Physical exercise is a key factor for our health.
Physical activity is indisputably beneficial to our health. It improves our cardiovascular, metabolic and mental functions, in addition to reducing the risk of suffering from chronic diseases such as diabetes and significantly lengthening our life expectancy .
For this reason, in this article we will talk about sport, a way of staying active while participating in activities of a more or less social nature depending on the characteristics of the exercise.
types of sport
The importance of sport at a sociocultural level is clear. The glorification of athletes and the celebration of events on a world scale are clear testimony to the privileged place of sports in the hearts of people. Through sport we experience a sense of community that goes from small neighborhoods to national events.
Each sport is different and there are different ways to categorize them. Below we present some sports classifications so that we better understand the variety of sporting events that exist.
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depending on the terrain
One of the broadest and simplest ways to categorize sports is according to the area in which they are practiced , since we can expect certain common characteristics regarding equipment or conditions in those sports that take place in the same environment. Traditionally this classification has four types:
1. Indoor or track
Indoor sports are categorized in this way because they are carried out in indoor facilities suitable for carrying out the activity. We would find, for example, table tennis, also known as ping pong, indoor soccer, ice hockey or any sport that takes place in a ring or platform, such as contact sports.
2. Terrestrial
Although the vast majority of indoor sports take place on more or less solid ground, the classification of land sports also includes those that take place outside facilities , such as some climbing modalities, or cross-country running.
- You may want to read: “What is jogging? How to start, and benefits of this sport”
3. Aquatics
Water sports are carried out, as the name suggests, in the aquatic environment. We would find from water sports based on navigation, such as sailboat races, to ball sports that take place in an aquatic environment such as water polo.
Within this category all those sports that need to be carried out in the water would be included , such as swimming in all its forms.
4. Aerial
Air sports require higher purchasing power and are linked to higher death rates than other types of sport . Even so, its practice under the supervision of professionals is usually an unforgettable and adrenaline-charged experience.
We would find air sports such as skydiving, hang gliding, or model aircraft, all of which require specialized equipment and detailed knowledge of the security measures necessary for the safe development of these activities.
According to equipment
Depending on the specific equipment of the sport, we can find several different types. We can find, for example:
1. Motor sports
Motor sports are also relatively recent. They are usually carried out thanks to the sponsorship of teams , organizations linked to the motor world (such as manufacturers of motorized vehicles). We would find subtypes according to the vehicle used (cars, motorcycles…) as well as according to the characteristics of the vehicles, usually the power of the engine.
2. Gun Sports
Weapon sports are a legacy of mankind’s history of warfare. Our ability to use tools dexterously is highly characteristic of our species, so sports involving weapons often require considerable dexterity and precision.
Examples of weapon sports would be the different types of fencing, as well as those sports that use firearms, such as target shooting or biathlon, a sport that combines cross-country skiing with rifle shooting .
3. Ball sports
There are many cultures that have independently developed sports in which a spherical object is used to manipulate to achieve victory. The clearest examples of this type of sport are, of course, football or basketball .
4. Bat sports
Bat sports are also gaining immense popularity in some parts of the world, such as baseball throughout America and Japan, or cricket in countries traditionally influenced by English culture .
5. Equine sports
Horses have been a method of transportation and communication for thousands of years. It is natural that the ability of horseback riders to ride has led to sports where they work in conjunction with the animal to take on a goal.
Equestrian competitions with their different subclasses would be clear examples of this type of sport, as well as sports such as polo, where you play with a horse and clubs to get a ball between two sticks that act as a goal.
6. Board sports
Board sports, as their name indicates, are those that use small surfaces of different materials for their practice. Skateboarding or surfing are examples.
7. Digital sports
Despite its inclusion with other sports being debated, it is no secret at this point that video games have competitive leagues in which professional “athletes” compete for large sums of money .
Clear examples of “e-sports”, as these types of activities are called, would be, for example, MOBA games, such as DOTA or League of Legends, as well as “shooter” category games such as Counter Strike, fighting games such as Tekken or Street Fighter as well as strategy games, such as Starcraft
This type of sports can have very long-lasting competitive scenes as in the case of the aforementioned Starcraft. Even so, the rapid evolution of game development technology makes many of them obsolete after the appearance of new games that improve the characteristics, usually graphics or gameplay, of previous versions.
This generates a migration of competitive players between different games as they are released and a constant renewal of viable rules and strategies for each game version.
Other sports classifications
Within the different sports types, we can find clearly defined subtypes, which is a strong impediment to finding a classification of all sports types. According to the Guinness Book of World Records, there were at least 8,000 different sports in 2003 , but sports such as Quidditch are also constantly being created.
One of these classifications in subtypes is clear in the world of martial arts , where we will find:
1. Punch sports
Hitting contact sports consist of those combat sports where direct control of the opponent through grappling is penalized or not encouraged, these types of contact being prevented by referee action. Despite not being allowed, the nature of combat ends up creating situations where grappling is unavoidable .
In purely punching sports we will find Boxing or Taekwondo, where grips are not allowed.
2. Grappling sports
Grappling sports are polar opposite to punching sports and are those in which, by manipulating the opponent, it is possible to gain control of the adversary according to the established rules. Hits are not allowed in these types of sports .
Within this type of sports we would find the different types of wrestling (wrestling or grappling in English), such as Greco-Roman wrestling. The martial art of Judo is also a grappling sport, in which the opponent’s body is manipulated not only directly but also through his clothing.
3. Mixed Category Sports
The new times have unified grappling and punching combat sports to simulate more realistic conditions of free combat. MMA, known in Spanish as mixed martial arts, is an example of a sports competition in which both grappling and hitting are allowed.
Some more traditional sports and martial arts also place an emphasis on the joining of strikes and holds, such as Sambo or Muay Thai .
Bibliographic references
- Warburton, DE, Nicol, CW, & Bredin, SS (2006). Health benefits of physical activity: the evidence. CMAJ : Canadian Medical Association journal = journal de l’Association medicale canadienne, 174(6), 801–809. doi:10.1503/cmaj.051351
- Denham, J., O’Brien, BJ & Charchar, FJ (2016) Telomere Length Maintenance and Cardio-Metabolic Disease Prevention Through Exercise Training. Sports Med.
To the classic question “what do you do?” I always answer “basically I am a psychologist”. In fact, my academic training has revolved around the psychology of development, education and community, a field of study influenced my volunteer activities, as well as my first work experiences in personal services.