Sumo Wrestling?!

A few days ago, I ran across this clip on reddit with the title: Grand Sumo wrestler Ura performs takedown of much larger Takayasu using incredibly rare technique, only the 6th time in 25 years (0.02% winning technique)

Despite following combat sports off and on most of my life, I’d never seen a sumo match before. I know this particular move was rare and noteworthy, but I came away impressed with the intensity and I wanted to learn more about the sport.

A quick scroll of the comments led me to this interesting highlight video of a small sumo wrestler, who manages to win despite his size.

I discovered that a huge sumo tournament was currently going on and NHK Japan was uploading daily highlights with English commentary. So, I took thirty minutes out of my day to give it a watch and well… I’m IMPRESSED!

I love how quick the matches move, and how unpredictable they are. There are so many different strategies at play, and depending on an attack or a defense, the entire match can shift in milliseconds. There’s no lag like in MMA or boxing, it’s just pure intensity head-to-head.

While I’m still exploring the rules and trying to get a better understanding of the sport, I’ve really enjoyed watching highlights and learning something new. I even discovered that there is a local sumo club near where I live. I’m not sure if that’s something I’d be interested in exploring, but it’s a fun fact nonetheless.