Different Kinds of Sports Essay

Sports can serve an important role in society. From an early age, children who participate in individual or team sports can learn the value of teamwork, discipline, leadership and effective communication. Sports also helps bring people from different nations together, despite their differences. For example, the World Cup soccer tournament and the Olympics allow nations to compete in a friendly environment and galvanize national pride Combat Combat sports are sporting activities in which two competitors must best each other through some kind of physical contact under a specific set of rules. Combat sports often take place in a ring, a cage or on a mat, and are typically structured to be contested in rounds. Examples of combat sports include boxing, wrestling, mixed martial arts which is a free-form sport that combines Judo, Karate, Fencing, Kung-Fu, Kick Boxing, Taekwondo and various forms of grappling such as Jiu-jitsu. Extreme Extreme sports are designed to provide intense thrills based on the level of danger represented by the activity. They are performed in a variety of settings and situations and unlike other sports in which injury is a possibility, extreme sports enthusiasts are attracted by the fact that injury and the possibility of death are the norm. Examples of extreme sports are cliff diving, hang-gliding, extreme rollerblading, BMX freestyle, which is an extreme form of bicycle riding that involves complex tricks and jumps, Parkour — also known as free running — in which runners scale walls, jump between buildings and balance on ledges, extreme skateboarding and skydiving. (see references 3) Water Water sports can take place in an enclosed area or in a river, ocean or lake. Water sports can be more grueling than land-based sports due to the resistance that water provides against movement. The most basic water sport is swimming, which also includes high diving. Other examples of water sports are water polo, surfing, kayaking, white-water rafting — which can also be an extreme sport depending on the level of rapids you encounter — sailboat racing, water skiing, and wake boarding — which involves being strapped to a board as you move through the water. Ball Some of the most commonly-known individual and team sports are played with a ball. In the U.S., football is a well-known sport that is played at every level from youth to the National Football League. Throughout the world, basketball, soccer, softball and baseball are sports that are widely played. Although hockey substitutes a puck for a ball, it is a sport that is played in the United States, Europe and Russia. Other sports that utilize a ball are cricket, tennis, racquetball, handball, lacrosse, rugby and golf. Motor Motor sports involve vehicles such as motorcycles, motorbikes, cars and other kinds of vehicles that are powered by engines. For participants, motor sports are a high-octane experience that features explosive velocity, hairpin turns and the real possibility of having an accident. For fans, motor sports provide the exhilaration of watching spectacular crashes and vehicles in a constant state of acceleration. Examples of motor sports include race car driving, motorcycle racing, motorbike racing, off-road ATV racing and dirt-bike racing.