10 weird sports you need to try
On 11 December 2015, Liu Batchelor commenced #100in100, challenging herself to try 100 sports in 100 days to draw awareness to the vast amount of sporting activities available while raising money for Sport Relief 2016. The challenge saw Liu take on every sport you could think of – including tennis, basketball and swimming – and those you couldn’t possible imagine existed.
While she admits to the hardship in arranging a sport for each and every day (and having the energy and motivation to keep it up), Liu insists that the benefits of the challenge far outweigh the struggle. ‘I believe trying a wide variety of different sports and being well-rounded in your fitness and ability is hugely beneficial, as it challenges both your body, your mind, and your ability to deal with the unexpected’, she says. ‘it gave me the opportunity to try things I never would have considered before, and resulted in a whole new world opening up to me’.
Feeling inspired? Yep, us too. So we sat down with the woman who conquered 100 sports herself, Liu Batchelor, to get the lowdown on the 10 unlikely sports to try. In the words of Liu: ‘get out there, try something new and discover your hidden sporting champion!’.
1. Quidditch
Yes really. The sport from the Harry Potter fantasy novels was adapted to suit us mere mortals by Quidditch UK, the national governing body and it can get pretty serious. There’s a whole lot less flying and a whole lot more running, but the player roles (keeper, seeker, chasers, beaters) and game set-up – hoops (goal), broom, snitch (tennis ball) – remain the same. The sport also prides itself on flying the flag for gender inclusivity, so has our support!
To get involved, visit The London Unspeakables Quidditch Club
2. Octopush (or Underwater Hockey)
While it’s as fun as the name suggests, it’s also a great deal harder than you might think. The sport involves two teams of six fighting for the putt – all while swimming and holding in their breath. Originally a game for divers, Octopush has fast become an official sport, with Team GB competing in the World Championships!
To get involved, visit West Wickham Underwater Hockey Club
3. Roller Derby
It all began on a Yahoo forum where skaters collaborated. Fast forward three years to 2011 and the UK Roller Derby Association was created. The sport itself combines skating with rugby, so you can expect a lot of physical contact but don’t worry – there’s a lot of padded protection too. The fast-paced game is split into two-minute ‘jam’ intervals, whereby players will try to stop the Jammer from passing them to score a point.
To get involved, visit Kent Roller Girls
4. Canoe (or Kayak) Polo
At first, it may seem like there’s a lot to take in when learning Canoe Polo, but once you’re all set up in the pool (or stretch of flat water), you get used to the rules (and equipment) quickly. Since it’s a close contact sport, helmets, face guards and body protection is necessary. The sport involves two teams of five players (all in a canoe or kayak) who compete to score a goal in the opponent’s net, which is suspended two metres above. The ball can be thrown, flicked or even dribbled, but can’t be held for longer than five seconds. Team GB are also leaders in the sport with the Men and Women’s teams dominating the World and European Championships!
To get involved, visit Canoe Wild
5. Kabaddi
The Ancient Indian-derived sport is (very slightly) reminiscent of the ‘What’s the time Mr Wolf’ primary school game – in that it’s one person against a line of people. But that’s the only similarity. The sport is made up of two teams of seven members who send a ‘raider’ into the opponent’s half to tag one or more players. It sounds simple but the raider must chant ‘Kabaddi’ repeatedly – to prove they aren’t inhaling – until they reach their own half.
To get involved, visit England Kabbadi Federation UK
6. Ultimate Frisbee
Frisbees are best suited to the outdoors, but if you’re a beginner you might find it easier to start indoors where you won’t have to struggle against the wind too! The game is similar to netball in that you can’t move with the frisbee once it’s in your hand and you have a maximum of eight seconds to throw it. The game consists of passing the frisbee to your teammates and scoring by catching it in the ‘end zone’.
To get involved, visit UK Ultimate
7. Carriagedriving
If you thought this was crazy, there’s even Cross Country Carriagedriving! Carriagedriving involves a horse, a driver and a steerer who stands at the back to help manoeuvre the carriage. There’s just as much teamwork involved as there is individual strength – so it comes as no surprise that there’s a governing body that oversees National and Regional competitions!
To get involved, visit British Carriagedriving
8. Camogie
Exclusive to females only, Camogie is an Irish game played by 100,000 women worldwide (in mainly Irish communities). The sport involves two teams of 15 players competing to score a point by getting the slitter (ball) in the goal. Differences to hurling include being allowed to score by a bandpass and being able to charge side-to-side.
To get involved, visit The Comagie Association
9. GoalBall
Originally designed to help the rehabilitation of blinded war veterans, Goalball has been played at every Paralympic since 1976. The sport involves two teams of three players getting the ball (with a bell inside) across the goal line. All players must wear eyeshades to level out the playing field.
To get involved, visit Medway Sport
10. Artistic Roller Skating
The sport is similar to figure skating but on rollerskates, to allow more movement and balance. The difficult part of Artistic Roller Skating is in making it look elegant! But once you get comfortable, you’ll get to know whether you’re more of a ‘Figure’ roller skater or ‘Freestyle’ (jumps and spins) skater.
To get involved, visit Invicta Artistic Roller Skating Club
For more information about Liu Batcherlor’s 100 Sports in 100 Days challenge, visit her Youtube channel & Twitter.