Interesting things about the fighters in the "greasy ring"

Sumo is a unique martial art that only exists in Japan. The world of sumo wrestlers is actually much more interesting than what we imagine as a “ring full of fat”.

Origin and world of Sumo

Sumo is a traditional Japanese sport and martial art. The characteristic of Sumo compared to many other martial arts is that Sumo wrestlers can be easily recognized by the naked eye: they are super-oversized, flabby and wear exclusive loincloths every time they enter the ring. However, few people know the details of this seemingly simple but extremely harsh sport.

Sumo has existed for a long time in Japanese culture. Photo:Wiki.

Appearing before the 16th century, Sumo has gone through many changes throughout the history of Japan. Until now, Sumo is no longer a popular martial art. Currently, there are about 42 Sumo stables with 660 wrestlers across Japan. The wrestlers train and compete in professionally organized tournaments.

The reason why sumo is called a harsh sport is because in addition to the training factor, the income factor is also a matter of concern. Specifically, in the Makuuchi tournament - the highest ranked tournament, sumo wrestlers can receive quite high salaries, from 14,000-30,000 USD/month. Sumo wrestlers in the Jurio tournament - the second-class tournament, the salary of wrestlers is around 10,000 USD/month. However, in the lower tournaments, wrestlers only receive a meager income, which can even be compared to the premier tournaments. Therefore, the sole purpose of sumo participants is to climb to the high-level tournaments.

What is a day like in the life of a Sumo wrestler?

Sumo wrestlers don’t eat breakfast. As soon as they wake up at 5am, they head straight to the dojo and start training immediately. The theory among experts in the field is that on an empty stomach, the metabolism slows down, making it harder to burn calories. Sumo wrestlers have to make sure they have enough fat to gain weight, but also enough muscle to perform their signature moves.

Sumo has many extremely sophisticated "moves". Photo: AAO

Unlike what people often imagine about a “buffalo” sport, where two “fat men” rush into each other like mountains and victory or defeat is decided by strength, Sumo is actually much more subtle and skillful. Like other martial arts, Sumo exercises are very diverse, including: stance (related to the legs and lower body), footwork (how to move and maintain balance) and finally attack techniques.

Speaking specifically of attacking techniques, Sumo has a specialized term for these moves, called kimarite. Currently, there are 82 kimarite moves recognized by the Japan Sumo Federation, but in reality, only about 12 moves are commonly used. The 82 kimarite moves are simple to complex combinations of basic sets, including: clamping, pushing, slapping, throwing, kicking, throwing and special moves.

At around 11am, Sumo wrestlers finish their morning training session and start their first meal of the day. A meal for these wrestlers contains about 10,000 calories, about 10 times more than a healthy young man (will be discussed in detail in the next section). After finishing eating, the Sumo wrestlers will rest for a long time in order to absorb everything they have eaten and convert it into fat.

Train, eat, sleep, eat - that's a day in the life of a Sumo wrestler. Photo: Hasfit

At around 6pm, Sumo wrestlers continue to have their second meal - with the same amount of food as the first meal, and it is the last meal of the day. They have their own time in the evening before going to bed to continue a new day with the same process.

How horrible is a sumo wrestler's meal?

This is a question that many people wonder about. In order to ensure the weight and energy for the Sumo, their meals are very large and very high in calories. Although they only eat two meals a day, the Sumo absorbs about 20,000 calories/day, equal to 10 times that of a healthy young man.

A Sumo wrestler’s meal, called chankonabe, is a stew that is almost like a mini hot pot with the main ingredients being vegetables, tofu, fish and various meats cooked together with broth and wine/beer. This “Sumo hot pot” is so famous that many restaurants in Japan specialize in serving this dish to diners, of course with a few variations and moderated to suit the appetite of the average person.

A typical pot of chankonabe. Photo: Sakura

In addition to chankonabe, Sumo wrestlers also eat rice, noodles, and various hamburgers. A former Sumo wrestler once claimed that some wrestlers could eat up to 5 kg of meat and 10 bowls of rice a day. If you want to learn more about the Sumo wrestler diet, check out this article.

It is no wonder that with such a huge amount of food, even eating becomes a harsh exercise for Sumo wrestlers, because not everyone is born with a muscular body and a dinosaur stomach. Young Sumo wrestlers are often fed until they can’t eat any more, and this process is repeated over and over again despite the “victims” vomiting many times. Successful Sumo wrestlers often describe the process of learning to eat, not the training, as the most difficult experience of their training life.

Can you finish this pot? Photo: Tofugu

As mentioned above, after each meal, Sumo wrestlers are required to rest so that the nutrients can be converted into fat to replenish the body. It sounds quite contradictory, when they have to ensure that fat is not burned and at the same time increase muscle strength scientifically. How can Sumo wrestlers balance these contradictions?

The answer is revealed, it is training. Training with great intensity and in many different ways. But exactly what that training includes to balance absorption and movement to create a fighter who weighs several hundred kilograms but still moves at lightning speed, when still, is like Mount Fuji but when attacking, is as heavy as thunder - that, perhaps, is a secret known only to those in the industry.

According to Depplus/MASK