11 Sports You Probably Haven't Heard Of But May Want To Play

We are all familiar with sports such as cricket, football, and baseball, but there are plenty of other games that aren¡¯t as popular. It¡¯s amazing that someone had the imagination to come with these crazy sports. These may seem bizarre at first, but admit it, there are a few you might just want to try out.

1. Chess Boxing

The sophisticated game of chess is coupled with boxing. The two players face off in 11 alternating rounds of chess and boxing, thereby needing to exhibit patience and strategy, and then proceeding to beat each other black and blue. all while whacking each other across the face. A player emerges the winner when he either wins the game of chess or knocks his opponent out. The game was invented by a Dutch performance artist, Iepe B. T. Rubingh.

2. Swamp Soccer

All the rules of soccer apply here; the only difference is that the players don¡¯t get a green field to play on. The players must get down and dirty in a giant pool of mud. The game was the brainchild of Jyrki V??n?nen nicknamed "The Swamp Baron" and is said to have originated in Finland.

3. Wife Carrying

While most men can¡¯t shake their wives off their backs, this sport sees male competitors carry their wives to the finish through an obstacle course. The game finds its origins in Finland. A North American Wife Carrying Championship is held every year where a winner receives the prize of his wife¡¯s weight in beer, five times her weight in cash and an entry into Finland¡¯s World Championship.

4. Cheese Rolling

An annual cheese rolling contest is organised at Cooper¡¯s Hill in Gloucestershire, in England. A large wheel of cheese is rolled down a steep hill and competitors race after it. The person who reaches the bottom of the hill first wins the wheel of cheese. The game, though not dangerous, has resulted in several injuries given the steepness of the hill and the desire to win a whole lot of cheese.

5. Extreme Ironing

This one¡¯s an extreme sport that is said to have originated in England. Competitors call themselves the ¡°ironists¡± and go to a remote location and iron their clothes. But it¡¯s not the usual ironing ¨C they perform stunts hanging from the cliffs, skiing, and even while snowboarding!

6. Egg Throwing

This one¡¯s for all the eggheads. According to the World Egg Throwing Federation, egg throwing "has been a sport enjoyed by millions of people since early humans discovered the delight of watching the failure of another to catch a tossed egg." The game is associated with Easter with different versions in different countries. In one version, people must toss the egg so that it lands on the ground without breaking.

7. Shin Kicking

The sport originated in the 17^th century in England. The competitors have to kick their opponents in the shin until one of them hits the ground. The Shin Kicking Championship takes place every year on Dover¡¯s Hill in England.

8. Snowkiting

The sport takes skiing or snowboarding to another level. Players use a parachute-like kite and wind power to move up and down the snowy slopes. They can literally soar up in the air when just trying to keep their feet on the ground.

9. Toe Wrestling

Finally, a sport where people don¡¯t mind stepping on toes! In toe-wrestling, competitors take off their shoes and socks, interlock their toes, and try to pin their opponent¡¯s foot. The game originated in 1976 in England.

10. Underwater hockey

This sport is played worldwide and sees two teams trying to push a puck across the floor of a swimming pool. The team with the maximum goals wins. Also known as Octopush, the sport has its own world championship which first took place in 1980. The game was created in England in 1954 by Alice Cleverley.

11. Handboarding

Those who find surfboarding a great challenge can indulge handboarding instead. People use miniature surfboards attached to either one or both hands and glide across water while paddling through the waves.

Seeing how fun these sports seem, we are already itching to try them out. Especially chess boxing! *winks*