Indian club
Indian Clubs, or Meels(Iranian), are a type of exercise equipment used to present resistance in movement to develop strength and mobility.
They consist of juggling-club shaped wooden clubs of varying sizes and weights, which are swung in certain patterns as part of a strength exercise program.
They were used in carefully choreographed routines in which the clubs were swung in unison by a group of exercisers, led by an instructor, the way it is still practiced in Varzesh-e Bastani in Iran and similar to 21st-century aerobics or zumba classes.
Club swinging is believed to have originated in India and Persia by soldiers as a method of improving strength, agility, balance and physical ability.
Practitioners of Karalakattai suggest its origins trace back to the era of Kumari Kandam, also referred to as Lemuria, a period of historical significance in the region.
Exceptionally popular during the fitness movement of the late Victorian era, used by military cadets and well-heeled ladies alike, they appeared as a gymnastic event in the 1904 and 1932 Olympics.
Regimented exercise routines, like those requiring Indian clubs, were relegated to professional athletes and the military, who had access to more effective and modern strength training equipment.
There are physical fitness enthusiasts reviving the usage of Indian Clubs in the early 21st century, citing the aerobic exercise and safety advantages over traditional free weight regimens.
