Contact sport

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A tackle in Australian rules football Caddy tackling Pendlebury (cropped).jpg
A tackle in Australian rules football

A contact sport is any sport where physical contact between competitors, or their environment, is an integral part of the game. For example, gridiron football. Contact may come about as the result of intentional or incidental actions by the players in the course of play. This is in contrast to noncontact sports where players often have no opportunity to make contact with each other and the laws of the game may expressly forbid contact. In contact sports some forms of contact are encouraged as a critical aspect of the game such as tackling, while others are incidental such as when shielding the ball or contesting an aerial challenge. As the types of contact between players is not equal between all sports they define the types of contact that is deemed acceptable and fall within the laws of the game, while outlawing other types of physical contact that might be considered expressly dangerous or risky such as a high tackle or spear tackle, or against the spirit of the game such as striking below the belt or other unsportsmanlike conduct. Where there is a limit as to how much contact is acceptable most sports have a mechanism to call a foul by the referee, umpire or similar official when an offence is deemed to have occurred.

Contents

Contact sports are categorised by the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) into three main categories: contact, limited-contact and noncontact. In attempting to define relative risk for competitors in sports the AAP have further defined contact sports as containing some element of intentional collision between players. [1] [2] They define such collision sports as being where: "athletes purposely hit or collide with each other or with inanimate objects (including the ground) with great force", while in limited-contact sports such impacts are often "infrequent and inadvertent". [1] While contact sports are considered the most high risk for injury, in some sports being a major feature (such as boxing or other martial arts), limited-contact and noncontact sports are not without risk as injury or contact may come about as a result of a fall or collision with the playing area, or a piece of sporting equipment, such as being struck by a hockey stick or football or even a piece of protective wear worn by a teammate or opposition player.

Some definitions of contact sports, particularly martial arts, have the concept of full contact, semi-contact and noncontact (or other definitions) for both training and competitive sparring. Some categories of contact may or may not be combined with other methods of scoring, but full contact is generally considered to include the potential for victory by knockout or submission depending on the form of combat. [3] [4] [5] An example of this is full contact karate and taekwondo where competitors are allowed to attempt to knock out an opponent through strikes to the head or otherwise bringing the opponent to the floor. [6] [7] Full contact rules differentiate from other forms of the same sports that may otherwise restrict blows to the head and the use of elbows or knees. [5] Such full contact sports may be defined as combat sports and require a of change equipment, alter or omit rules, and are generally differentiated from contact sports by their explicit intent of defeating an opponent in physical combat. [8] [3] [5]

Some contact sports have limited-contact or noncontact variations (such as flag football for American football) which attempt to replace tackling and other forms of contact with alternative methods of interacting with an opponent, such as removing a flag from a belt worn by the opponent or outlawing specific actions entirely such as in walking football. [9]

Nomenclature

Current medical terminology in the United States uses the term contact sport and collision sport to refer to sports like rugby, American football, ice hockey, lacrosse and roller derby. The term limited-contact sport is used to refer to sports such as soccer, baseball and handball, and the term noncontact sport to sports like badminton, running and swimming. [2]

The American Academy of Pediatrics policy statement was revised in 2008 to include the following definition:

In collision sports (e.g. boxing, ice hockey, American football, lacrosse, and rodeo), athletes purposely hit or collide with each other or with inanimate objects (including the ground) with great force. In contact sports (e.g. basketball), athletes routinely make contact with each other or with inanimate objects but usually with less force than in collision sports. In limited-contact sports (e.g. softball and squash), contact with other athletes or with inanimate objects is infrequent or inadvertent. [2]

Grades

Full-contact martial arts

A full contact sport is primarily any combat sport that allows the competitor to attempt to knock-out or otherwise defeat their opponent by physically incapacitating them. Examples of this would include most professional martial arts such as Mixed Martial Arts, Boxing and some forms of Karate and Taekwondo. Defeating an opponent generally takes place using in isolation or combination actions such as striking and grappling depending on the rules of the sport.[ citation needed ]

Full-contact martial arts include:

Semi-contact martial arts

A semi-contact sport is typically a combat sport involving striking and containing physical contact between the combatants simulating full-power techniques. The techniques are restricted to limited power, and rendering the opponent unconscious is forbidden. Some semi-contact sports use a point system to determine the winner and use extensive protective gear to protect the athletes from injury. Examples of semi-contact sports include karate, kickboxing, kalaripayattu, Kenpo, various Korean martial arts that incorporate contact rules sparring, kendo, some types of historical European martial arts, fencing and taekwondo.[ citation needed ]

Contact sports

A basketball game (FIBA Europe Cup Women Finals 2005 in Naples, Italy). Three point shoot.JPG
A basketball game (FIBA Europe Cup Women Finals 2005 in Naples, Italy).

As defined by the AAP, and also considered collision sports. [2] The AAP notes Martial arts can be subclassified as judo, jujitsu, karate, kung fu, and tae kwon do; some forms are contact sports and others are limited-contact sports.

Limited-contact sports

As defined by the AAP. [2] The AAP notes Martial arts can be subclassified as judo, jujitsu, karate, kung fu, and tae kwon do; some forms are contact sports and others are limited-contact sports.

Noncontact

As defined by the AAP. [2]

Sports injury and prevention

Equipment

St. Louis Blues player David Backes with ice hockey helmet. David Backes.JPG
St. Louis Blues player David Backes with ice hockey helmet.

As a result of the risk of injury, some sports require the use of protective equipment, for example American football protective equipment or the gloves and helmets needed for underwater hockey. Some sports are also played on soft ground and have padding on physical obstacles, such as goal posts.

Most contact sports require any male players to wear a protective cup to protect their genitalia.

There has been an increasing medical, academic, and media focus on sports involving rapid contact in the late 20th to early 21st century and their relationship with sports injuries. Several sports' governing bodies began changing their rules in order to decrease the incidence of serious injuries and avoid lawsuits. In some countries, new laws have been passed, particularly in regard to concussions.

Concussion protocols

At the professional level, America's professional football league, the National Football League, implemented The Concussion Protocol in 2011, banning concussed players from re-entering the same game in which they were injured in order to reduce the risk of further injury and damage. [10]

In Canada in 2018, Rowan's Law was passed after the death of a young Canadian female athlete. Rowan Stringer died in 2013 of second-impact syndrome, "...the result of suffering multiple concussions playing rugby three times in six days." [11]

See also

Bibliography

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Boxing</span> Full contact combat sport and martial art

Boxing is a combat sport and a martial art in which two people, usually wearing protective gloves and other protective equipment such as hand wraps and mouthguards, throw punches at each other for a predetermined amount of time in a boxing ring.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Karate</span> Japanese and Okinawan martial art

Karate (空手), also karate-do, is a martial art developed in the Ryukyu Kingdom. It developed from the indigenous Ryukyuan martial arts under the influence of Chinese martial arts. While modern karate is primarily a striking art that uses punches and kicks, traditional karate also employs throwing and joint locking techniques. A karate practitioner is called a karate-ka (空手家).

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Kickboxing</span> Full-contact combat sport

Kickboxing is a full-contact combat sport and a form of boxing based on punching and kicking. The fight takes place in a boxing ring, normally with boxing gloves, mouth guards, shorts, and bare feet to favor the use of kicks. Kickboxing is practiced for self-defense, general fitness, or for competition. Some styles of kickboxing include: Full contact karate, Muay Thai, Japanese kickboxing, Lethwei, Sanda, and Savate.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Martial arts</span> Codified systems and traditions of combat

Martial arts are codified systems and traditions of combat practiced for a number of reasons such as self-defence; military and law enforcement applications; competition; physical, mental, and spiritual development; entertainment; and the preservation of a nation's intangible cultural heritage.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Muay Thai</span> Combat sport of Thailand

Muay Thai, sometimes referred to as Thai boxing, is a combat sport that uses stand-up striking, sweeps, and various clinching techniques. This discipline is known as the "Art of eight limbs", as it is characterised by the combined use of fists, elbows, knees and shins. Muay Thai became widespread internationally in the late 20th to 21st century, when Westernised practitioners from Thailand began competing in kickboxing and mixed-rules matches as well as matches under Muay Thai rules around the world. The professional league is governed by The Professional Boxing Association of Thailand (P.A.T.), sanctioned by The Sports Authority of Thailand (S.A.T.).

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Taekwondo</span> Korean martial art

Taekwondo, also spelled tae kwon do or taekwon-do, is a Korean martial art and combat sport involving punching and kicking techniques. The literal translation for taekwondo is "kicking", "punching", and "the art or way of". It sometimes involves the use of weapons.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Mixed martial arts</span> Full-contact combat sport

Mixed martial arts (MMA) is a full-contact combat sport based on striking, grappling and ground fighting, incorporating techniques from various combat sports from around the world. The first documented use of the term mixed martial arts was in a review of UFC 1 by television critic Howard Rosenberg in 1993.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Full contact karate</span> Competition format of karate

Full contact karate is any format of karate where competitors spar full-contact and allow a knockout as winning criterion.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Kumite</span> Martial arts grappling technique

Kumite is one of the three main sections of karate training, along with kata and kihon. Kumite is the part of karate in which a person trains against an adversary.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Strike (attack)</span> Directed physical attack

A strike is a directed, forceful physical attack with either a part of the human body or with a handheld object, intended to cause blunt or penetrating trauma upon an opponent.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Sparring</span> Type of training for combat sports

Sparring is a form of training common to many combat sports. Although the precise form varies, it is essentially relatively 'free-form' fighting, with enough rules, customs, or agreements to minimize injuries. By extension, argumentative debate is sometimes called sparring.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Combat sport</span> Competitive contact sport involving combat

A combat sport, or fighting sport, is a contact sport that usually involves one-on-one combat. In many combat sports, a contestant wins by scoring more points than the opponent, submitting the opponent with a hold, disabling the opponent, or attacking the opponent in a specific or designated technique. Combat sports share a long history with the martial arts.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Tang Soo Do</span> Korean martial art

Tang Soo Do is a Korean martial art based on karate and may include fighting principles from taekkyeon, subak, as well as northern Chinese martial arts. From its beginnings in 1944 to today, Tang Soo Do is used by some Kwans to identify the traditional Korean fusion of martial arts styles. In the mid 1950s, Tang Soo Do became the basis for the martial art Taekwondo when the Korean Nine Kwans united.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Front kick</span> Martial arts technique

The front kick in martial arts is a kick executed by lifting the knee straight forward, while keeping the foot and shin either hanging freely or pulled to the hip, and then straightening the leg in front of the practitioner and striking the target area. It is desirable to retract the leg immediately after delivering the kick, to avoid the opponent trying to grapple the leg and to return to stable fighting stance.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Roundhouse kick</span> Type of kick used in martial arts and combat

A roundhouse kick is a kick in which the practitioner lifts the knee while turning the supporting foot and body in a semicircular motion, extending the leg striking with the lower part of the shin and/or the instep. The ball of the foot can also be used to strike the target and is preferable when power breaking thick boards. This type of kick is utilized in many different martial arts and is popular in both non-contact and full-contact martial arts competitions. The kick has many variations based on stance, leg movement, striking surface, and the height of the kick.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Stand-up fighting</span> Hand to hand combat in a standing position

In martial arts and combat sports, stand-up fighting is hand-to-hand combat between opponents in a standing position, as distinguished from ground fighting. Clinch fighting is stand-up grappling. Fighters employ striking, including striking combinations, using either body parts or mêlée weapons, to incapacitate or injure the opponent. Combatants use blocking techniques to block the opponent's attacks.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Headgear (martial arts)</span> Padded helmet

Headgear is padded helmet worn during sparring in the martial arts.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Sportswear</span> Equipment and attire for physical activity

Sportswear or activewear is athletic clothing, including footwear, worn for sports activity or physical exercise. Sport-specific clothing is worn for most sports and physical exercise, for practical, comfort or safety reasons.

East Asia, the region dominated by Chinese, Japanese and Korean culture, was greatly transformed following its contact with the West in the 19th century. This defining period can be considered as the start of the modern period of East Asian history, and also happens to be the time of origin of most schools of martial arts of East Asian origin practiced today. New approaches and ideas about martial arts were created that are distinctly different from the previous history of martial arts, especially under the influence of nascent nationalism in the region, which took the respective traditions of martial arts as being part of the nation's heritage to be polished and standardized into a pure form and showcased to the rest of the world.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Kūdō</span> Japanese martial art

Kūdō is a Japanese hybrid martial art. It is a full-contact combat sport that aims to achieve safety, aggression, & practicality, a style of mixed martial arts practised with headgear and gloves. It features stand-up striking, with throwing and grappling techniques being also allowed in the competition, including restraint, locks and chokeholds.

References

  1. 1 2 "Recommendations for Participation in Competitive Sports". Pediatrics. 81 (5): 737–739. 1988. doi: 10.1080/00913847.1988.11709513 . PMID   27403556.
  2. 1 2 3 4 5 6 Rice SG (2008). "Medical conditions affecting sports participation". Pediatrics. 121 (4): 841–8. doi: 10.1542/peds.2008-0080 . PMID   18381550.
  3. 1 2 "Rules for Full-Contact Sanda". World Fighting Martial Arts Federation. 2019. Retrieved 2023-07-09.
  4. ↑ "FAQ - Sparring". World Martial Arts Championships. 2019. Retrieved 2023-07-09.
  5. 1 2 3 "WMAC Contact Levels Summary v2.5". World Martial Arts Championships. 2015. Retrieved 2023-07-09.
  6. ↑ Michael Feehan and Anna E Waller* (1995). "Precompetition injury and subsequent tournament performance in full-contact taekwondo". BJSM. 29 (4): 258–262. doi: 10.1136/bjsm.29.4.258 . PMC   1332238 . PMID   8808541.
  7. ↑ Moenig, Udo (2015). The origins of full-contact sparring. ISBN   9781315733227 . Retrieved 2023-07-09.
  8. ↑ Moenig, Udo (2015). Forms versus sparring. ISBN   9781315733227 . Retrieved 2023-07-09.
  9. ↑ "Youth Football Safety and Injury Prevention". NFL FLAG. Retrieved 2022-11-02.
  10. ↑ "Concussion Game Day Checklist" (PDF). NFL.com. Oct 2022. Retrieved 23 March 2023.
  11. ↑ "Rowan's Law". Rugby Ontario.
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