Most sports lovers and pundits are intimately familiar with the most popular global sports such as Football, tennis, rugby, cricket, athletics, basketball and golf. What’s not as well known are sports that exist outside of the mainstream; sports that are not as widely well-known with the general public or publicised in the media.
Check out our selection of 5 lesser-known sports:
Hurling
One of Ireland’s native Gaelic games, hurling is not particularly well known outside of the Emerald Isle. It’s a fast team sport involving 15 team members whose main goal is to get the ball (sliotar) into the opposition's goal or over the crossbar by using a curved stick known as a hurley. This goal is uniquely H-shaped (like a rugby goal) and also has a net like a soccer goal, with no goalkeepers attending. Hurling dates back to the middle shares a number of features with Gaelic football (such as number of players, the field and goals), with approximately 177,000 youth and adult players in Ireland.
Pelota
Pelota is all about speed; in fact, this Spanish sport is considered by many to be the fastest game in the world, and one of the most difficult racquet sports to master. While many play this game with their hands, the most common version of pelota sees players slinging a ball against a wall using bizarrely shaped rackets (strapped to their wrists) in order to stop the opponent from returning the ball. Players score a point if the ball hits the floor twice after hitting the wall, in a similar manner to squash. A well-hit Pelota ball can also travel up to 300 kilometres per hour.
Truck Racing
While most motor racing values streamlined cars that are built for speed, truck racing values size and power. As the name suggests, trucks race around a circuit in this sport that is considered to be the largest form of motor racing in terms of size. Races start with a rolling start, as truck racers concentrate on taking the 5-tonne truck around a circuit normally designed for small racing cars.
Kendo
Kendo is a modern Japanese martial art (meaning way of the sword) that is a form of fencing and samurai sword fighting. Two competitors outfitted in traditional black gear use a bamboo stick known as a shinai (rather than a real sword), with their faces and hands fully protected.
The main objective is to strike your opponent with your shinai, with different body parts equalling different point amounts. The sport requires more than all-out attack; mental discipline and finesse are weighted to be as equally important. Much like other aspects of Japanese culture, traditional etiquette is valued, and fighters bow to others before and after matches.
Foot Volley
Foot volley combines the skill of football with the exuberant fun of beach volleyball. Unlike volleyball, players must hit the ball over the net using any piece of their body except their hands and arms. In some sense, one could call it “reverse volleyball”. This unusual game began as an informal sport on the beaches of Brazil.
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