Do you consider Sumo a martial art? Do you think it has any value in self defense?

Would you consider Sumo wrestling a true martial art?


Do you think it has any practical self defense aspect at all?


I recently went to a Sumo tournament and found it very interesting. I could see where it could help cross train for other sports like football, wrestling or judo.|||I would put a sumo wrestler against any bjj guy or striker and my money would be on the sumo.





Sumos are just bigger and stronger on average and have a weight and stregth advantage over most others. That is because the nature of the art/sport draws that body type to that sport/MA.





Is it a martial art- absolutely, you are taught to throw and toss your opponent, however in this case most of your opponents are giants like you are. Imagine trying to punch a fat person whose girth acts as a kind of protective gear. not easy to hurt them.





I would say the skills of sumo, might not be the most practical for the average person to pick up and use, but the sumo themselves, through a combination of thier diet (each camp has thier own special %26quot;formulas%26quot; for maximizing stregth and building weight at the same time), and training methods they do in fact turn techniques useless to others, in fact very effective for them.





It is not able to be looked at as %26quot;learning technique%26quot; in a traditional sense, but sumo do the same thing gladiators used to do which was to look to gain some flesh around the midsection and body to better protect internal organs from bieng cut where there was no armor. Sumo%26#039;s weight gain is to enhance thier MA.





I would definately say it is a martial art, but one that devotion to and bieng effectvie at, involves modifying your body type.|||When the UFC was young they actually had a Sumo wrestler taking on a striker. Naturally, the Sumo was at least TWICE the size of the striker. The match started and when they %26quot;locked up%26quot; the Sumo manhandled the striker, slamming him so hard into the octagon fence that the door behind them came flying open!





They were brought back into the ring and the striker knew that he needed to avoid %26quot;locking up%26quot; with the Sumo again. Being faster, he wound up tripping the Sumo up. Unfortunately, the Sumo wasn%26#039;t the fastest at getting back to his feet, and because of that, the striker got behind him and wailed on the back of the Sumo%26#039;s head with his fists (a legal move in the early UFC).





The Sumo had to tap out, but the striker wound up breaking his fist from all the activity and he couldn%26#039;t continue in the tournament.





Needless to say, it was a very interesting match.





I consider the Sumo to definitely be a martial art.|||yes it is a ma.self defence?i doubt it not unles your a great big fat bloke and you have to defend yourself against another great big fat bloke.or your into giant wedgies.lol.


PS.i wouldn%26#039;t want to go to the ground with with one?i do remember the fight that kokomo%26#039;s talking about and the striker was very lucky and i think a bit unfair.|||Good question. Check out this fight between BJJ fighter Royce Gracie and Sumo wrestler Akebono.





http://www.dailymotion.com/video/xajyj_r...





I think the people voting for a sumo wrestler to do well are in fantasy land. Aloha|||Sumo is alot like american boxing. I would consider it a martial art, but it is limited. There was another poster who commented about Sumo wrestlers not faring well in MMA competitions. Or the poster who linked to the match between Akebono and RG. The problem iin most of those matches is you never see the Sumo really try to use his girth. Royce Gracie in that fight lucked out because Akebono never really tried to use his weight properly. I personally saw a fight in a MMA in Denver where a Sumo guy almost killed a JuJitsu practitioner. So yeah I would say it is a martial art, but its one in which if you use it against someone of another style, you have to work extra hard to impose your will on the opponent.|||I wouldn%26#039;t consider it a martial art. It does take skill and technique like any other sport.


As far as self-defense, sure if your fat and the guy your fighting is fat and you need to get him out of a circle.|||Sumo is pure sport. It%26#039;s athletic competition not suited for self defense.|||Sumo is considered a martial sport.|||of course Sumo is a martial art, despite the fact that they%26#039;re big and they%26#039;re butt cheeks are shaking everytime they move with their layered sides, it%26#039;s definitely art. The disicpline to build not only mass but also the strength and control to go with it is not easy to come up with. besides it%26#039;s an art for the sake that there are rules alot of rules to follow during a match. it may not as graceful as kung fu or as fast as kali but between every clash is as gentle as it is forceful|||I don%26#039;t know the answer, but this is a question i%26#039;ve always wanted to ask as well....





it is definitely an art in terms of it%26#039;s traditions (they even have rankings and rituals in styling that certain %26quot;fold%26quot; on their hair!?)


but not so much in terms of self defence practical values (maybe maintaining the core balance) in self defense as for people of body size like you n me...|||Well... It involve trying to beat other opponent with physical force which is basically a hand to hand combat. So yes.





As for there who say it%26#039;s only a sport, check out those two questions and think again...:





http://answers.yahoo.com/question/index;...





http://answers.yahoo.com/question/index;...





I would put my moneys on sumo wrestler who bust their *** everyday, have experiences of actually fight/wrestle against a opponent who is doing the same to beat up any black belt in any martial arts that never spar full contact and base everythings on theory. Those guys are huge, powerful, and fast. They%26#039;re like a train and would easily crush most 200 lbs man in excellent shape. Those guys are like a train.|||%26quot;I would put a sumo wrestler against any bjj guy or striker and my money would be on the sumo.%26quot;








Mister Royce Gracie, Don Frye , Bobby Ologon, Keith Hackney, and Gerard Gordeau would all like to have a word with you. Fact is there hasn%26#039;t been one good sumo fighter in MMA whats that tell you?|||Well akebono the yokozuna of sumo has fought in k-1 against bob sapp and other whom he got his but kicked. He%26#039;s big but has thin legs and is vulnerable for knockouts. Sumo is not a martial arts and the sumo community has looked down on Akebono becasue a top sumo figure using his gift in MMA is not what their form of wrestling is all about.....SO not a true martial arts.


Yes, if you were 400 plus pounds, a person coming after you will get tossed or head butted.