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rzombie1988

I'd like to see more safety precautions taken for the wrestlers

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I know firsthand that Japan isn't into change and I know sumo is very old school, but I'd like to see some better safety measures for the wrestlers. The two things I'd like to see are:

1) I want to see either netting, mats or an extension of the ring for the wrestlers. Everyday we see someone take a rough looking fall and it really doesn't add to the sport. It sucks to see people get hurt for absolutely no reason at all and I'm sure the association doesn't like having wrestlers out. It is also a minor danger for the fans and the people at ringside who have to watch out for wrestlers falling onto them. I can't think of one good reason not to do this aside from some crap about breaking tradition.

2) I'd like to see some type of set-up where an injured wrestler can take a tournament off without consequences. I realize that this existed before to some degree and people took advantage of it, but I think it could and should be brought back with restrictions. Maybe there could be a rule that it could only be used once a year and that a sumo association doctor would have to sign off on it, to prevent abuse. Not having this rule hurt the careers of wrestlers like Baruto and Tochinoshin and we seeing wrestlers risk further injury just to avoid demotions.

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I breached this subject myself a couple if months ago (can't find the thread/post somehow). Being a newbie sumo fan I find it logical that if any design features of the dohyo, even if they're steeply ingrained in the culture, are detrimental to the well-being of the rikishis, they should at least take into consideration of ways to improve it and make it that injuries are a more controllable aspect of sumo.

I like seeing a rikishi crash into spectators, it's mostly funny in nature and provide colour to the competition, however I don't like seeing a rikishi gets a serious and potentially career-ending injury because of an awkward fall that could have been wholly prevented by better design and planning.

Now where's that abandoned nuclear bunker I can take cover into?

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Stats, guys.

What fraction of injuries are caused by falls off the raised dohyo? Strikes against its edge? Are any injuries saved by the raised platform, or falling off it? (This is harder to calculate..)

Yes, it looks bad. That doesn't mean it is bad. Bust out some numbers, and you might have an argument--or you might not.

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I breached this subject myself a couple if months ago

http://www.sumoforum.net/forums/index.php?showtopic=34395&p=287033

Wow exactly 2 months ago. Cheers for that.

Ok I get that injuries happen all the time, and most of the time the design of the dohyo doesn't have anything to do with it. And yes, as Asashosakari mentioned that increasing the outer dohyo size will probably result in greater chance of crushing injury rather than the guys toppling off and rolling onto the tatami. However, I do think adding a layer of foam/mattress right on the outer perimeter will reduce the injury like Osunaarashi's arm injury a couple of bashos ago.

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The last injury sustained off the dohyo, so to speak, that I can remember was back in September 1989 when Misugisato fell off the dohyo and landed on Fujinoshin who was sitting at the side prior to his bout.

Swami

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The last injury sustained off the dohyo, so to speak, that I can remember was back in September 1989 when Misugisato fell off the dohyo and landed on Fujinoshin who was sitting at the side prior to his bout.

Swami

Among the rikishi, anyway. There was the time when the then Kimura Shozaburo -- later the 37th Kimura Shonosuke -- got knocked out when he was bumped off the dohyo by Wakakoyu, himself on the way out courtesy of Baruto.

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There was also that time an elderly spectator went to the hospital because a rikishi fell on him either in 2015 or 2014.

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Stats, guys.

What fraction of injuries are caused by falls off the raised dohyo? Strikes against its edge? Are any injuries saved by the raised platform, or falling off it? (This is harder to calculate..)

Yes, it looks bad. That doesn't mean it is bad. Bust out some numbers, and you might have an argument--or you might not.

No way any of us here have access to those kind of numbers.

Hey, it only takes one good fall for someone to get seriously injured. Would rather see that be avoided at all costs.

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There was also that time an elderly spectator went to the hospital because a rikishi fell on him either in 2015 or 2014.

I think recently (last basho?) there was also a case of cameraman getting bloody nose after falling rikishi hit his face.

Edited by DarthJF

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Every sport has the freak injury, like a third base coach getting hit in the head with a line drive . All contact sports even without a dohyo are dangerous and people have died from injuries suffered in the ring. But the fact that someone may get injured in this or that way can't change a sport radically just because stuff can happen. Shut down all roads because I might get run over? Don't allow planes to fly because they MAY fall out of the sky? There is no end. This is sumo and this is how it is. It's not like the rikishi are falling like flies every day, flying off the dohyo and getting seriously injured. As someone smarter than me already said-most injuries happen inside the ring. So what, maybe we should pad the dohyo with mattresses? Ban kotenage? Ban throws? There is no end to this.

Edited by Kintamayama
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I thought most of the injuries happened in training, where there is no raised dohyo?

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I thought most of the injuries happened in training, where there is no raised dohyo?

That too, although I think the main culprit is the sheer difference in time spent practicing versus time spent in competition.
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From what I've seen in sports like American football, more safety equipment does not make a sport more safe. In fact, in that example, the sport has been made even more unsafe because of how much harder these guys are able and willing to hit each other. There is risk of injury in any sport, not to mention a combat sport.

I wouldn't mind seeing the reintroduction of kosho but even I'm not sure how they would regulate it to prevent the type of shenanigans that killed it in the first place. I've got this feeling like submitting a doctors note isn't going to cut it.

And since you mentioned Tochinoshin and Baruto, two of my favourites, I would also like to point out that they had a hand in their own demise. Both of their styles rely/relied on sheer strength and power. Baruto's penchant for being a human crane and muscling his opponents out of the ring (which was impressive, no doubt) instead of focusing more on fighting on the belt was his demise. Just because you can win with strength and power alone doesn't mean you should. Tochinoshin is cut from the exact same cloth but he made the decision to have surgery and climb back up the banzuke once he recovered as opposed to retiring. I miss Baruto dearly, but at least that's a lesson on what not to do for my fellow countryman Homarenishiki.

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Homarenishiki has a good reach which could give him an advantage getting good belt grips. If he manages to match that with strength and reading his opponent's balance we could look forward to seeing a lot of good throws.

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Homarenishiki has a good reach which could give him an advantage getting good belt grips. If he manages to match that with strength and reading his opponent's balance we could look forward to seeing a lot of good throws.

I don't think Homarenishiki is going to be much of a belt person in the near future.

Edited by Kintamayama

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if you look at how close the audience was in Taiho's day, they have made some changes for the safety of the audience

I was going to add that the biggest change they made for the safety of the wrestlers was to suspend the yakata from the roof instead of supporting it on pillars at the corners of the dohyo. Imagine crashing headlong into one of those things. But then it occurred to me that it may have been more for TV camera sightlines than anything else.

Was it before or after this that they made some changes for the safety of the shimpan and moved them from sitting on the dohyo in front of the pillars to ringside?

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Homarenishiki has a good reach which could give him an advantage getting good belt grips. If he manages to match that with strength and reading his opponent's balance we could look forward to seeing a lot of good throws.

I don't think Homarenishiki is going to be much of a belt person in the near future.

It looks like he's focusing more on pushing/thrusting/striking - also a good use of those long arms.

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It's an on-going joke that the only ones who can afford the ringside seats are the old and frail. I've suggested that when (in the days of really big guys like YMY, Iwakiyama and others, or even today with the likes of Gagamaru or Ichinojo) the first five rows of spectators sign waivers in case these guys roll off the dohyo and create human salsa. I forget which unlucky soul got thrown/pushed/heaved/booted 6 rows deep by a then-perfectly wired Asashoryuu. But then, you takes your risks.

Major league baseball is finally getting around to extending its screening around home plate to protect people from thrown bats, balls and umpire spit. Hockey put up nets long ago when a young fan was killed by a puck at an NHL game. But I can't see the NSK doing anything of the like. Stuff like this rarely happens. And most injuries in the ring occur IN the ring. Perhaps the two most famous were when, in winning the bout, Mainoumi (the size of an average jockey) managed to pull Konishiki (the size of an average triceratops) on top of himself, breaking his leg. Or when Yamamotoyama (another fairly large omnivore - see my avatar) took himself out by sitting on himself.

I DO think there should be a grace period for injured rikishi, so as not to punish them for serious injuries. This, however, will be discussed until the 3rd coming of Zrouthdinvsghey The Grey, or the Toronto Maple Leafs win the Stanley Cup, or when Mercury plunges into the Sun, whichever comes first.

The concept of a circular dohyo with equal space around the ring has also been discussed, but since this would play havoc with the seating don't look for this to happen either,

And foam pads? One could argue that most of these guys carry their own padding with them. Besides, I would bet that if one did put down nice soft wadding around the dohyo, these guys wouldn't land anywhere near it. (See Murphy's Law.) Who was it (Baruto? Kotooshu?) that got tossed halfway down the hanamichi(?), that hallway/lane that the guys come out of for their matches.

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the 3rd coming of Zrouthdinvsghey The Grey

I actually googled Zrouthwhachamadingdong for crissakes in fear I might have missed a major fantasy pop culture icon or something! D'oh!

Edited by d_golem
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Homarenishiki has a good reach which could give him an advantage getting good belt grips. If he manages to match that with strength and reading his opponent's balance we could look forward to seeing a lot of good throws.

I don't think Homarenishiki is going to be much of a belt person in the near future.

It looks like he's focusing more on pushing/thrusting/striking - also a good use of those long arms.

Of course he should not attempt anything too complicated now. Basics come first anyway. Brute strength alone is a recipe for injury and a short career, if you do not learn to be fast to take advantage of your opponent's momentum.

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In any sport, there is and always will be a chance of injury. Both to the competitors and spectators. As a wrestler I've been injured while competing in matches, in practice, running, and even as a wrestling official. It comes with the territory. Those people who sit right up next to the dohyo know what's coming. And a lot of them have more than likely been there, done that.

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