Study shows lightweight sumo wrestlers...

[Kotoseiya Yuichi 3]

I was checking for anomalous stuff and found out even this detail is now studied.

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Copy & paste:

Study shows lightweight sumo wrestlers have more tricks

A scientific study has shown lightweight sumo wrestlers almost match heavy opponents because they have more tricks.

A team from the University of Louisville in Kentucky studied 140 bouts in Japan's top wrestling division and found 48% were won by lighter wrestlers.

They noticed heavier competitors relied on a few favourite power techniques, but lighter wrestlers varied their moves and used the element of surprise.

Sumo wrestling has 70 recognised moves. The researchers found small wrestlers used an average of 21 techniques and varied their tactics.

The heaviest wrestlers preferred to keep it simple and rely on their power, using an average of just 13 different moves.

Perri Eason, who led the research, says the same could happen in unequal contests between animals.

Nature reports the two groups of 14 wrestlers who weighed an average of 19 stones and 28 stones.

Although the lightweight wrestlers used extra moves to increase their chances of winning, they won 48% of their bouts compared to a 52% success rate for the heavy wrestlers.

The team presented its findings at the International Behavioural Ecology Congress in Canada.

Story filed: 13:51 Monday 15th July 2002

Edited December 14, 2004 by Exil

[Asashosakari 20,209]

A team from the University of Louisville in Kentucky studied 140 bouts in Japan's top wrestling division and found 48% were won by lighter wrestlers. [...] The researchers found small wrestlers used an average of 21 techniques and varied their tactics. The heaviest wrestlers preferred to keep it simple and rely on their power, using an average of just 13 different moves.

I hope they studied 140 bouts per rikishi...if that's 140 in total (as the article seems to imply), I don't see how any individual rikishi could have had an average of 13 (or even 21) winning kimarite... ;-)

[Hashira 0]

Nature reports the two groups of 14 wrestlers who weighed an average of 19 stones and 28 stones.

how many pounds/kilos in a stone?

i'm assuming fujisan will jump on this one.....

[Kotoseiya Yuichi 3]

A stone is 6.35029 kilograms (14 pounds, I think). Ananova had also a story about a pregnant woman whose 5.5 stone (yes, 35 kgs!) breasts were operated few days ago. Therefore I checked the number and can tell it right away. ;-)

The number of studied bouts was strange to me as well...

Edited October 16, 2003 by Kotoseiya Yuichi

[Hashira 0]

thank you yuichi

[Onnagumo 4]

They noticed heavier competitors relied on a few favourite power techniques, but lighter wrestlers varied their moves and used the element of surprise.

The heaviest wrestlers preferred to keep it simple and rely on their power, using an average of just 13 different moves.

I guess my favourite rikishi fits this description. No doubt Kotonowaka is one of the heavyweights (Happy goodbyes...) and he isn't exactly known for using a lot of different techniques either (First prize...) .

A couple of years ago I read on the ML that he admitted this in an interview. During one particular basho, I don't remember which one, Kotonowaka had used more different techniques than he usually does. A reporter asked him if he was becoming a "department store of techniques" now, like Mainoumi. He replied that he was more like a convenience store.... ;-) (First prize...) (Laughing...)

[Yoavoshimaru 0]

This is not very surprising... Heavy wrestlers, assuming some correlation between weight and strength / ability to push, are just tempted to yorikiri their way to winning. Especially as that's considered honorable good sumo.

[Naifuzan 1]

They had to undergo a scientific study to realize that? :-/

[Manekineko 200]

Well, we scientists have to earn our living *somehow*. :-/