In the recent years, the “Sports Culture” has grown and blossomed into a major industry. However, there’s more to it than just mainstream sports like basketball, football, and cricket. If you are anything like us, you must’ve sat around as kids and thought of inventing new sports or adding twists to make your favourite sport even more enjoyable. Apparently, some people went ahead and did that as adults! Talk about being committed to your dreams!
Here is our list of fun quirky and unusual sports that you must try. (Do it for the quirky little kid inside of you who’s bored playing according to the rules)
Seepak Takraw
Seepak Takraw is what you get when you mix martial arts with volleyball (remember Shaolin Soccer?) Traditionally played with a ball made of dried palm leaves called Rattan. The rules of the game are simple, players can only use their feet, knees, head and chest to touch the ball. Just like volleyball, the main aim of the game is to launch the ball into your opponent’s court. It is a popular sport in the Philippines.
Muggle Quidditch
The struggle of being born a muggle is real. Based on J.K Rowling’s popular Harry Potter series, Muggle Quidditch is a dream come true for every ‘Potterhead’ who has ever dreamt of catching the golden snitch and winning the Quidditch world cup. Each team has 7 players. 1 seeker, who’s only aim in the game is to chase the snitch, 2 Beaters who use Bludgers (slightly deflated volleyballs) to disrupt other players, 3 Chasers who try to kick or throw the Quaffle (a volleyball) through the opponent’s hoop and 1 Keeper who guards the hoops against opposing chasers. This nail-biting game will have you at the end of your broomsticks.
Chess Boxing
Chess Boxing is a game that demands both brain and brawn. A hybrid sport that challenges and combines the physical strength of boxing with the logical thinking of chess. Iepe Rubingh, a Dutch performance artist turned the fictional game of ‘Chess Boxing that he read about in a comic book in 1992 into reality. The competitors fight in alternating rounds of chess and boxing. The only way to defeat your opponent is to knock him out during the fight or win the game of chess. Chess Boxing is particularly popular in Germany, UK, and Russia.
Juggling Triathlon
The Triathlon is a series of 3 races, swimming, cycling and running. Seem to mundane for you? Introduce a bit of juggling to the sport and you have a whole new level of difficulty added to it. The Juggling Triathlon swaps cycling with unicycling (in case you didn’t think it was hard enough in the first place). To complete the race you need to swuggle (Swim while juggling), uni-juggle (juggle while riding a unicycle) and joggle ( juggle while running) all the way to the finish line. If at any point the athlete drops the balls, he needs to pick them up and continue juggling to complete the race. And here we thought juggling work and a social life was difficult.
Tuk Tuk Polo
Tuk-Tuks or auto rickshaw polo is a very recent sport that originated from Sri Lanka in 2016. It is a variation of polo, that first started as an alternative to elephant polo which was banned in 2007 after one of the elephants went on a rampage. The game is played with two teams. Each tuk-tuk carries two players, one responsible for piloting the vehicle and one who uses a mallet to strike the ball towards the opponent’s goal. Now I know why I can never get a rickshaw in the evenings, they’re all out playing polo!
Volcano Boarding
Winter is coming. No, it’s not Jon Snow and you’ve missed your opportunity to go sledding at the wall. But we may have a ‘hotter’ alternative for you. Volcanoes have always been fascinating. From ones made with baking soda in school to the huge eruptions seen on television. Volcano Boarding combines sledding with the adrenaline rush of sliding down the side of an active volcano at breakneck speeds through heaps of volcanic ash. Cerro Negro in Nicaragua is one of the most popular volcano boarding destinations in the world.
He dons many hats. Professionally committing towards marketing, operations, product management, and business strategy skills while also being a hands-on scuba diving instructor. He approaches each problem with a leveled mind of an optimist. His taste in music and food is very specific and he enjoys a healthy work-life balance.
