iron bug

Good luck, friend. As an avid powerlifter I can assure you that I sympathize with losing core strength and having worries about it. Just glad that it doesn't cause any pain. I had a severe pull in my oblique that went from my mid back all the way around to my navel. Most excruciating pain I can remember having. Pure hell for about 5 weeks.

Love Hakuho's attitude. No reason to start the training if you don't feel up to it. He knows what works for him.

Never heard of it until now, but everything I've read has basically said it's a cosmetic issue more than anything. Do you have any pain associated with it and how did it initially occur? I ask purely out of curiosity, not attempting to find solutions to something I know nothing about.

Yeah, it varies from person to person. Sweat is a very important factor in forming calluses. Consider yourself lucky because when those suckers tear open it hurts like hell. EDIT: This is besides the point, though. Congrats to Shohozan!!

It's a sign of a hard worker. Either a laborer, athlete, etc. Like myself, many dedicated weight lifters have thick callouses. I also have them from drumming for years. To me, hands that are soft and callous free are quite feminine (not knocking any men who match this description) and usually the sign of somebody who doesn't use their hands much.

Congrats to Hakuho. A true champion, indeed. Hope Okinoumi wins his remaining bouts and finishes strong.

Kisenosato is out of control. Intimidation/psychological games are one thing, but he is being a child about it. It's as if he is actively trying to provoke a matta. My Kisenosato rant now out of the way, yes Hakuho proved himself the king once again in his match against Baruto. Good to see Baruto battling hard again and doing well given his recent injuries, though. Oh, yeah. Also celebrating Okinoumi staying strong in second place right now!

Anyone else sick of seeing Kisenosato try to have a staring contest with his opponent? He is going overboard with it. And, yes, Myogiryu seems to not be ready for the top ranks as I once thought/hoped also.

This is one of those sports in which anyone can beat anyone, which we all know. It's what makes it exciting. You truly never know what will happen.

Just a theory, but maybe it's to let the opponent have to come forward a bit more and get their momentum going forward so they can't get a strong base when the two collide. I have seen Hakuho set up far away before. Only he knows for sure what it's about.

"I'll give you a free shot to the chin. Let's see what you got."

How about a giant fish holding a KO'd rikishi upside down? Don't worry i won't give up my day job. :-D I have been gone from the forum for a while, but man, what a treat to come back to. That would be the greatest kesho mawashi of all time.

I would die from happiness if that happened simply because of how much sumo we would be subject to. It would also allow for more foreigners to have a chance of making a living by doing sumo. If there were stables open strictly for foreigners, for example, I would be more than willing to pack up and take my chances in sumo knowing I would have a stable to live and train in. The big "league-vs-league" rivalry thing could also spark some serious interest and excitement. Not only would it be beneficial for foreign rikishi since there would be more opportunity, but Japanese youngsters might be more inclined to participate if it was an us vs. them kind of thing. They would be fighting for, not only their pride and honor (and, of course, money), but for their country. Very similar results if sumo was an olympic sport.

So being able to hold your opponent at the appropriate distance and avoid having him grab your belt is overrated? Upper body strength certainly isn't the "power" source within the human body, but to say it is overrated is absolutely absurd. Especially when talking about a sport which uses the upper body in such a defensive manner. Also, they would have no issues with muscle "stiffness" since they would continue to stretch and do their regular routines in training every day. There is no downside to lifting weights as a supplement to their keiko as long as they are smart about it. Your argument on there being good reason to stay away from the weight room doesn't make sense either. Most wrestlers (and I use them because they are in a "combat" type sport like sumo, rather than baseball or basketball, etc.) lift. They don't train on the mat exclusively and rely on nothing but skill or experience to win. You have to be stronger than the opponent combined with skill and experience in order to truly dominate. This is especially true when dealing with no weight classes and your opponent could be nearly twice your size. I don't mean this in any derogatory way, but it seems like you think I am saying these guys are goons for not lifting weights. I do not believe that at all. I just think it would be beneficial for them to do it and I am surprised that they don't.

No, that type of training is very important. Ask any strongman competitor, though. They do all kinds of stuff like that, but they all still lift conventional bench, squat (again, rikishi probably won't need to bother with squats since they hit those muscles so often already), deadlift, overhead press, and power clean. Those are proven strength builders. I don't see how having more upper body strength wouldn't help the wrestlers. The overhead press and bench are essential, I would think. I'm not criticizing the way the wrestlers train, I just think lifting weights is an incredibly important part of becoming a better athlete. And my original argument on the matter was just that they don't need to seek out and hire trainers to do this.