Sweet ESPN Martial Arts Broadcast A Throwback To Network's Early Days

If you're old enough to remember any of the 80's, you know that ESPN wasn't always the home to 24-hour jabbering analysts and NFL talk shows. In its more fledgling days, the WWL aired whatever content to which it could obtain rights; thus, Americans were introduced to wacky hat-wearing and fingergunz-pointing Australian Rules Football referees and, uh, Denise Austin. ESPN2 aired coverage from July's International Sport Karate Association's U.S. Open last night, and it was awesome.

Viewers tuned in to ESPN2 Wednesday found themselves watching men and women wielding katana blades, bo staffs, fists, and other deadly weapons in a competition that at times looked like Olympic gymnastics and at others like something unexplainable. Nothing we saw beat this routine by one kid named Jackson Rudolph and his bo staff.

This is a Deadspin Video, in which strange sports moments are slowed down to ridiculous speeds and matched with indie music. This video features " The Gauntlet / Summer With You" by Masters of the Hemisphere. See previous episodes here.

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