Baton Twirling is a popular sport, but its origins are somewhat mysterious. The origin of baton twirling is debated. Some say that it might have started in Eastern Europe and Asia, but a solid record shows that the 1930’s was the start of majorettes. Let’s take a look. Baton twirling likely started at dance festivals in Eastern Europe and Asia. Those who attended these festivals would dance with knives, torches, guns, and sticks they used to twirl and toss. This dancing morphed into armies twirling rifles during marches. The twirling rifles turned into maces, which are very similar to today’s batons. The early twirlers were men, mainly due to the batons being very heavy. At the end of the 1930’s, batons had evolved to be lightweight and adorned rubber on the ends. This is when women twirlers began their debut. After batons were shortened and made lighter, more women started joining the sport. It offered a graceful artform people could use to express themselves. The 1950’s gave birth to baton twirling associations in the United States, which organized competitions for those across the world. The two major U.S. baton associations are the United States Twirling Association and the National Baton Twirling Association. These associations both continue to hold global competitions. A meeting was held in 1977 in order for baton twirling professionals to standardize the sport, and therefore make it more official. Rules and regulations were set into place and baton twirling received its stamp of approval as a true sport. Learn more about baton twirling on our blog. We discuss everything from the history of baton twirling to how to pick out the correct shoes for twirling. We also offer quality products to help you succeed on your baton twirling journey.

Posted: 7/12/2018