Feeling Bored? 5 Unconventional Team Sports You Should Try
Participating in team sports is a great way to improve fitness, make new friends, and combat boredom. Even avid amateur athletes need to try something new once in a while, though, so don't assume joining the softball team at work is the best way to go. Instead, read on to find out about five unconventional but deeply entertaining team sports everyone should try at least once.
1. Join an Axe Throwing League
The uninitiated often assume that axe throwing is entirely an individual pursuit. In fact, the leading axe throwing bar Las Vegas also has a two-person team bracketed competitive league. The best part is, there's no experience required, and each bracketed tournament lasts only eight weeks, so it takes only a two-month time commitment. Everyone should try team axe throwing at least once.
2. Ultimate Frisbee
When most people see Frisbees, they immediately think of leisurely days spent throwing a disc back and forth between friends or to a beloved family dog. Ultimate Frisbee is an entirely different kind of game. It's a competitive sport that involves two teams of seven people each trying to get the disc into their respective end zones.
As a sport, ultimate Frisbee requires a good deal of agility, speed, and endurance. The good news is, though, the rules are easy to learn, and a little friendly competition is usually enough to get people to fall in love with this mixed-gender, no-contact sport.
3. Hurling/Camogie
This field sport may seem unusual by today's standards, but it has a long and storied history as the national sport of Ireland. The game is called hurling when it's being played by men or camogie when it's played by women, but the rules are generally the same. Players use wooden sticks called hurleys to hit small, hard balls called sliotars on the ground or in the air down a 130-145 m pitch.
Hurling/camogie comes with considerable aerobic benefits since everyone tends to do a lot of running, and it provides a great workout for players' backs, arms, and legs. Each player can only run with the sliotar if he or she has it in contact with the hurley and must pass or throw it every four steps when in motion. As a result, it's a great team sport that requires a lot of cooperation.
4. Sepak Takraw
Sepak takraw is a popular Southeast Asian sport that can also be referred to as "kick volleyball." It requires skill and strong core muscles, but since there's not much cardiovascular work to be done, people of all ages can participate. Players can use their feet, knees, chests, or heads, but not their hands, to try to get the ball over the net.
5. Unicycle Hockey
Looking for a team sport that requires not just balance and control, but also great cardiovascular fitness? Unicycle hockey might be the perfect fit, at least for those who are already experienced unicyclists.
Each team has five players, and each player is outfitted with a unicycle and an ice hockey stick. Players must keep both of their feet on their unicycles' pedals while engaging with the ball and are not allowed to make offensive contact with others. Since there's no goalie, the whole team must work together to protect the goal.
Get Moving
Choosing the right team sport can take some time. Don't feel limited by normal social conventions. Give some of the more unusual options above a shot and see if any of them feel like a good fit.