What does wrestling (any form), boxing, basketball, American football, rugby, figure skating, kendo, fencing, mixed martial arts (MMA), taekwondo, judo and karate have in common aside from being games of sports? The common denominator is that they are all contact sports. Although, they are classified as contact sports, the degree of contact differs as other sports are classified further into three different grades. Some sports are classified as full-contact sports, some are semi-contact sports and others belong to the limited contact sports category.
Full-contact sports are sports that allow maximum contact where tackling the opponent to the ground is allowed or tremendous striking force is needed to knockout an opponent. Examples of full-contact sports are Greco-Roman wrestling, sumo wrestling, professional boxing, mixed martial arts (MMA), Muay Thai, judo and almost all kinds of martial arts except Taekwondo. Not all full-contact sports are about aggression however as, surprisingly, dancesport and figure skating (the doubles event), are also classified as full-contact sports. The difference of danceport and figure skating from other full-contact sports is that there is no contact between competing teams, rather it is the team mates that need to make contact to do all those lifts, throws and catches. Full-contact sports are not, however, without rules with regards to making ferocious contacts. Hitting the groin, head butting, hitting a downed opponent, hitting an opponent from the back and biting an ear ala Mike Tyson are still construed as unsportsmanlike and usually given corresponding severe sanctions.
Semi-contact sports are sports which may also allow striking as equally strong with full-contact sports but protective gears are in place to protect players or combatants from being knocked out and ultimately injured. Usually, semi-contact sports employ a certain kind of point system to determine the winner of the contest without a player getting knocked out. Examples of semi-contact sports are kendo, taekwondo, amateur kickboxing, amateur boxing and fencing. Amateur boxing is classified as such because contenders are made to wear protective head gears, use thicker gloves and usually last only three rounds as opposed to professional boxing where head gears are non-existent and the rounds reach up to 12 rounds.
Limited-contact sports are sports in which little contact or no contact at all is allowed between players. To discourage contact between players, strict rules are in place to penalize players from holding, blocking or even touching an opponent intentionally or unintentionally. Examples of limited contact sports are basketball, soccer, baseball and ice hockey. Yes, basketball belongs to limited-contact sports and not to the full-contact sports category as most perceive. Although, basketball players, for a lot of time, are on each others’ throats and a player getting roughed up is not an unusual sight to see. Sometimes players play a little more intense, a little shove here and a little push there cannot be helped and the referees don’t call obvious violations and so a lot of people think basketball is indeed a full-contact sport.
If one plan to engage and make a name in professional contact sports, be sure to undergo extensive strength training to avoid sustaining injuries. If injuries can be avoided or at least minimized, a gold medal in the Olympics or a professional title would be a realizable dream.
