Exercise Clubs, The Wooden Kind

I have been informed that the mini baseball bats in the video in the previous post were actually Indian Clubs:

"Indian clubs belong to a category of exercise (and juggling) equipment that was popular in the late 19th and early 20th centuries in Europe, the British Commonwealth and the United States. They comprise bowling-pin shaped wooden "clubs" of varying sizes and weights, which are swung in certain patterns as part of an exercise program. They can range from a few pounds each, up to special clubs that can weigh as much as 50 pounds. They were used in carefully choreographed routines where the clubs were swung in unison by a group of exercisers, led by an instructor in the front, similar to modern aerobics classes.

Indian clubs derive their name from the much larger and heavier objects of similar shape traditionally used by martial artists and pehlwani wrestlers in India to train for strength. The practice of swinging such clubs to develop physical fitness was first recorded in ancient Egypt and the Middle East. It was introduced to England by British soldiers who were stationed in India during the 19th century.

They were exceptionally popular during the health craze of the late Victorian era, used by military cadets and well-heeled ladies alike, and even appeared as a gymnastic event in the 1904 and 1932 Olympics. Gymnasiums were built just to cater to club exercise groups. The popularity of the Indian Club waned in the 1920s and 1930s as organized sports became more popular."

An Indian pehlwan (wrestler) training with clubs circa 1973

How about that. I tried water bottles but I feared the caps would come loose. ________Thank you, BL!