Abstract - Research into the history of martial arts and combat sports in Spain the Noticiarios y documentales (No-Do – News newsreels (1943–1981)
Background and Aim. During the Franco dictatorship in Spain (1939–1975), No-Do were short newsreels that were required to be shown before the main features in cinemas. The aim of this study was to analyze the news on martial arts and combat sports (MA&CS) shown in the No-Do newsreels.
Methodology. The 4,011 newsreels contained in the No-Do Historical Archive were the main source of information for this study. We used the Archive website search engine for data collection. The results were then individually analyzed and then a card for each of the selected news was completed including the following fields: (1) Date; (2) No-Do number; (3) Duration; (4) Description; (5) Type; (6) Referencing MA or CS; (7) Geographical scope; and (8) Link to the newsreel.
Results. The total number of reports retrieved on MA&CS was 266. The MA&CS news rate per year was irregular, ranging between zero and nineteen. As for type of story, regular news items (71.8%) dominated over short news clips (14.3%) and reportage (12.8%). The geographical scope of the news was balanced between the national (38%) and international levels (43.2%). At least twenty separate MA&CS styles were mentioned. The MA&CS items broadcast were mainly international boxing (42.2%), professional wrestling (19.4%), judo (12.3), fencing (7.1%), karate (4.5%), and jiu-jitsu (2.6%). The other MA&CS (e.g., Greco-Roman wrestling, kendo, muay Thai, taekwondo, or capoeira) ranged between one and five items (0.4-1.9%).
Conclusion. The No-Do can be considered a good source good sources of information to enrich study of the history and evolution of MA&CS in Spain.