Top 6 Alternative Sports That are Growing Fast
Not so long ago, people who wanted to get involved with a popular sport had a handful of choices. Today, there are dozens more sports to choose from. Here are six of the fastest growing alternative sports:
1. Rock climbing.
In the 80s rock climbers were a strange breed who risked their lives on high crags with equipment that can only be described as dangerous and inadequate by today’s standards. Modern climbing is a very different story. In fact, many climbers never set foot on real rock. There are indoor climbing gyms popping up in towns all over the world, and most major cities have at least half a dozen indoor climbing venues to choose from.
Beginner climbing is very safe (almost all climbing gyms can provide expert instruction) and kids as young as five can join in. It’s a great option for parents who struggle to interest their teenagers in family activities, because it has a fabulously cool reputation for scariness, and also provides an excellent upper body and core muscle workout. If you’re bored of going to the gym every week, try indoor climbing instead.
2. Yoga.
In Europe and the US yoga was once seen as the exclusive domain of hippies and heavily laden with overtones alternative spirituality, but it has hit the mainstream in a big way. Yoga completely non-competitive and anyone can do it, from great-grandfathers to heavily pregnant women.
The focus is on improving core strength and developing better posture, balance, and flexibility. It’s perfect for easing the aches and pains of office workers, particularly those who spend long hours hunkered over a keyboard.
3. Freerunning.
This is one of the more extreme sports on the list. Freerunning is a mixture of running and acrobatics. Adherents dash through urban environments, sprinting, leaping, swinging, spinning, and sliding their way through the obstacle course that is a modern city centre.
Freerunning and parkour (a related sport) videos are extremely popular with YouTube viewers, and the incredible showreels put together by top proponents have probably had a lot to do with getting urban teenagers involved. Over time, freerunning develops fitness, balance, and poise, but there is one downside- mess up and you’ll probably mess up badly. Smart freerunners train in gymnastics studios before trying new tricks outside.
4. Mountain biking.
The UK’s BBC News service estimates that there are just over 10 million mountain bikers in the USA alone. It’s not incredibly accessible- mountain areas are dotted with new mountain biking centres with carefully designed trails, graded obstacles, and purpose-built bikes to hire on site. There are routes for kids and beginners as well as routes for seasoned and fearless riders.
Mountain biking really taken off as a summer sport in certain Alpine areas. In the French ski heartland of Chamonix (and in many other mountain resorts), some of the chair lifts have been adapted to take bikes in the warmer months. The MTB trails lie underneath the snowy piste in the winter.
5. Skateboarding.
Thought skateboarding was dead? Think again. There are almost as many skateboarders and mountain bikers in the US, and huge, high profile competitions like the X Games have young kids getting on board (no pun intended) in their thousands. It’s growing particularly strongly in China, where local skating scenes are popping up and delivering some outstanding talent. Globally, skateboarding is as strong as ever. And just as cool.
6. Scuba diving.
One of the most interesting things about scuba is that the most active local diving clubs are often hundreds of miles inland. There may not be a beach anywhere nearby, but diving clubs still meet at swimming pools to practice their skills, learn new techniques, and socialise.
They also organise club trips to the best dive destinations- joining a dive club can help beginners get to grips with the sport, and also help them make friends and arrange dive vacations. Learning to dive does take some time, but if you’re looking for a lifelong interest rather than a quick workout scuba is a great choice of sport.
Jess Spate is an extreme sports nut with a particular love of rock and ice climbing. She writes for Appalachian Outdoors and edits a British Outdoor Clothing resource.
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