Wearing nothing but a mawashi (loincloth), two larger-than-life opponents face each other in a dohyo (wrestling ring) to push, wrestle or throw each other out of the ring. This is the basic definition of sumo wrestling but, like any other centuries old Japanese tradition, the “why” and the “how” is more important than the “what”.

Sumo has been performed the same way since the Edo Period (early 1600′s) and still retains the rituals and techniques developed in those early years. The rikishi (wrestlers) even wear their hair in a topknot – the hairstyle typical of samurai in the Edo period. the umpires and referee wear elaborate kimono-style garb that depicts their experience ranking. Before each bout, both wrestlers toss salt into the ring because the dohyo is a sacred place. After each day’s match, a lower ranked wrestler closes the event by performing the yumitori-shiki (bow dance).

Sumo wrestling bouts are fast – some lasting only a few seconds – and very intense, with a series of three “stare down” practice starts that the wrestlers use to intimidate their opponent. These trained athletes weigh in at 300-400 pounds, but follow a stringent regiment of training and nutrition that creates an athlete of great strength. Wrestlers grapple at each other with their bare hands and employ a range of moves that require precision, timing, and balance to succeed.

For centuries sumo wrestlers were exclusively of Japanese birth. In the last two decades, foreign wrestlers have begun to compete in greater numbers and have earned top rankings. Currently there are 60 non-Japanese professional sumo wrestlers out of a total of 700. China, Russia and several other Eastern European countries have made an impressive showing recently, but in the 1990′s two American wrestlers — Konishiki and Akebono (both from Hawaii)– were the first to reach the yokozuna rank.

Among the activities associated with this country, also called the land of the rising sun, there is perhaps none which is as iconic of Japan as is Sumo wrestling. Steeped in thirteen centuries of history and tradition, Sumo originally served a religious and cultural purpose as a means of entertaining the deities to ensure a good harvest for the season. Over time, as Japan became embroiled in wars, Sumo was transformed into a form of military training, exclusively practiced by samurais and beyond the sight of the common man. Feudal lords, with their share of warriors, also conducted their own tournaments in their castles, which was aimed at increasing the one on one mortal combat skills of their warriors.

Opponents start by performing the chiri-chozu, where they squat across each other, extend their hands, then clap once. After this, each opponent performs the shiko, which is best described as an exaggerated act of foot stomping ritual. Then each opponent takes a fistful of unrefined salt and throws it over the ring, as a purification ritual. Salt was believed to have purifying power over evil spirits, while purity and purification rituals play a very important role in Shinto rituals, which was once the dominant religion in Japan. The main objective of a Sumo encounter is to get an opponent to step or land outside the competition circle, or get any part of his body to touch the ground. The first person to get his opponent to do so wins. Most moves such as pushing and shoving, lifting, heaving, slapping and other similar moves are allowed, while punching, hair pulling, kicking the vital areas, and eye gouging are not. It consists of a 30 foot loincloth tightly bound and called a mawashi, which is used during training as well as official competitions. A length of twisted string, called a sagari, is tucked around the front of the waist portion of the belt. The sagari represents the sacred ropes that hang in front of Shinto shrines.

In their training stables in Japan, sumo wrestlers are taught to eat in a manner that leads to massive weight gain. Here’s what they’re taught:

1) Skip breakfast.

2) Eat lots of mostly unhealthy food and drink lots of alcohol.

3) Eat only two or three giant meals a day.

4) Go to bed right after eating a big, high-carb meal.

Does that list look familiar? Yep, the average overweight person in the UK eats like a sumo wrestler whose goal is to weigh 500 pounds!

In fact number 4, which nearly everyone I know who is overweight does (eats a meal containing pasta or rice or potatoes then goes to bed) is so effective at storing body-fat that the sumos do it twice a day!

To be honest, Sumos probably get more activity than the average 9-5 office worker too! Is it any surprise our nation is the fattest it’s ever been!?

We can learn several lessons from this:

First, going to sleep after eating a high carbohydrate meal seems to be VERY popular with the sumos. Maybe, just maybe, we should avoid eating too many carbs at night if we want to have a fairly flat tummy?

Second, if these guys, who are trying to get massively fat and as large as possible purposefully skip breakfast, drink booze, and eat only two or three large meals a day, maybe it would be a good idea to do just the opposite to these 500lb monsters!!

How about this?

Start each and every day with a nutritious breakfast, lay off the booze and junk food, and consume five or six smaller meals per day?!? Not too hard right?? Just general advice.

Just a thought …

If you read this article nodding your head, then it’s fair to say you may need to make some changes – unless, that is, you plan on donning a large nappy and trying to push a pony-tailed man the size of a small elephant out of a ring??

If you have friends or relatives who are behaving like this just ask them “Are you training to be a sumo?” – make sure you wear a gum shield whilst doing so!!