Sports

Swimming is as old as the Stone Age. Writing references can be dated back to 2000 BC and drawings were found in the cave of swimmers near Sura, Egypt. Competitions in swimming started somewhere around 1800, in Europe. Until then the breaststroke was very famous and John Arthur Trudgen started the front crawl or the trudgen in 1873. It was added as a sport in the 1896 Athens Summer Olympics, which were the first modern Olympics. Butterfly stroke was recognized in 1952, before which it was known as a variation of breaststroke.

The water within the human body has a little less density compared to that of the water outside, which forces the body to the surface. To move forward, the water around should be pushed backward and to float, the water should be pushed downward. The pushing is done by using hands as paddles and kicking with the legs. It takes less effort to swim and float in the ocean than in a swimming pool because salty water has more density than fresh water because of the salts.

The basic principle involved in all swimming styles is that the body should be kept parallel to the surface of the water and the hands should be positioned in outward direction, inline with the head, so as to cut though the water and reduce the friction. The more the body is slanted, the more the drag. Also, by extending the hands, the average length at the water line is increased which is directly proportional to the increase in the speed.

Swimmers who have a good acceleration of hips have a good hand force. The force of the hand is related to the rotation of the hips and not the muscles in the arms. The stronger the hip muscles, the more the torque generated. The body should be in an incline position so as to reduce the frontal cross-section and drag. By doing so the shoulders do not generate bow waves and the water line is not broken.

According to hydrodynamics, the movement of the hands and legs, from back to front, should be as much in air as in water, during the recovery stroke. The shoulder rotation is necessary for the forward motion and it requires strong abdominal muscles. Some of the swimmers flatten their palms to move the water backward and some spread their fingers slightly. Breathing is another important factor to be worked on while swimming. Correct way of breathing can increase performance and decrease fatigue. The body should be trained to work on less amount of oxygen because professional swimmers take breath in one stroke and let it out slowly till the fourth stroke. Taking a deep breath and submerging in the water, while kicking in the water, can control breath.

Children can be made to join summer camps that give swimming lessons. Swimmers need to wear body skin kind of swimsuits so as to reduce the drag and beginners can use aids such as Styrofoam Board until they learn swimming properly. Beginners should concentrated on increasing the strength along with the other techniques.

Swimming is a great exercise as there is less impact on the joints and bones because the density of water is similar to the density of the human body and the water supports the body. It is usually used to treat people with certain disabilities and injuries. Swimming is an aerobic exercise and is a good way to beat stress.

The problems and hazards related to swimming are drowning and water inhalation in a contaminated environment. Extreme exhaustion can lead to unconsciousness. Weaker people should avoid it because it can be a cause to heart attacks, stroke, shallow water blackout and carotid sinus syncope. Excess water intake in salty water can form foam in the lungs, which effects breathing badly. Regular swimmers get exostosis or swimmers’ ear, which is abnormal growth in the ear canal and athlete’s foot, which is bacterial infection in between the toes. Chemicals in the swimming pools can cause skin and eye irritation and can even discolor the hair. Asthmatics should avoid excess swimming in swimming pool, as the chlorine inhalation will affect their lungs badly.  While swimming in ocean, precautions should be taken, as there is an increased risk of getting jellyfish sting or harm from any other aquatic animal.

The ancient Olympics were an event where participants from all over Greece and as far as the Mediterranean participated. It started in 776 BC. Married women and slaves were banned from participating and watching the Olympics in ancient Greece. Only free young males had the right to be a part of the Olympic games, despite their social status. Many famous personalities participated and supported the games. This was a very prestigious event and the winner was awarded with an Olive Wreath, also known as Kotinos and big celebrations in their home place. They were awarded by large sum of money and poets used to write poems to signify their talents.

The king of Macedonia and son of Amyndas, Alexander I; the general from Megara, Orsippos; philosopher Plato; philosopher Socrates; philosopher Pythagoras; philosopher Aristotle; philosopher Democritus; the member of the royal family from Rhodes, Diagoras; the father of medicine, Hippocrates; shepherd Polymnistor, are some of the well-known athletes of ancient Greece.

Goddess of fertility and Priestess of Demeter were honored during the games and was given a seating position just next to the stadium altar. Only married women were not allowed to be spectators or participants at the Olympic games. But unwed women were allowed to watch the events. Whoever dared to break the rules was thrown from the top of the cliff.

Women were finally given a chance to participate in the Herean Games, which was conducted to honor the wife of Zeus, Hera. It started with foot races initially. Hippodameia made an administrators’ committee consisting of sixteen women. The sixteen females were considered to be peacemakers from Elis and Pisa.

Among the well-known athletes, Milon was a very versatile athlete. He was the pupil of philosopher and mathematician, Pythagoras. He was from Kroton, South Italy. He had won six Wreaths in Olympic Wrestling, which still remains one of a kind victory till this date. His first victory was in the youth wrestling event and the rest five were in the men-wrestling event. He won ten championships in the Isthmian games, nine championships in the Nemean games and seven championships in the Pythain games. He even won in many of the other events.

Also born in Kroton, South Italy, Astylos had won six victory Olive Wreaths in a total of three Olympic games. He was very good at the Stade race and Diaulos race. He represented Kroton in the first Olympic and he won in that, for which the residents of Kroton honored him. After that, he took part in two of the Olympics as a citizen of Syracuse. The Krotons disgraced him by tearing down his statue and replacing his house with a prison.

Leonidas won four times consecutively at the Olympiads. He was from Phodes and was the most well known runner. He was a champion in Stade race, Armour race and Dialous race. In all, he won twelve Olympics Wreaths. He was a great hero for the people.

The first woman known to be a winner at the Olympics was Kyniska of Sparta. She was the daughter of King Archidamos. In the 96th and the 97th Olympic games, she also won the horse chariot race.

Melankomas was from Karia and was a winner in the Olympic boxing championship. He was a very hard working athlete. He used to do vigorous training by fighting for two days continuously with out lowering his hands. He was known for his swift moves and he used to win without even getting a single blow from his opponent.

The Olympics were initially a one-day event until 684 BC, after which it became a three-day event. Again, after the fifth century BC, it became a five-day event. During the Ancient Olympics, any type of game related to running was given importance. The very first game in the Olympiad was the “Stade race”, a sprint of about 190 meters.

The “Pentathlon”, unlike the modern pentathlon, was an event consisting of five competitions, namely “Stadion” or short foot race, Long Jump, Wrestling, Javelin Throw and Discus Throw. All five of them were considered beneficial for wars also and the training for them was part of the military practice. The athletes who used to compete in the pentathlon were considered to be very skillful. Except Wrestling, the rest four were held at the Stadion or the stadium.

The Stade or Stadion race was an old foot race about 180 meters to 200 meter long. The place it was conducted was known as Stadion; from which the English word stadium was derived. It was very big and at a time about twenty athletes could run. On the blow of the trumpet, the runner stood in the standing position with their arms stretched out, unlike today’s runners who take the crouch position when about to start. Officials used to stand at the start and at the end to see to it that there were no false starts or any kind of cheating.  In the case of a tie, there used to be a re-run. Any runner who broke the rules was punished. The winner of the Stadion race was the champion of the whole Olympic games.

The Diaulos race consisted of two Stades and was four hundred meter long. The Dolichos race consisted of seven to twenty four Stades. The other running events were Hippios and Hoplitodromos.

Athletes of Javelin Throw, instead of holding the shaft of the Javelin itself, used leather strap called Amentum. Javelin was a spear like rod usually made out of metal and wood. In Discus Throw, the Discus was made of stone, iron, bronze or lead. This game is like the modern freestyle Discus Throw. Five throws were allowed to the Discus and Javelin Throw athletes and the longest one was counted.

In the Long Jump, the participant to launch him or her and to increase the range of jump used weights called halters. The weights were held till the end of the jump and at the end they were ejected backwards. The jumps consisted of five different leaps, which is more similar to the modern triple jump. Here, too, the participants were given five attempts and the longest jump was considered.

The Wrestling Ring was a sand pit and was held outside the Temple of Zeus. It was a game of great military importance as it was combated without weapons. The winner was declared when the opponent admits defeat.

The boxers initially wrapped Himantes or soft straps, made out of Ox Hide, around their fingers, knuckles, and wrists to be able to give a firm punch. Later on the straps became hard which caused major injuries. The Sphairai were similar to Himantes and had pads inside to protect the knuckles, but on the outside they were really hard. After that Oxys were used which had many thick leather bands wrapped around the hand and forearms. The leather braces covered the complete hand so as to give a stronger punch.

The old form of martial arts was known as Pankration and was started in the Olympics of 648 BC. The word Pankration was derived from two other words, pan and kratos. Pan meant all and kratos meant strength. It was a combination of boxing and wrestling. At that time, this was one of the hardest sports. Philosopher Plato had won this game twice.

The Equestrian events consisted of chariot and horse races and were conducted in a flat and large open space, called Hippodrome. In both of them, there was great danger to both the driver and the horse, because there was a big probability of getting injured, which might even lead to death. The winner of these events was rewarded with a slave woman and a Cauldron (a big vessel).

The Olympics had lots of games, which are no longer included in today’s Olympics. The games, which were once a part of the Olympics, are golf, polo, rugby, tug-of-war, cricket, croquet, jeu de paume, power boating, rackets, rink-hockey, lacrosse, basque pelote, roque, and water skiing.

Golf is one of the finest games in the world and is played in almost hundred countries of the world. It has been considered as an international game from the mid-19th century. Golf was held in the 1900 and 1904 Olympics. In the 1900 Olympics, there were separate games for men and women.

Polo is the oldest mounted sport, dating back to many centuries. It is believed to have originated in Asia especially in India, China and ancient Persia. Polo was part of the Olympic games in 1900, 1908, 1920, 1924 and 1936.

Two teams who use netted sticks to pass and catch the rubber ball in order to score play lacrosse.

Cricket is the second popular game in the world and it is supposed to have originated in the thirteenth century. Two teams consisting of eleven members who play it using a bat, ball and wicket play this game. The match is played on a flat and open grass long strip of field named as pitch. Stumps are three vertical wooden sticks placed parallel to each other, at both the ends of the pitch and two small wooden pieces are placed on top the three sticks. This structure is known as the wicket. The bowler, from the fielding team, aims a leather ball at one of the wickets. The batsman, from the opposing team, tries to hit the ball away from the wicket, with the help of a wooden bat. The other team members of the fielding team spread themselves on the field in order to catch the ball, which was hit by the batsman. If they are successful in catching the ball before it hits the ground, the batsman is out. In the meanwhile, after hitting the ball with the bat, the batsman runs from one wicket to another and the numbers of runs made are counted. The winning teams scores the maximum number of runs.

Croquet is a game of French origin. It utilizes a mallet and balls and is played in a grass arena. The mallet through hoops, which are planted in the field, hits the balls. It was part of the 1900 Summer Olympics. Roque is the American version of croquet. It was included in the 1904 United States Summer Olympics.

Initially tug-of-war was considered as a product of the track and field athletics program, but later it was given the status of a separate sport. Tug-of-war was included in the Olympic games of 1900, 1904, 1906, 1908, 1912, and 1920.

Jue de paume means game of palm and is the French version of lawn tennis. It is played without racquets, as the player hits the ball with his hands. Jue de paume was added in the 1908 Summer Olympics.

In Basque pelote, two opponents team face each other and there is a net between the two. Both the team exchange ball and if one player drops the ball, the other team scores. It is also similar to lawn tennis. It was supposed to have originated in the Greek era. In the 1900 Paris Olympic games, Basque pelote was a part of it.

Rugby is the earlier versions of football; here the ball is not carried but kicked. It originated in mid-19th century in Britain. The rugby union was considered to be beginner version where as rugby league was considered to be the professional version. In 1995, rugby union was made an open sport by the International Rugby Board. Rugby union was a part of the 1900, 1908, 1920 and 1924 Olympics games. Water skiing started in 1922. The athletes straps boards on their feet and get pulled by a powerboat around a set of course.

The Summer and Winter Olympic games includes a total of thirty five sports with fifty three disciplines. The Summer Olympics comprise of twenty sports with thirty-eight disciplines and the Winter Olympics consists of seven sports with fifteen disciplines. On a whole four hundred events are conducted. Each of the sport has an International Governing Body. More athletes and nations participate in the Summer Olympics.

The IOC or International Olympic Committee arranges the sports, disciplines and events in a hierarchical manner. Sports are subdivided into disciplines and disciplines are subdivided into events. The IOC after analyzing the popularity of a sport around the globe and decides whether it should be a part of the Olympics or not. To be a part of the Olympics, an event should be participated by men from fifty countries from three continents and women from thirty-five countries from three continents, at least.

Sports, which are no longer a part of today’s Olympics, are polo, golf, rugby union, tug of war, cricket, water skiing, etc. The reason for their discontinuation is lack of adequate participation, lack of interest and lack of a governing body. Tennis and archery are also some of the dropped sports, which were again a part of the Olympics in the year 1988 and 1972, respectively. Sports, which are included in the Olympics to promote the local sports of a particular region, are known as demonstration sports. Some of the demonstration sports, which are a part of the Olympics sports, are curling and baseball.

In the first modern Summer Olympic games, held in 1896, there were a total of nine sports. Now the count is twenty-eight and it has been decided that in the 2012 Summer Olympics, the count will be reduced to twenty six, with the withdrawal of softball and baseball. For a sport or discipline to be a part of the Summer Olympics, men from seventy-five nations from four continents and women from forty nations from three continents, should be participating at the least.

The aquatics discipline includes sports swimming, diving, water polo and synchronized swimming. The canoeing discipline consists of flatwater, BMX, slalom, track, road and mountain biking. The Gymnastics discipline consists of trampoline, artistic, and rhythmic. The volleyball discipline consists of indoor and beach. The other sports are archery, athletics, badminton, baseball, basketball, boxing, equestrian, fencing, field hockey, soccer, handball, judo, modern pentathlon, rowing, sailing, shooting, softball, table tennis, taekwondo, tennis, triathlon, weightlifting and wrestling.

The Summer Olympic sports, which are discontinued, are Basque Pelota, Cricket, Croquet, Figure Skating, Golf, Ice Hockey, Ieu de Paume, Lacrosse, Polo, Rackets, Roque, Rugby Union, Tug of War, and Water Motor sports.

The demonstration sports which weren’t selected to be a part of the official Summer Olympics are American football, Australian rules football, ballooning, boules, budo, field handball, Finnish baseball, glima, gliding, kaatsen, korfball, la canne, lifesaving, longue paume, motor sport, roller hockey, sambo, savate, Swedish gymnastics, weight training with dumbbells, and water skiing.

Winter Olympic games started in 1924. Ice hockey and figure skating were a part of the Summer Olympics, before Winter Olympics started. In the beginning, there were nine sports in the Winter Olympic games, which have now been decreased to seven. There are a total of fifteen disciplines. For a sport or discipline to be a part of the Winter Olympics, men from at least twenty-five countries from three continents should participate.

The Bobsleigh discipline consists of bobsleigh and skeleton. The skating discipline consists of figure skating, speed skating and short track speed skating. The skiing discipline consists of alpine skiing, snowboarding, cross-country skiing, ski jumping, freestyle skiing and Nordic combined. The other sports are biathlon, curling, ice hockey, and luge.

The demonstration sports, which were never included in the official list of Winter Olympics, are bandy, disabled alpine skiing, disabled cross-country skiing, ice stock sport, military patrol, ski ballet, skijoring, sled-dog racing, speed skiing, and winter pentathlon.

The games which were recognized by the IOC, but weren’t a part of the Olympics are air sports, bandy, billiard sports, boules, bowling, bridge, chess, dance sport, golf, karate, korfball, lifesaving, motorcycle sport, mountain climbing, netball, orienteering, pelote basque, polo, powerboating, racquetball, roller sports, rugby, squash, sumo, surfing, tug of war, underwater sports, water skiing, and wushu.

Lance Armstrong, born on September 18, 1971 is a professional road-racing cyclist. He started his career by winning in an adult competition at the age of twelve. He was initially a tri-athlete and was ranked #1 in 1987-88 Tri-Fred. He attained the status of professional tri-athlete and in 1989 and 1990; he became the sprint course triathlon champion. He finished the race at fourteenth position in the 1992 Summer Olympics. He became the youngest rider to get the World Road Race championship.

He won the most prestigious race, Tour de France, seven times consecutively, from 1999-2005. By this, he broke the previous record set by Miguel Indurian, who won the race five times consecutively. ABC titled him as the Wide World Sports Athlete of the Year in 1999. Sports Illustrated magazine honored him by naming him as the Sportsman of the year in 2002. For four consecutively years, from 2002-2005 he was named Associated Press Male Athlete of the Year. BBC, in 2003, gave him the Sports Personality of the Year Overseas Personality Award.

He underwent brain and testicular surgery for getting treatment for testicular cancer, in 1996. The nonseminomatous testicular cancer was detected at the third stage and the cancer had spread to his brain, lungs and abdomen. His chances of living were only three percent and he opted for a dangerous chemotherapy so as to resume his career. His tremendous recovery and his success inspired him to lay the foundation of his charity, Lance Armstrong Foundation, in 1997. He went back to cycling after three years to win for the first time in Tour de France title by beating Alex Zulle by seven minutes and thirty-seven seconds. He was yet to win over Marco Pantani and Jan Ullrich who were big personalities in cycling and didn’t attend due to some health issues.

Armstrong faced both of them in 2000, and Armstrong defeated both of them by six minutes and two seconds. He continued to do so in the next four consecutive years. Some people doubt his achievements and say that Armstrong took performance-enhancing drugs to win in some cases. But none of them could be verified with good evidence.

He supported his victories by stating that he had trained for months together in Spain. He aimed only for the Tour de France and didn’t participate in any other competition, which gave him the chance to train for one hundred and eighty days at a stretch. During that period former cyclist Chris Carmichael, who was also his coach, trained him.

Armstrong was able to retain higher cadence in a lower gear when compared to past champions who utilized a high gear and brute strength. High cadence leads to less leg muscles fatigue when compared to lower cadence, which leads to severe leg muscle contractions. He also had a high aerobic threshold. His high pedaling cadence was attributed to his low lactate level, which was his most unusual quality.

Although his team wasn’t that strong initially in the Tour de France, his later victories brought up the team level. Armstrong is part of the US Postal Service cycling team. But his team member weren’t a match to his caliber and often he was isolated. He strengthened the team by making sponsors and equipment suppliers to work in harmony. Instead of getting his bicycle parts being designed by different companies who hardly interact with each other, he made the sponsors and suppliers to work closely so as get complete advantage of all the resources. Many in the cycling circuit later adapted this approach.

Born as Lance Edward Gunderson, appeared in the movies Dodgeball: A True Underdog Story, in 2004, and You, Me and Dupree, in 2006. Armstrong took his retirement at the closing of the 2005 Tour de France racing event, on July 24, 2005. After retirement he concentrated on his charity foundation and has taken part in many marathons.

George Herman Ruth, Jr. is the legendary baseball player of the United States. He had many nicknames like Babe, The Sultan of Swat, The Colossus of Clout and The Great Bambino. An American Major League baseball player, Ruth was one of the famous baseball players of all times and according to many he is the no.1 player in history.

Born to Kate Schamberger Ruth and George Herman Ruth, Babe Ruth was a native of Maryland. He was admitted in St. Mary’s Industrial School for Boys, where he met Brother Matthias who cultivated his interest in the game of baseball. He taught him to hit, field and even pitch.

Ruth started his career as a starting pitcher for the Boston Red Sox, he spent most of his an outfielder with the New York Yankees, starting form 1920. With the Red Sox he won eighty-nine games and lost forty-six. He played as an outfielder in one hundred and eleven games and he broke the record of Ned Williamson by hitting twenty-nine runs, which is the maximum number of runs in a single season, in 1919.

Red Sox owner sold Ruth to the New York Yankees in 1920. He turned out to be the golden duck for the team as in the next fifteen season, he not only lead the league by walks, runs, home runs, and RBI but also placed it in the top ten in slugging percentage, batting average, and total bases. The team even won seven American League Pennants and four World Series titles. In 1921, he made a record by hitting fifty nine home runs in a single season which he broke himself by hitting sixty in 1927. Nobody else could break this record for the next thirty-four years.

Ruth also appeared in many movies and he became a very popular media figure. He featured in the silent era films like Speedy and Pride of the Yankees.

Ruth’s health began deteriorating in 1946 when he developed a malignant tumor that spread over his neck and his left carotid artery. He received many treatments during which he lost eighty pounds. At that time Dr. Brian Hutchings had developed a new drug named teropterin, which showed improvement in leukemia patients. Ruth was induced with this experimental drug, which gave him headaches, hoarseness and swallowing problems. From June 1947, he was given injections, which proved to bring improvements in his health. His case was also discussed at the fourth Annual internal research congress, but now his conditions is being recognized as nasopharyngeal carcinoma, which is a very rare tumor located near the Eustachian tube for which the patient should be given radiation therapy and concurrent chemotherapy.

During his marriage to Helen Woodford, Ruth adopted a daughter. But after his separation with his first wife, whom he married in 1914, in early 1920s, she died in a house fire. He married actress Claire Hodgson on April 17, 1929, with whom he stayed till death. Ruth liked to spend his winters in Florida playing golf. After his retirement from the game he settled in a winter beachfront home in Florida. Babe Ruth expired at the age of fifty-three, on August 16, 1948.

He was elected as the baseball’s Greatest Player Ever in 1969, on professional Baseball’s hundredth anniversary. The Sporting News in 1998 ranked babe Ruth No.1 in the list of Baseball’s 100 Greatest Players. In 1999, his fans named him to the Major League Baseball All-Century Team.

Wrestling is a sport involving two competitors competing to show their physical strength. This form of martial arts is as old as the mountains. Military are given training in wrestling as a part of self-defense systems. Folk people, who used lethal weapons as part of ritual fighting, also practiced it. Professional wrestling uses techniques like holding, clinching, leverage and locking.

The act of wrestling has been mentioned in many religious scriptures such as Old Testament Book of Genesis, where Jacob wrestles with the angel, The Mahabharata, where Bhima and Jarasandha wrestle. In recorded history, Chinese wrestling or Shuai Jiao is the oldest form of wrestling continuing since four thousand years, which the Yellow Emperor deployed to defeat rebel Chih Yui and his army. Both the armies wore horned helmet to aim with at the opponent. This early form was called Jiao Ti. Hands replaced the horns later. According to documented evidence on the tomb of the Old Kingdom philosopher Ptahhotep, Egyptians and Nubian wrestlers used to engage in wrestling for competitive purpose, around 2300 BC. Later during the Greek era, 1100 BC – 146 BC, Greek wrestling was practiced in competition where one wrestler would force his competitor to the ground and made him accept defeat or used to push him out of the boundary. When the Romans conquered Greece, they inherited the martial art and gave it their name, Roman wrestling.

Wrestling can be broadly divided into two categories, International wrestling and folk wrestling. International wrestling includes freestyle wrestling, sambo, Greco-roman wrestling, beach wrestling, judo and grappling. Freestyle wrestling is a part of the Olympics sports. It is a form of amateur wrestling where two wrestlers of the same weight class compete with each other. A wrestler is declared a winner when he defeats his opponent by five methods. They are winning by fall, winning by superiority, winning by decision, winning by injury and winning by disqualification. The basic rule is that a wrestler can hold the legs of his opponent and trip him. A good wrestler is quick and has good maneuvering skills. It is the only form of international wrestling meant for women.

In Greco-Roman style, a wrestler cannot hold his opponents leg and trip him and nor can he hold the opponent below his waist. It is also a type of amateur wrestling which is part of the Olympics. Grappling or submission wrestling involves no strikes, Gripping, handling and controlling defeats the opponent. There are many grappling techniques involved. Grappling can be practiced while standing or when on the ground. They are known as stand-up grappling and ground grappling respectively. The types of grappling are catch wrestling, luta livre, Brazilian jiu-jitsu, jujutsu, pankration and shoot wrestling.

Japanese martial art or Judo originated in the late nineteenth century, in Japan. The opponent is thrown to the ground and is forced to accept defeat by choking or joint locking.

The unique characteristic of beach wrestling is that the wrestlers wrestle inside a ring filled with sand. Heavy and light are the only two weight class categories. Wrestlers wearing swimsuits throw the opponent to the ground, to get on their backs. Women are also practicing this game.

Sambo is the modern martial art that developed in Soviet Union and is one of the amateur wrestling.

There are many versions of folk wrestling depending on the location of origin and culture in the specified area. Folk wrestling is yet to receive the status of International wrestling.

Sumo wrestlers, who are also known as “Rikishi”, compete with each other in wrestling in a circular area. This martial art originated in Japan centuries ago and has a great religious importance in the country. It has some traditional rituals involved such as using salt to purify, which is part of the Shinto religion. Sumo wrestling of Japan even has influence on martial arts of its neighboring countries like Korean Ssireum, Chinese Shuai jiao, and Mongolian wrestling.

Sumo was known as Sumai in the 8th century. Back then the rules involved were less in number and men used to fight till death. That is the reason why the wrestler who looses in a match is referred to as Shini-tai or dead body. Even today some of the shrines conduct ritual dance where a man wrestles with a Kami or a Shinto God. This contest was known as Sumai no Sechie or Sumai party. This ritual was also held in the imperial court and it was a must for the representatives of every province to attend this ceremony. Sumo was also a part of the training for the warriors and that’s the reason that originally sumo wrestlers were samurai.

In the initial years, to win, one Rikishi had to throw the other. Later on, the concept of pushing the opponent outside the ring was introduced. The size of the ring or Dohyo was defined in the sixteenth century. When both the wrestlers touch the ground at the same time, the one in the superior position is declared as the winner. Other way of determining the winner is that whoever uses Kinjite or illegal methods and whoever’s belts get undone are declared looser immediately. The Dohyo is usually filled with clay and sand. After each tournament, the sand is cleared and given as souvenirs to fans. It is the responsibility of the Yobidashi to prepare the ring for each match and even for training stables.

The clothing worn by Rikishi of old times also was also different from those worn by today’s Rikishi. Wrestlers used to wear loose loincloths unlike present day wrestlers who wear firm clothing called Mawashi. The rules and regulations of the games were developed completely in the Edo period and is pretty much the same till now. Sumo matches lasts for just few minutes because it will be very easy for the stronger wrestler to either throw down or push his opponent out of the ring. Apart from having wrestling skill, a huge body mass is a great advantage.

Oyakata or retired sumo wrestlers have formed the Japan Sumo Association. This association is responsible for holding tournaments and training wrestlers. Wrestlers are given ranks and their promotion or demotion entirely depends on their performances in the previous grand sumo tournaments. The six divisions in descending order are Makuuchi, Juryo, Makushita, Sandanme, Jonidan and Jonokuchi.

Every year six Grand Sumo tournaments or Honbasho are held. Three of these are conducted at The Sumo Hall or Ryogoku Kokugikan, one in Osaka, Nagoya and Fukuoka each. Foreigners are also a part of these tournaments. The first foreigner to participate was Takamiyama from Hawaii.

Sumo wrestlers maintain long hairs which are tied in a topknot, like the samurais of the Edo Period. Depending on the rank of the Rikishi, dresses differ. They also wear geta or wooden sandals. Beginners are expected to help with the chores in the Sekitori and are made to get up early than senior wrestlers. Rikishis skips their breakfast and have a large lunch called Chakonabe. It consists of different kinds of meat, fish, rice and vegetables. They take excessive amount of food along with beer to increase their weights. But this practice has ill-effects on the health, which was discovered recently. A sumo lives ten years shorter than ordinary Japanese. They often complain of high blood pressure, heart diseases and diabetes. Considering this the weight standards have been decreased tremendously in recent times.

Rock climbing is a sport, which involves climbing steep rocks. This sport originated in the nineteenth century in Saxony, Lake District of England. After Walter Parry Haskett Smith climbed Napes Needle alone for the first time, many people were attracted and it later converted to sports in England, in 1880s and by 1930s some two hundred climbing resorts opened in the Elbsandstein region. As the sport evolved grading system was introduced to analyze different levels of difficulties while climbing. Both the safety equipments and climbing techniques have been evolved with the passage of time.

A climber should be mentally and physically be strong to overcome difficulties and having extensive knowledge can make the task easier. Initially the climbers can learn in pairs, while one learns to climb the other can belay or feed the rope from either end of the rock structure. Incase the climber falls, the belayer can lock off the rope. When multiple climbers climb, the leader can connect a rope with carabiners or quickdraws as a protection measure. A more risky method, simul-climbing, involves the leader and the team members to move at the same time, giving less time to belay the rope.

There are many variations to the traditional rock climbing. They can be broadly classified into free climbing and aid climbing. Climbers do not use any kind of equipment in free climbing and in aid climbing; equipments are used to support the weight of the body against the rocks, which have less natural formation.

In lead climbing, the leader of the group of climber ties the rope to his body and starts to climb the rock structure first, followed by his other team members who have the same rope tied to their individual bodies. In traditional lead climbing, the leader places bolts into the rock to ascend and the followers use the same bolts. The cleaner is responsible to remove the bolts so that no trace is left of the path taken. If any of the climbers’ slips or falls, they will lower themselves on to the ground to start over again, instead on resting on the rope.

In sport lead climbing, bolts are already laid into the rocks so the leader doesn’t have to carry extra equipment with him. But in this case, there is a risk of bolts rusting as they are laid before hand, and if precaution isn’t taken it can be dangerous. If any of the climbers falls, he will rest on the rope and will try to climb again.

When a rope is suspended from an anchor, which is placed on the top of the rock structure, this technique of climbing is known as top rope climbing. This involves a solo climber who is belayed from either the top or the bottom of the hill.

Short climbs on tough boulders is known as bouldering. Some climbers use safety ropes, which are dropped above them and some, find bouldering mat more useful. In case a climber falls, spotting from the ground level by other climbers can break his fall.

Solo climbing involves a single climber who uses rope and protection devices to get to the top of the stone structure. Free solo climbing involves a single climber who uses nothing but natural features of the rock formation to ascend.

Since rock climbing has become more of a lifestyle now, indoor climbing has been on the rise. It is also a good way to get started. An environment is created indoor with the help of wood, plastic and fiberglass.

Rock climbing can be hazardous from environment point of view. Because bolts are driven into the rocks, this can be really harmful if done on a large scale. Other than this, soil erosion, garbage, human excretion, damage to native plants by introduction of foreign plant which grow from the seeds brought by clothing and shoes, etc. are other possible harmful effects. To reduce these effects, it is recommended to practice clean climbing.