In this article, we list the top 20 weirdest sports. So you’ve probably heard of tennis, basketball or Football (which is soccer to you Americans) – but you’ve probably not come across any of these sports, each one weirder than the last. And no, I’m not yanking your chain, these sports are real.
1. Sepak Takraw
Probably the least weird sport on the list, Sepak Takraw is sometimes referred to as kick volleyball. It’s essentially volleyball but you’re only allowed to use your feet and head to hit the ball on your opponent’s floor It’s very popular in Southeast Asia and there’s a ton of unbelievable plays in this game. And by the way … if you want to find out more about it, I really wrote an article about Sepak Tawkraw right here!
2. Shin Kicking
Oh yeah – that’s a sport believe it or not. If you’re from the south of England, you’ve probably seen this before, but the idea of the game is to kick your opponent in the shin repeatedly to try and get them onto the ground. Before the game starts, you have to stuff your trousers full of straw, wear a lab coat for some reason, and then proceed to grapple your opponent and kick the crap out of him. I’m not sure what the referee does, but he’s this guy here who’s holding a big stick … (and also in a lab coat)
3. Caber Tossing
Whilst the English are kicking each other in the shins, the Scottish are throwing around bits of tree. Caber tossing is one of the original Scottish Highland Games and believe it or not, the object of the sport is NOT to throw the log the furthest. These logs (or cabers) are 19ft 6 inches long and weigh 175lbs and the idea is to toss the caber onto its end and for it to land in the 12 o’clock position. This is rarely done perfectly and judges are on hand to decide if there is a close tie. Caber tossing is a true test of strength and explosive power.
4. Quidditch
Unless you’ve been under a rock for the last 20 years, you’ve probably heard of Harry Potter and the fictional sport that they play known as Quidditch. Unfortunately, some bright spark decided that they would play the game and introduce it to all the American colleges and Universities. So now every Saturday you’ll see grown men and women run around a field with a broom between their legs. I’m not joking.
5. Wife Carrying
Our friends in Finland are responsible for this one. Yes, as you’ve probably guessed by the title – you have to carry your wife over an obstacle course in the fastest possible time. The only real requirements are that the wife must weigh at least 49kg and that the course is exactly 253.5m long. The winner usually wins his wife’s weight in beer, so guys pick up your wife. Pick up somebody else’s wife, I don’t care … there’s a beer to be won!
6. Chess Boxing
It’s exactly as it sounds. Chess – the board game, mixed with boxing – the combat sport. Players alternate a round of boxing with a round of speed chess. The idea is to punch your opponent to death so that he can’t think straight at the chessboard. Or to confuse him with Chess tactics so that they’re not concentrating on boxing. You win this sport either by knockout or by checkmate – whichever comes first.
7. Dog Surfing
Normal surfing is passe, it’s an old hat. I know, why don’t we put dogs on surfboards instead?! Yes, over in California, they’ve decided that it’s a good idea to stick their pets on surfboards and make them suffer Poseidon’s wrath. The winner is whichever dog is adjudged to ride the longest wave with the most degree of certainty. Although most of these dogs don’t seem very certain at all …
8. Unicycle Football
American Football is hard enough – but some people think that it’s just too easy. So those are the ones that decide to play football on unicycles. It’s pretty much the same game as American Football, you can tackle, pass or cycle with the ball. And the scoring is the pretty much same. But I can imagine the injuries from clashing unicycles being horrendous. Football, not your thing? How about unicycle hockey, or unicycle polo? Basically, any team sport you can think of … on a unicycle.
9. Blind Soccer
You’d think that playing soccer requires you to be able to see the ball. But, obviously, nobody told these guys. Players are either naturally blind or blindfolded and a bell is inserted into the soccer ball. They obviously can’t see the ball, so they have to listen to the bell inside the soccer ball and players have to constantly communicate so that they don’t run into each other. Yeah, that’s dead easy, right?
10. Cardboard Tube Duelling
I’m seriously not making this up. Cardboard Tube Duelling is as the name implies. It’s fighting with cardboard tubes. Players must hit each other and break their opponent’s cardboard tubes, without breaking their own. If time expires, a referee will measure both tubes, and the tube that has bent the least wins the duel. There’s no stabbing or lunging, no hitting in the face, and cardboard armor and shields are optional. There’s even a pro league dedicated to cardboard tube combatants … … okay?!
11. Calcio Storico
One of the oldest versions of football, it’s one part soccer, 90 parts beating the shit out of each other. The idea of the game is the same, you have to throw or kick the ball a net. But your opponents are allowed to punch, kick, wrestle and beat the crap out of you, whether you’re holding the ball or not. If you want to find out more about this brutal form of football, I actually wrote an article about it right here!
12. Hornussen
This rather strange-looking game belongs to Switzerland and is sometimes known as ‘farmer’s golf’. Players will swing this club/whip hybrid to hit this puck, known as a ‘Hornus’. And surprise-surprise, the object of the game is to smack the hornus as far as possible and for it to land on the ground. But there’s a catch. Members of the opposing team will be lined up with these strange-looking paddles, and if they manage to knock the hornus out of the air, the player does not score. The team or player with the most hits or the longest distance wins. Yes, this is an actual thing.
13. Toe Wrestling
Do you like arm wrestling, but have the same size guns as Mo Farah? Well, fear not because you can now do this with your feet! Toe Wrestling, is pretty much exactly the same as arm wrestling, you have to lock toes and try and lever your opponents’ foot over to one side. Once their foot hits the deck, they lose and you win. You also win a healthy dose of athlete’s foot, fungal infections, and some really unpleasant smells. Why would you ever do this?!
14. Ferret Legging
Toes wrestling is an English sport developed in Staffordshire. Not to be outdone, Yorkshire has decided to double down on the weirdness. The object of this game is to stuff a ferret down your trousers, and try and keep them in your pants for as long as possible. The person who can keep them from escaping the longest wins. Ferrets can get pretty nasty, especially when provoked or scared – so expect there to be some form of pain. I also forgot to mention one other thing: you’re not allowed to wear any underwear. So …. Ummm … Does anybody want to play?
15. Hobbyhorsing
It’s our friends from Finland again, and this time – they’ve come up with this. A popular sport amongst teenage girls, participants must negotiate a showjumping style obstacle course, whilst holding a horse’s head on a stick between their legs. The rules … it’s basically that. Judges will be on hand to time and judge the performer on how well they completed the course. The person who scores the highest wins. Finland, you’re a unique country I’ll give you that.
16. Buzkashi
Whilst we’re on the subject of animals, how about we play a game with the carcass of a dead goat? Nobody ever said that, right? Wrong! In Persia, the sport of Buzkashi exists – and the aim of it is to drag the carcass of a dead goat into a goal whilst on horseback. It’s contested between two teams of riders … and throwing around a dead goat isn’t even the worst bit. Opposing players carry whips with their teeth and can whip you or your horse at any time to try and get the goat from you. You’d either have to be brave or completely crazy to play this sport.
17. The Redneck games
For some, the events of the Olympic games are just far too complicated. There’s a much simpler version played in America called the ‘Redneck Games’. These include the toilet seat horseshoe toss, seed spitting, a wet t-shirt contest … and the most popular event of them all, the mud pit belly flop. How do you win these events? I erm … I actually have no idea?!
18. Fierljeppen
If it’s Dutch, it’s probably going to be weird. And this also applies to their sports. Fierljeppen is basically pole vaulting, but for distance. Players will try and vault as far across a canal as they can, using an extremely long pole and climbing onto it whilst they’re vaulting, They have three attempts at which to do it and the person who can jump for the longest distance, wins. But Fierljeppen is pretty normal compared to
19. Bo Taoshi
Two teams of 150 will try and pull down a pole that the other team is defending, whilst trying to stop the opposing team from pulling down theirs. It seems like the absolute carnage of people just physically assaulting each other… and well that’s exactly what it is! If you want to find out more: check out my other article here.
20. Ultimate Tazer Ball
Soccer, it’s too soft, I want more toughness! Okay, how about American Football? More toughness! Calcio Storico? Moreee! Very well, I give you Ultimate Tazer Ball. The pinnacle of bravery and outright stupidity. It’s basically the same concept as soccer – you have to carry or kick a ball into a goal. But your opponents will try and stop you … by electrocuting the sh*t out of you.
All players are armed with stun guns and to stop the ball carrier, you can zap the hell out of him. Once you’ve done this, and your opponent has lost control of their bowels maybe – you can pick up the ball and run with it. However, watch out – as electrical retribution awaits you.
The team with the highest score at the end of time wins. You don’t get any extra points for hurting someone, but you do get bonus points if you make them piss themselves. Actually, I made that last bit up – you don’t get any points for that either.
Honorable mention goes to the Indonesian sport of Fireball. It’s pretty much regular football, except that you set the ball ON FIRE before you start playing! Sounds like great fun?!
Got any other obscure or weird sports to share with the world? Like the article and share it on your favorite social media 😉 And comment below so that we can all laugh in unison at some of the sheer crazy that’s out there in the world. … Especially that!
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