David Komjathy: The Art of Gerundium
THE ART OF GERUNDIUM
I would like to introduce to you the subject of my several months of research, which is none other than a traditional Hungarian mace training and its tool, the GERUNDIUM,also known as the Nagybot(Great Staff).
I had the opportunity to meet a remarkable person, Dr. Antal Pál, who is currently the living carrier of this tradition and the grandmaster of the Gerundium. Upon learning about this tool, my journey immediately led me to Debrecen, where I became acquainted with the tradition and its roots at the Debrecen Reformed College. Dr. János Győri, the director, gave me a full tour and introduced me to the history of the Gerundium, for which I am deeply grateful.
A brief overview of the Gerundium:
- Records of the tool exist from the 1500s, when it was used for firefighting. It was employed to clear a path between houses so that the water cart could reach the fire without obstruction. (The college building unfortunately burned down at one point, resulting in the loss of some information.)
- Only the strongest, most accomplished students in both their studies and spiritual life could wield the Gerundium, and this was determined through strength tests.
- János Arany modeled the iconic scene from Toldi after the firefighting students’ Gerundium exercises. The pole exercise that Toldi performs while pointing it’s head towards Buda is a basic exercise.
- There are two types of staff: nagybot (great staff) and kisbot (small staff, also known as Gerundium and Gerundiculum), with lengths of 150-160 cm and 120-140 cm, respectively. Their weights are 5-6 kg and 2-3 kg. Don’t be misled; when held at the end, the rotational force of the nagybot reaches 105-120 kg, while for the kisbot it’s 50-70 kg.
- There are currently 36 strength exercises.
Dr. Antal Pál, the magnum magister of the Gerundium Order, has accepted me as his student, giving me the opportunity to fully learn this tradition. The video you see was filmed during a weekend when Antal Bácsi visited me in Győr to personally pass on and teach me as much knowledge and practice as possible.
I feel this is a great responsibility for me, as well as a blessing.
On behalf of Tóni Bácsi, I would like to thank @toldiclub for providing the tool, with which it was an absolute joy to practice. Good training can only be done with good quality equipment.
Special thanks to @zso.photo for the video.
Mace training is entering a new dimension, as this form of exercise closely connects us!
This is the Way 🪷