Gatka Gatka Gatka ( Urdu: "") is the name of an Indian martial art associated with the Sikhs of the Punjab region. It is a style of stick fighting, with wooden sticks intended to simulate swords. The Punjabi name "gatka" properly refers to the wooden stick used. The word originates as a diminutive of Sanskrit "gada" "mace". The style originated in later 19th century, out of sword practice in the British Indian Army, divided in two sub-style, called "rasmi" (ritualistic) and "khel" (sport) from the 1880s. There has been a revival during the later 20th century, with an International Gatka Federation
Gatka students in north India. The traditional training hall for gatka is the akhara. Sikhs may train in a religious or semi-religious situation, such as in a gurdwara (Sikh temple). "Khel" (meaning sport or game) is the modern competitive aspect of gatka, originally used as a method of sword-training ("fari-gatka") or stick-fighting ("lathi khela") in medieval times. Competitors spar using sticks called "gatka", from which the sport derives its name. The gatka are about three handspans long, made from light wood or bamboo and covered in leather. It may be used on its own or paired with another stick but for