Are you a fan of football? How about soccer, basketball or golf? If the answer is no, fret not. There is an endless supply of different sports scattered across the world that you can get hooked on. Some of the more popular sports have made it to the mainstream, like polo, lacrosse, and cricket. There are some sports, however, that will leave you absolutely dumbfounded by what you’re watching, while bringing you to the edge of your seat at the same time.
A little bit of competition is always healthy, and unusual sports can be every bit as electrifying as the usual ones. These 7 strange sports let you feel all the sportsmanship and thrills, along with some truly unexpected moments filled with heavy doses of absolute strangeness.
For young girls between the ages of 10 and 18 living in Finland, hobbyhorsing is the ultimate competitive sport. Despite its bizarre outward appearance, this game has a lot to offer. The sport itself involves the performance of dressage and show jumping, recreating equestrian activities using hobby horses. Creating and designing the horses' costumes requires them to improve their handicraft skills and the performances require an immense amount of practice and coordination.
This interesting combat sport originated in 17th century England and was among the most popular events at the Cotswold Olimpick Games. As the name would suggest, this sport is played between two contestants who attempt repeatedly to force their opponent to the ground by holding each other's collars and kicking each other's shins. For safety, they stuff their pants with straw to lessen the force of the blows.
(By Adriaan.Wessels, Wikimedia Commons)
Another combat sport, Armored Combat was developed by the Society for Creative Anachronism (SCA), which aims at recreating European Medieval activities. Participants in this sport engage in mock combat inspired by Medieval combat tournaments, wearing protective body armor, and using weapons specified and approved by the SCA. While there are elements of fantasy to this sport, it is largely focussed on the use of older styles of fighting.
Bossaball looks a little like another now-famous unusual sport, Sepak Takraw, and is making real waves in the sporting world. It is an exotic sport invented by Belgian Filip Eyckmans and originated from Spain that is considered to be a mix of soccer, volleyball, and extreme gymnastics. It is played on a customized inflatable platform (like that of a bouncy house) has now become a major sport in Spain, the Netherlands, Brazil, and Belgium.
(By Abasaa, Wikimedia Commons)
This Japanese game is very similar to capture the flag and is commonly played in schools in Japan. The game was the inspiration for the 2003 Japanese film Boutaoshi, originally played by cadets at the National Defense Academy of Japan (NDA). This game involves 150 people, split evenly into two teams, with the goal being to topple the pole of the other team, with endless chaos ensuing along the way.
(By Wikkie, Wikimedia Commons)
In English, this sport is called Rabbit Hopping or rabbit jumping. It is an extremely popular sport in Sweden and is commonly organized by the Swedish Federation of Rabbit Jumping. When the sport made its way to the United States, a similar federation was created, entitled the Rabbit Hopping Organization of America. The sport involves trained rabbits doing a series of show jumps, similar to that performed by horses, on a miniature obstacle course.
(By Karenkayho, Wikimedia Commons)
This sport was founded in Toronto. While it may be based on a slumber party pastime, it is a professional sport for women involving public matches similar to boxing and wrestling, hosted in a fighting arena. This combat-like sport was first launched in a bar in Toronto and has since become a common event in Quebec, Montreal, and even New York City.
Despite the use of seemingly soft weapons like pillows, these fights often end with bruised ribs, black eyes, and concussions.
