There is a Kali school in Oologah associated with a tae kwon do organization I'm a member of. They invited the TKD black belts to come watch an instructor's rank test. It was impressive and bruising.
having spent many teen years in the SCA i can sympathize with the urge to beat each other with sticks though I really cant say"why" exactly -- something primal -- like the thinking behind "fight club" maybe -- i much prefer more refined brutality these days