Warning: Do Not Try This At Home
A ridiculously dangerous initiation test in Russia sees men strangled until they pass out.
Lots of clubs have initiation processes, but most of the time they’re just a bit of fun to welcome the new members into the group. I’m sure a lot of people would be fine with having to drink a ‘dirty pint’ or recite some sort of mantra, but I like to think strangulation is where they would draw the line.
Not in Russia though, apparently!
Check out the initiation process here:
The test, known as the Russian Berserker, has been created by Valery Eschenko, a Russian man who previously made the news for a Russian roulette game which used tasers.
So I think it’s safe to say this is a man who likes to live dangerously, and his test proves it.
The hopeful men have an elastic band wrapped around their neck, before two other people standing either side of them pull on the band to make it tighten around their throats.
If the men can stand to have their throats constricted for long enough they will pass out, at which point the band will be loosened and air will be allowed to flow again.
The test is used to determine who can join a Fight Club, and in order to make the cut the men must pass out and wake up – or ‘die’ and ‘resurrect’ – three times.
Speaking about the baffling initiation test, Eschenko said:
All newcomers must pass it to enter the Fight Club. The newcomer should ‘die’ and ‘resurrect’ three times.
If he starts to resist and grab the belt, then he did not pass the test and his membership is denied. If a person passes this test three times then he is not afraid of death.
The shocking footage shows a few men passing out after being strangled, but one man resists and removes the band from around his neck. As a result, he failed the test.
Eschenko went on to say 108 people have stepped up to take the test, but only 44 have passed.
He continued:
During the test people find themselves “on the other side” and although it is only few seconds it feels like a few years there. It feels that you are there for a lifetime.
Afterwards they are no longer afraid of death and any concerns. Nobody has been hurt and we only test people from 18-40 years of age after a medical examination.
Naturally, the test has received a lot of comments branding it as ‘stupid’ and ‘reckless’, but the creator insisted it was safe.
Responding to the critics, he said:
The message for those who think this is stupid and reckless is that they are very afraid of death and not enough life.
They’re afraid of life too. Let them play ping-pong for now but they’ll have to die someday too.
I don’t think any club that requires you to ‘die’ in order to get in is worth joining – the test seems like a fatal accident waiting to happen!
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Emily Brown first began delivering important news stories aged just 13, when she launched her career with a paper round. She graduated with a BA Hons in English Language in the Media from Lancaster University, and went on to become a freelance writer and blogger. Emily contributed to The Sunday Times Travel Magazine and Student Problems before becoming a journalist at UNILAD, where she works on breaking news as well as longer form features.