You may be familiar with adventure sports like skydiving, ziplining, rock climbing, etc. But how about more intense and exciting games like cheese rolling or extreme ironing? Perhaps you’ve never heard of these, but they’re the kind of sports that will help you get rid of all the tension and feel at ease.
Besides, there are many benefits of adventure sports. They are suitable for your soul and health. With their high difficulty levels, they push you outside your comfort zone and build your confidence. Plus, they can be suitable for team building.
Ready to try adventure sports? Being ready starts by preparing and getting your adventure gear like roof top tents and other items ready. Remember, there are risks attached to the thrilling experience these sports deliver. That’s why you must take safety measures and precautions before engaging in them.
That said, here’s a roundup of seven adrenaline-packed adventure sports that you didn’t know.
1. Underwater Hockey
Underwater hockey is also known as Octopush. It’s a unique sport where two teams of 6 players each battle underwater using sticks to push a 1.2kg puck to the opponent’s goal at the opposite ends of the pool floor. And all these happen while they hold their breath.
It’s more like ice hockey only that it’s played underwater and the players put on swimsuits, snorkel masks and fins. Alan Blake founded this game in the 1950s in England. It was meant to be a winter exercise for scuba divers to keep them fit and improve their efficiency in the water.
The sport now played in many countries, including South Africa, Colombia, New Zealand, and Australia. And there’s an Underwater Hockey World Championship that happens every two years.
2. Chess Boxing
Chess boxing is a modern sport that blends chess games and boxing. The game is a test for physical supremacy and brainpower. A French comic book artist invented it and has since grown into a competitive sport that’s popular in Russia, India, the UK, and Germany.
Since early 2003, chess boxing matches have been organized. Chess boxing fights have 11 rounds, and each of them has 4 minutes of crazy boxing and 4 minutes of chess. There is a one-minute break between the rounds, during which the players change their gear. Players can win by knockout or checkmate. But like all games, there are rules that players should follow.
3. Skyaking
You’ve seen many kayakers do their thing, but paddling 13,000 feet on the skies is another thing. This latest, daredevil craze is called Skyaking. It is an extreme sport where participants skydive in a kayak.
Sounds easy? Well, it’s not that easy. The player jumps out of the plane on a kayak and has to control the kayak at a speed of nearly 50mph avoiding flat spins that could be risky to parachute onto a lake finally. Apart from the challenges, there’s so much fun to enjoy from diving in the sky to landing on water without getting wet.
4. Underwater Upside Down Hockey
This is different from hockey, ice hockey, or underwater hockey. The sport takes adrenaline-rush to another level. It started in Finland but now played in Germany, Austria, and other European countries.
To play underwater upside down hockey, players wear wet suits and enter lakes or ponds with frozen surfaces. This surface is used as the playing ground. Players get inside and turn upside down when playing the game by passing the puck.
If you think that’s extremely difficult enough, the players don’t use breathing gear. That means they need to get out to inhale when they can’t hold their breath any longer during the game.
5. Cheese Rolling
Cheese Rolling at Cooper’s Hill in Gloucestershire is a weird, spectacular, and hazardous traditional event. The game happens at high noon and is played on a steep hill about 45 degrees. Anyone can participate. The competitors hurl themselves downhill in pursuit of the wheel-shaped cheese.
Thousands of spectators turn out to enjoy this ceremony every year. Flips and falls are part of the competition; they make it fun but can lead to injuries. The first one to reach the finish line is the winner and takes the cheese.
6. Toe Wrestling
Toe Wrestling is another unique sport coming from the United Kingdom. The competition is almost like arm-wrestling except that it’s played with the feet. It involves two competitors locking each other’s feet and attempting to pin the other’s down. The match consists of three rounds and players can alternate feet between the rounds. The winner is based on the results of each of the three rounds.
The game dating back to the 1970s started at the Wetton bar in Staffordshire. Two friends came up with the concept out of an aim to create a spot for the United Kingdom to produce a world champion. Although the strategy was working, it was shaken after Canadian won the game in 1976. It has gained popularity and could soon gain entry into the Olympic Games.
8. Extreme Ironing
Extreme Ironing or EI is an outdoor sport that takes extreme sports like rock climbing, skydiving, scuba diving, hiking further with ironing. It involves both taking and ironing laundry items in remote locations. The thrilling sport was started in 1997 in Leicester, England. People all over the world now participate in this sport. The first world championship competition occurred in 2002 in Munich.
Conclusion
Adventure sports are becoming increasingly popular. Many countries are now embracing some of these sports and are even being accepted in the Olympic games. However, they are exciting and thrilling, but can be risky. If you’re into adrenaline activities, then you should try some of these sports. But remember to take precautionary measures as you test your limits.
