Interesting Facts About Sumo

Sumo wrestling is differing a lot from the wrestling we know. You just have to look at it and the first difference will poke your eye, these guys are huge. Besides the contesters’ size, there are some other interesting facts about Sumo. While there are many options to make online bets on online betting sites in the UK on Brasilian Jiu-jitsu, you can even make bets on Sumo. At the moment you can bet on the Haru Baso championship via 1xBET.com.

While if you are a senior Sumo expert then these fun facts might be not new for you, in any other case I suggest you to read on.

The clothing and appearance – Interesting facts about Sumo

The belt that the wrestlers are wearing is called Mawashi. The Mawashi that is used for the professional tournaments is made out of silk. For training, the wrestlers (rikishi) will wear a heavy cotton version of their silk belt. The belt is surprisingly long if it’s unwrapped. It’s about 9 meters (10 yards) long and 60cm (2 feet) wide. Wearing the belt has different styles. For example, if it’s loose on the body it makes it more difficult for the enemy to throw the rikishi by grabbing his belt. Others wear it tight and they put some water on it so the other wrestler won’t have a good grip.

Chonmage

The name of the sumo wrestler’s hairstyle is the chonmage. It is mostly associated with samurais or sumo wrestlers. Professional sumo wrestlers are wearing a more specific form of this hairstyle called the öichö. The hair is oiled and they wear it in the shape of a ginkgo leaf which besides the great style also helps to prevent wrestlers when they are falling.

Strategies in Sumo

Maybe it is an interesting fact about sumo for you that there are over 70 strategies going around popular in the game. A sumo match usually lasts for 5-6 minutes, thus most of the wrestlers are trying to emphasize their focus for the initial face-off. With rounds so quick they don’t really have the chance to respond to the other fighter’s actions instead they are aiming to gain the upper hand at the first clash.

However, there are two main strategies the oshi-zumo and the yotsu-zumo. Oshi means pushing. In this style, the rikishi aims at pushing his opponent out of the ring. This means that they are not grabbing the Mawashi instead they aim for the body. These are the guys who are wearing tight belts. Yotsu-zumo style fighters are generally more technicians in the bout. If these two different types are colliding the Yotsu-zumo fighter will aim to dodge his pushing opponent or grab his belt for a good throw.

Interesting facts about sumo after the bout

Once the sumo bout is finished the contesters will head home. Some with glory and joy and others frustrated by losing their chance to climb up the rankings. However, it is not so easy for them either. I am not meaning the hard training which they are following with very strict rules and strict diets. I am just talking about getting home. As sumo is a religious sport, wrestlers have to wear traditional clothes even outside the ring. This is not necessarily a drawback and maybe they find pride in it.

However, sumo wrestlers are forbidden from driving cars. I am not sure about the reason behind this. One source that I found is arguing that there were some serious car accidents amongst sumo wrestlers and the association was bringing this regulation to life. However, another explanation can be the strictly religious habits behind sumo wrestling.

All in all

If you are quick after reading this article you are still able to make your bets through online sportsbooks in the UK for Haru Basho, Osaka. In any other case, I suggest you stay tuned on our news feed to hear about the upcoming sumo championships. 

You can discover more about betting on sumo here on 1xBet.