Even as the sporting world’s offseasons are under pressure from exhibition matches, extended performance schedules and an increasing number of promotional events, sumo still stands out when it comes to the time commitment required of its participants.
Although the action in any given sumo fight lasts only a few seconds, the length and intensity of training in Japan’s national sport far exceeds that of virtually any other athletic endeavor.
In addition to countless training fights and spending hours repeating the same basic exercises hundreds of times every morning, sumo wrestlers – especially in the lower divisions – have an endless series of tasks, chores and obligations that take up their time.
