It’s no surprise: team contact sports, such as soccer, are more violent than team sports without direct contact, such as volleyball. But there is no ranking that measures the level of violence in each of these contact sports. However, a survey carried out in 2005 by the University of Loyola, in the United States, revealed the sports that most bring people to emergency rooms in the country. First came basketball, with 512,213 injuries in one year. Second came cycling, with 485,669 injuries, followed by football (418,260), soccer (174,686) and baseball (155,898). To avoid injuries, doctors and physiotherapists recommend: use protective material (such as knee pads and shin pads), know the rules of the game and respect your body’s limits. Done that, just give the starting whistle to the match!
READ MORE
– What is Parkour?
– How to become a professional soccer player?
tough gang
In these sports, hitting the opponent is not a foul or a red card.
RUGBY
Any player can grab, push or hold the opponent who has the ball. Anyone can also fall on top of the ball. There are moves full of intense physical contact. In the maul, at least three players participate: the ball carrier and two or more surrounding him, in direct physical contact. The ruck happens when the ball is on the ground and a “cake” forms around it.
WATER POLO
It is considered an aquatic version of rugby. Can grab, hold or push the opponent. Defenders say that today he is less violent because the maximum time in possession of the ball (35 seconds) has decreased. But there are stories of aggression underwater, including players who leave long nails to tear rivals
AMERICAN FOOTBALL
Defense prevents the attack from advancing by knocking down the opponent. It’s worth pushing to the head, neck or face to steal the ball. The play ends when both of the attacker’s knees touch the ground. But be careful: it is not allowed to grab below the waist line and, among the attackers, only the player in possession of the ball can use arms and hands
ICE HOCKEY
The mixture of high speed on roller skates and a stick in hand makes hockey an explosive sport. Players wear heavy protective equipment such as helmets and protection made from Kevlar, the same material as bulletproof vests! Man-to-man marking is heavy, both with the stick and the body
IRISH FOOTBALL
Irish football, also known as Gaelic, is a mixture of football and rugby. The object is to score goals by driving the ball around with kicks and punches – at the ball, not the opponent! Even so, as the rules of what is allowed and what is not allowed are lax, many participants take advantage of it to hit the jackpot. There are 15 players on each side
Sources – INTERNATIONAL RUGBY BOARD; NATIONAL FOOTBALL LEAGUE (NFL); INTERNATIONAL SWIMMING FEDERATION (FINA); NATIONAL HOCKEY LEAGUE (NHL); GAELIC ATHLETIC ASSOCIATION (GAA)