Man who won shin kicking world title on first try defends crown after training by hitting his legs with a hammer

A man who became the shin kicking world champion on his first try has successfully defended his title, having trained by hitting a hammer on his shins nearly every day for a year, and has set his sights on becoming the five-time champion of the 17th century English sport.

Mike Newby, 34, an account director who lives in Cheltenham with his girlfriend, Geo Legate, 27, competed in the Cotswold Olimpick Games – which celebrates English folk sports and games, such as tug of war, hammer throwing and the main event, shin kicking – on May 31 2024.

The winner of the competition is crowned the world champion and has their name added to a trophy which is displayed in Chipping Campden, home of the Olimpicks, year round.

Just a few weeks after winning the 2023 edition of the competition, Mike hit the gym, did cardio, struck his shins with a hammer, and practiced martial arts almost every day for a year, and it paid off – he won all three of his rounds this year and came out unscathed, having broken two toes last time around.

During the competition he was up against “humongous” men, and relied on his signature move “the shin wheel” – which involved kicking his competitor in the shins and pulling them around so they tripped over his legs – to secure maximum points.

However, as the defending champion the crowd was not impressed by his tactics, booing him throughout, although Mike was still overjoyed to win the competition and is already preparing for next year’s event.

Mike told PA Real Life: “When I won, I really couldn’t believe it.

“There’s a person who dresses up as Robert Dover, the original founder of the games, in a royalist Civil War costume, and I grabbed their sword and just went up the castle holding the sword and cheering – I felt a bit like Maximus from Gladiator.

“The experience was just mythic, it was amazing.”

Mike has enjoyed martial arts for most of his life – with a black belt in taekwondo, he regularly trains in judo, Brazilian jiu jitsu, freestyle wrestling and kudo karate.

So, when Mike’s partner saw an advert for the 2023 Cotswold Olimpick Games, and suggested that he should enter for the shin kicking competition, he jumped at the chance.

He explained how the game works, saying: “Fighters stand opposite each other, greet each other and then a referee called the stickler holds a stick in between you and then when he’s ready to let you go, he removes the stick and you start kicking each other in the shins.

“You can be disqualified for kicking too high and the idea is that you get the other person on the floor or they give in, and it’s best of three.”

Mike went on to win the 2023 competition, with the intense final seeing his competitor rip Mike’s shirt off, while Mike hobbled back to the car with two broken toes.

However, the experience did not stop Mike from wanting to defend his title – after giving himself a break for a few weeks, he began training for the 2024 competition.

“I think it would be very easy to retire and say I’m undefeated after one competition but you don’t get glory by taking the easy way out and not risking anything,” Mike said.

“The previous winner, before me, won four years in a row, so I’m trying to beat his record essentially.

“I think they (my family and friends) were quite surprised that I wanted to do it again – I think a lot of people thought it was a fluke that I won last time!”

In preparation, Mike went to the gym every day, hit his shins with a hammer to help strengthen them every few days, and continued doing martial arts, sharing his progress on his Instagram under the handle @idahomike_.

Regarding the hammer, he said: “You don’t have to hit very hard, just regularly, and over time, it gets less and less painful and then you can hit a bit harder every time.

“So you do it within your own tolerance of pain.

“I also created a move that I’m calling the shin wheel to score maximum points – I actually used it in the competition and won every match using it so it really worked.

“The shin wheel is a technique where I use my foot to kick them in the shin then I use my foot to prop against their leg and then pull them around so they trip over my legs basically.”

On the big day, May 31 2024, Mike felt “quietly confident” but knew he had “a lot to lose” compared to the other competitors.

Mike thinks this year’s competition was even tougher than last year’s because the contenders were “humongous” and many had experience in martial arts.

To compete, Mike wore soft plimsolls, a t-shirt and combat trousers with straw stuffed down his trouser leg for protection.

In the first round, Mike was up against one of his rivals from the previous year, a fellow martial artist, and in a matter of minutes, he won, without getting kicked.

“I think that because I was a lot bigger than him… I was able to throw my weight around a lot more easily,” Mike explained.

The second round saw Mike wrestle with a “really muscular rugby guy” and things became more intense.

Mike said: “He was sort of snapping me down like using his grip on my shoulder, and then snapped my head and neck down but I managed to use my shin wheel technique and take him down so I won the match.”

The final lasted for around 10 minutes, the longest of the rounds, and was “tough” – Mike let his competitor use up his energy “giving him the rope-a-dope” to dodge all of his kicks, before kicking him to the floor.

Throughout, the crowd were not his “biggest fan” despite him being the favourite last year.

“Because I was the returning champion, I think they wanted the drama of someone beating me so I did have a few people screaming my name but a few boos as well,” he explained.

“I think next time I’m going to lean into that and become like a WWE villain.

“My partner, Geo, was cheering and screaming my name at the top of her lungs though!”

Looking to the future, Mike said: “I’m about to start training for next year and I can’t wait.

“But I would say if you want to be the world champion, you’ve got to be bad, you’ve got to be bold and you’ve got to be stronger than everybody else.”