Anyone with questions for sumo wrestlers?

[Don Roley]

Hi folks.

There is a Sumo stable in my city. The mayor once was with us when we were drinking and asked me what I thought would be a great activity for the internationalization of the city and what non-Japanese in the city would get a lot out of. I suggested a tour of the stable. Well, it looks like they listened and next Tuesday (Monday American time) I will be leading a whole lot of gaijin to the stable.

If anyone has any questions they would like answered they can let me know and I will try to sneak them in with all the other ones I will be translating into Japanese.

 

[Jonathan Randall]

Hi folks.

There is a Sumo stable in my city. The mayor once was with us when we were drinking and asked me what I thought would be a great activity for the internationalization of the city and what non-Japanese in the city would get a lot out of. I suggested a tour of the stable. Well, it looks like they listened and next Tuesday (Monday American time) I will be leading a whole lot of gaijin to the stable.

If anyone has any questions they would like answered they can let me know and I will try to sneak them in with all the other ones I will be translating into Japanese.

Good for you. Great idea.

Yes, what, if any, excercises do they do to enhance their balance and defend from takedowns?

 

[bignick]

I've heard horror stories of the way sumo used to train. Tearing junior wrestlers' muscles to gain flexibility, etc. Is this still commonplace or have they changed their methods?

 

[Drac]

I have heard weird stories about their diet..What do they really eat??

 

[Don Roley]

Yes, what, if any, excercises do they do to enhance their balance and defend from takedowns?

For balance, they stick one foot straight up in the air and balance on the other one all the time. They look like one of those ads with the karate teacher kicking straight up in the air, except they stay there for a few seconds at least. They are very flexible and can almost do the splits.

As for preventing take downs, the strategy is to stay low and push up from below. If they can go up at an angle, they can get the other guy on his toes, and that limits the agility he has to avoid being thrown or moved. Remember, they only have to make the other guy touch the ground with something other than their feet or move them out of the ring for victory.

I've heard horror stories of the way sumo used to train. Tearing junior wrestlers' muscles to gain flexibility, etc. Is this still commonplace or have they changed their methods?

That seems to be a myth. But they do a lot of damage to each other as a matter of training. Out of about 20 guys training, only two did not have any bandages or braces on them. At one point after a match, one of the guys had blood on his arm. I thought at first that he had been scratched accidently. It turns out that in the impact they had, the other guy had gotten a bloody nose and had bled on him. It was not until I saw the guy stuff a tissue up his nose to stop the bleeding that I figured that out. He gave it no real concern and treated it as a matter of course.

I have heard weird stories about their diet..What do they really eat??

Anything they want. In large portions. When the wrestlers cook themselves after morning practice, they have a communal pot dish called chankonabe. There does not seem to be a set recipe for this, just throw in whatever you have handy. Today's had curry thrown in. For dinner they usually have something like fish or other regular food. This is reversed when they are at a tournament. After they return home for the night they have chankonabe and they have regular lunches.

But the regular rice bowl you use in Japan is about the size of your fist in volume. The size that they use is closer to a soup bowl. For a stable of about 20 wrestlers, they had two rice cookers of the type that my old dorm used to make do with just one.

 

[Grenadier]

Thanks for offering this, Don.

My question has more to deal with a sumo's weight. Is there a "sweet spot" for what a sumo's weight should be? For example, a NFL offensive lineman's sweet spot weight might be from 300 (fast guys) to 330 (medium speed guys), and the bigger ones would be considered slower.

I realize that people, even sumo, come in all sorts of shapes and sizes, and was wondering what they generally weigh these days.

 

[Kreth]

I'm curious what the average career length is for a sumo wrestler.

 

[Brian R. VanCise]

I'm curious what the average career length is for a sumo wrestler.

That would be interesting. Also how many actually make money doing it?

Brian R. VanCise
www.instinctiveresponsetraining.com

 

[mrhnau]

When the wrestlers cook themselves after morning practice,

I'm wondering how long it takes a wrestler to get well done...

sorry, could not resist