António Ferreira, "Arte do Jogo do Pau" (1886)