I love Takakeisho, and that time in 2019 when his oyakata made him sit out 2 tournaments so he could heal properly, I was so glad. Injuries deserve to be healed.
This is yet another excellent video for new sumo fans. Not a lot of people know that injuries are the bane of sumo wrestlers' careers. Props to Coach Isegahama for telling Terunofuji to rest, as it is common belief in the sumo stables that "to treat injuries, one must practice harder," to which the opposite happened. Only the Yokozuna have the privilege to sit out and rest like Queen Ter mentioned in the video, but that also comes with the YDC sending them warnings. I've seen several Ozeki come short of achieving Yokozuna status (Kotooshu, Baruto, and Tochinoshin come to mind) and once-promising wrestlers like Tochiozan become what-if stories since he was outranked by rival Goeido.
Another great video! The interviews were awesome! It's wild how sumo think about injuries so differently to other athletes and even wilder how the suspensions can actually be beneficial!
Sumostew, you don’t stop spoiling us do you? The thing about these videos, as an aspiring content creator myself, one thing sumostew illustrates time and time again, is the amount of detail and context being provided without a wasted second. I mean, we’re talking about sports level journalism here. These videos do not take short cuts, and the delivery helps me engage with the grand scheme of things. Wowzers, keep going stew, your going to be big.
I remember that time in the video Takayasu tore his hamstring and yelled out in pain - it sent a chill down my spine. I hate seeing them get injured, and even more so when people just stand there not knowing what to do. After what happened to Hibikiryu a year ago, they are slowly getting better. Forcing Enho to forfeit the match with Takagenji was a step in the right direction. On the other hand, something I love to see is when the opponent senses something is wrong so they gently escort them out of the ring. You get the feeling they really do care about each other. At the end of the day, John said it best: "This is sumo, mate!" Another great video, Ter!
THE QUALITY!!!! MY GOD!!! sumo, you REALLY outdid yourself AGAIN and i swear....the quality is higher than most movies of big companies nowadays!!! ❤️ thank you so much! your videos really help me getting through a tough time right now ❤️
thank you so much Zj. I wish you all the best through these tough times. I got through mine by thinking about Terunofuji and how he got through his injury. And now he is yokozuna!
I have an immense amount of respect for the rikishi who fight on through injuries. It shows an amazing amount of kokoro. That being said, I'd prefer it if tournaments were scheduled for four times a year instead of bi-monthly. This would those who are injured a longer recovery time, which would probably result in better sumo for spectators, and possibly longer careers for some wrestlers in the long run.
I disagree time frame wise. As a fellow spectator, the wait for the next basho is a grueling one. However, I do agree there need to be better policies in place for injuries. Say all of the current top division sat out 3 tournaments due to injury so about 6 months. They have recovered completely. Now due to the lack of a top division, the Juryo division automatically gets bumped up to fill the slots. Then the top division wrestlers climb the ladder again and reclaim their position. From what I’ve noticed, there’s a massive skill gap between divisions so I don’t see this being a problem for a majority of them and if so, then that’s how the cookie crumbles I guess but at least this way, not only do they get to compete again, but they do so at full health, which let’s face it, hasn’t been a thing in sumo for quite some time.
It's not just the scheduled basho every other month, it is really a year long tradition with exhibition contests, special events and competitive training with other Heya in between tournaments. The national sport is really no big breaks other than for more training. The dedication by rikishi is amazing!
i've been a sumo fan for over 10 years but your videos feel fresh, great storytelling and wonderful pace, besides that i'm learning something new everytime! Thanks for your hard work, it's worth it
Yeah, its a topic that's been going on for years. If they allow people to sit out, it might lead to manipulation of the ranks, and people sitting on their ranks with injuries. On the other hand, you can argue we don't see as much good sumo as we could be with so many injuries. I've dwelled on this topic for years. They definitely need to step up ring side medical personnel, its actually ridiculous how little they have had over the years. I've never had a good answer for this, that doesn't penalize those who don't suffer from injuries.
Thought: Perhaps an "injury recovery abstain" could be utilised. A Rikishi injured during an event can opt to request this and either not suffer a rank decrease of have the level of the decrease significantly reduced thus reducing the amount of pressure on them to attempt the next event while injured.
As with all solutions, there are potential negative outcomes. For example, I think falls from the dohyo are a huge factor in many career-ending injuries (remember Kisenosato and Tomokaze?), and I think that lowering the dohyo or putting crash pads around the ring would help protect rikishi. However, we have to ask: would crash pads encourage more rikishi to attempt risky throws on the tawara, leading to MORE injuries as a result? Any system will have ways to abuse it. However, that doesn't mean we can't take reasonable steps to address the problem as a whole
I think this was a couple of tournaments ago and it was either Ura or Onosho I think who had gotten KO’ed out of the ring during a bout and I was literally screaming at the tv, “WHERE’S THE MEDICAL TEAM?!” Cuz he was just laying there on the clay and they just all sat there like expecting him to get up on his own. Medical guy was in yellow and they forced him up and made him bow to signify the end of the bout but it was absolutely insane to me how even if a wrestler is out cold, they just expect them to rise up. Warriors or not, sumo wrestlers are still human. Since that day I’ve dived into sumo a bit more to understand the sport. In American sports, if someone was KO’ed like that, they would’ve been carted away immediately even if they got back up.
They could change the rules, where if you are absent from injury for 1-3 tournaments. The worst you get demoted is bottom of your current division. So if an Ozeki gets injured then after a year of recuperation he starts at flat bottom of Juryo. But instead of gradual fall if you declare injury, you're immediately taken to the bottom rank of divison, pay halved while missing tournaments. You're set aside basically like the covid guys retaining that absolute bottom rank. So when they come back from injury they might have an inflated Maegashira/Juryo roster for a tournament or two, but it'd still provide a year reprieve to recover without fear or losing Sekitori status. Another option is to rework the paid ranking system entirely. Maybe pay-cut everyone in the top, but the only way to lose sekitori status is by losing matches/suspension/retiring/above system of missing 3 consecutive tournaments per division. Then increase rewards for earning kachikoshi/championships/special awards. I dunno, they'd have to work the specifics. But they should at least give a way for wrestlers to be able to seek treatment without falling completely down to Sandanme or worse for wanting to stay healthy.
great job stew each new video is better than the last recently its been cool watching you transform from what I would call fans videos if that makes sense to these more professional style videos always tough when talking about injuries but hopefully this explains the mindset of the rikishi and why some of them go easy once they get their KK if they aren't in the running for the yusho
Great Video as always :) You are a big part of what brought me into sumo this year. I really liked the "real life" Scenes with the Banzuke, it made the Video more engaging
I like that you run a gofundme, seeing you attend a Basho would be amazing! But have you ever considered starting a Patreon? would live to get an insight into the development of these videos whilst also supporting a good content creator monthly.
Your videos are high quality. You do all this yourself, absolutely love it. Interviews in the video gives better insight. For injury, it’s like they said, in sumo it is about pain wrestlers can tolerate or can’t. Let’s enjoy next basho with least injuries.
Your channel has been incredibly helpful for me in understanding this beautiful ancient sport over the past year or so - thank you for another wonderful video
Great job on this. And nice postcards you made there. That could be a future merch idea 😉. I appreciated your sharing the views of those associated with Sumo and it's culture on competing while injured.. Culture plays a bigger role than most of us realize.
I think the dohyo is one of the most cringe thing safety-wise about sumo IMO. I mean, why does it have to be so high off the ground? Do we really need to see these guys crash land even more? Also, the corner bucket just sitting there....like, I know the attendee will most likely move it in time, but I fear there's a good chance for someone to crash land on it the wrong way at some point.
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To the producer/presenter of this channel: I have great respect for your journalism skills. You have a sound spot among this sport's commentators. Besides being entertaining and informative, your presentations have a unique quality to them which not only keeps the viewer engaged. It also keeps them invested in..... whatever you present! Now, that takes real skill. And you've got it! Very big Thumbs Up to you.
Glad I found you. Am a service brat and lived in Japan 3 years and in 10th grade we had to Sumo Wrestle in Phys. Ed. It was the first time in my life I got knocked out. Never forget it.
These guys are physically active on an almost non stop basis. Training just about everyday, sometimes to the point of exhaustion, then they have jungyo tours and the bashos. They don’t get to go on vacations or take long breaks unless they have a debilitating injury or maybe get married and go on a honeymoon. Sumo can be incredibly unforgiving at times. But they inspire me with their tenacity.
so basically it comes down to the financial incentive of getting paid more the higher rank you are. it's unfortunate but this is how it is in every combat sport. Even in boxing or mma for example, most fighters will still choose to compete even with existing injuries as to not miss their payday they've worked an entire camp to get, but even in those sports they are more forgiving with the ranking system if you happen to get injured and pull out. Sumo has a brutal system where it really is survival of the fittest, but honestly all things considered it is probably the best way to run the sport.
🥺😢This vid makes me want to send a message to every rikishi reminding them how appreciated and respected they are. I'm not a sports person, so I don't know who has it worse in terms of treatment after injury, but rikishi seem to have a really tough break. I hope things get better for every ones sake.
another great vid, Ter...thank you... this is indeed brutal...fighting through injuries can cause life-long damage...I know a former boxer whose ankles never healed because he continually fights; he retired early and he sometimes re-dislocates it just by walking, and he even re-dislocated it just by standing...so imagine the long term damage to a rikishi fighting through injuries...
I'm a traditionalist with sumo, so I don't like change generally, but it seems like most injuries come from falling out of the dohyo. It seems like lowering the height of it would help a lot. The height is only ceremonial and has nothing to do with the actual playing of the sport. Recently when Ura fell out and hit his head on the floor so loud it was heard throughout the arena, it really made me think about how unrelated to the actual match and how unnecessary all these falling injuries are
This video was so sad! It was awesome! You made a very seriously toned but informative and entertaining video, that's just my opinion. I love this video.
I wish they didn't feel forced to keep competing when injured. There should be a support system to take care of sumo wrestler's expenses when they get seriously injured.
it's so tragic to see someone clearly unfit to wrestle just keep going, trying to preserve their rank... the particular injury that comes to mind is Kaiseis foot, really hope it had time to heal so he can fight his way back to Makuuchi, and have his final basho there....
Any change affecting the ranks even in smallest of ways will be exploited. Just about the only solution as of now is to mitigate injury occurrence, like lowering the dohyo and having medical personnel at hand at any moment. One of the most fundamental changes that would relieve a considerable amount of pressure from top rikishi would be expanding paid ranks to makushita. Quite unrealistic, given the constant alleged financial difficulties of the organization, but I'm sure it would be tremendously effective.
I wonder if there is a connection between the amount of injuries and the SIZE of the athletes? We know athletes have gotten bigger as time moves forward, sumo no exception. Is there evidence to suggest there were fewer injuries when rikishi were smaller? Do the records bear any evidence of this? I am of the opinion there are more injuries today than 100 years ago just because of the size of our rikishi today. This was a most excellent vid to watch, sister. Please keep on keeping on. ;)
Thank you for bringing attention to this. Its troubling to see these athletes abusing themselves because of the loss of their livelihood, or for the the respect of the sport/fans, and the honor of their dojo. With the amount of sacredness, honor and respect these top athletes are meant to embody you would think the association would hold their prized honorable warriors in higher regard for their health. These fighters are the ones to bring attention to the sport and bring interest of fans across the world. With constant injury it may suffer from poor quality rikishi in the tournaments. Maybe the association doesn't care cuz they have so many others in reserve waiting to take up the spot.
Rikishis used to be able to sit out tournaments due to injury til 2003. Look up kōshō seido, you really can't have an injury related video and not talk about its discontinuation in 2003.
Thanks for the video and for the interviews. Hopefully we now have "covid outbreaks" that allow a basho off without losing rank. It is always difficult to watch favorite rikishi in pain trying to not lose rank.
Hey there sumostew ( i like to think chanko nabe when i read your pseudo name :D ). I've been a fan of sumo for about 2-3 years now (still don't know too much, but i like watching it when and where i can). I found your channel about 2 weeks ago and i love it, very well documented and very well explained. I like to watch sumo and it saddens me too see such great warriors not be able to perform because of some stupid old rules. Take the one and only georgian loved sumo wrestler, Tochinoshin...he suffered greatly and he was one of the very best with incredible strength and great out putting shows with his signature "baby pick up" move...and he could have excelled so much more if he could have healed properly, but alas...because of stupid rules he injured himself even more and now he can't compete right ever again...shame, such shame, for such an advanced society they sure cling to some stupid sh*t that ruins sports and other stuff.
Great video. I'm not saying it's right or proper but that's sumo. It's eat or be eatin'. Shodai seems to be holding up physically, mentally is another story
I love your videos. Very entertaining and informative. I don't think seriously injured wrestlers should be penalized. It forces them to fight through the pain and possibly making their injuries even that much worse.
For starters, they need an actual medical crew ringside. A sports doctor, two assistants/nurses, a full cart of medical equipment right inside the halls on each end, and an ambulance with crew right out side the events building. Injuries need, big or small, need to be attended to quickly. From bloody noses and knockouts to possible rips and tears to any part of the body, broken bones, or anything else the doctor may notice before a match telling him that the Rikishi shouldn't be fighting. The wrestler who died last year may have had a much greater chance of survival if a medical crew was able to jump in instantly and tend to him with the proper knowledge and equipment and got him stable and to the hospital much, much faster. Instead of just having people stand around doing nothing and expecting him to just wake up and walk out of there..I've seen multiple injuries that should have had a doctor in the ring the moment the injury happened. And it's sad that these Rikishi aren't respected enough by the council for them to put forth the effort required to keep these guys safe and their health intact.
They need to have some sort of system that allows rikishi to withdraw from tournaments without losing rank. Many of these injuries are manageable with skipping a tournament or two. However, playing through it just aggravates it and destroys careers. By either destroying rikishi through injury or kicking them out of their rank the sumo assosciation just allows inferior rikishi to come to top division and give us inferior quality sumo. Some may say that fighting through injury is part of the sport, but often injuries are a matter of circumstance not physical weakness. Look at that injury that destroyed Kisenosato; if he had landed another way he might still be competing. The assosciation should give them an allowance of tournaments to skip. Perhaps two per year and only if there is a serious injury. Rikishi can be analyzed by the assosciations own doctors so rikishi don't make up stories like in other sports.
@sumostew Dont want to blame you, but your prononciation of Makushita is incorrect. Actually its spelled Makshita. u is not spelled. The video was great! Thanks for your professional work!
This is true of any sport or competition. Just so you understand, this is true of any sport or competition. In my home country of Australia, Ben Elias hooker of the Balmain Tigers, New South Wales Cockroaches and Australian Kangaroos famously said “If you only played when you’re 100% fit or without injury you would never play a game” Same combination dictates here. Indeed Takayasu benefited greatly by being placed at M7 in the last tournament. He will not be given a easier path this time at M2 where he will fight the Sanyaku ranks in his first week. Better to remember Sumo fortunes flow like the ebb and tide of the ocean. There are no guarantees and nothing is written in stone.
Your channel will blow up once sumo gets more popular here in the west. The algorithm always rewards well made videos. Anyway, since I'm more interested in the combat aspect of sumo than anything else, I really wish it had a proper sports structure when it comes to salaries, injuries, divisions etc. It's not smart how they don't let low division get paid, how they're forced to wrestle through injuries and the whole training aspect of it. No pay = less potential athletes. No "injury break" = more likely talented wrestlers end their careers sooner than expected. Their ideals when it comes to how a sumo wrestler should train and live his life = prevents wrestlers from maximizing their brand and athleticism. Sumo has a lot of potential to become a popular sport (more fans, more money for athletes and more talented athletes), but the fact it carries centuries old traditions really ruin that potential, unfortunately.
I think they should try to minimize a rikishi's drop in the event of injury related losses. Yes they should still drop but not the the extent of another who incurred match losses. There is always case by case situations that could be considered of course
To start, they should do away with, if there's any, tradition about the dohyo (the square platform, not the ring itself) being too small. They should at least make it bigger to eliminate the risk of falling.
The most worrying thing for me is not that the injuries happen, that's just part of the sport, massive guys like this smashing off each other is going to cause injuries somewhere along the line. It's the fact that when an injury obviously happens, the officials just stand there doing absolutely nothing while the Sumo is down on the floor in agony and in major distress and they just let him lay there for what seems an eternity before they wave someone in to try and 'help' them up whilst totally disregarding what kind of injury it may be, potentially injuring the Sumo even further. There seems like there's very lax, almost non existent medical personnel and the list of injuries are all relatively similar, they should have this shit locked down by now as to what to do exactly when an injury happens. But no, the enjoyment of having a Sumo rolling about the floor into the front row audience is more exciting for the tournament organisers apparently. The sport is ancient both literally and its mentality.
We really shouldn't expect anything from them. Low divisions guy not getting paid is also very ridiculous, it's a big "hey kids, don't bother becoming a sumo wrestler". The training tradition (aka not a real gym) and etiquette rules (outside of battle*, like what clothes they can wear and so on) are also unnecessary if we're strictly thinking about the sports aspect of sumo. Sumo could be a superb sport but it has many things preventing its growth - and I think they really don't care. It's more about protecting traditions.
The matches themselves are so ducking awesome to watch. It really could become a somewhat global sport if certain aspects of it were more or less abandoned. The whole ceremony and habit parts are great. They should never leave the sport. But the way they treat injuries and basically force athletes to not fully optimize their game and career, it's just too much. Start treating injuries as other sports do and give low division guys money, so the sport can keep its talents for longer and can attract new ones.
As an amateur sumo wrestler, in my opinion, sumo is easier on the body to compete in while injured than most other sports. I've wrestled whole tournaments with a broken arm because in my head, I'm saying "this will only hurt for a few seconds then I've got a while off" while in other combat sports you're fighting with that constant pain for 5 minutes minimum, which quickly wears down on you mentally. Not saying Pro Sumo shouldn't have better injury protocol, just that it's understandable why they don't pull out even when they should.
It seems like injuries would take more of a toll on the body in grand sumo because the bashos are 15 days long. Also would depend on the severity of the injury. A lot of them get pretty gnarly injuries over the years and tape and braces can only do so much.
This video makes it really clear that sumo is brutal. It's hard not to respect the top ranked rikishi for making it that far. And I really hope Asanoyama can make a great come back just like Terunofuji did.
During Covid they offered protection to the rankings of rikishi who were sick or who had to isolate. They were forced to miss the tournament but with no demotions. Surely they can do something similar for major injuries, like knee ligament tears. Even allowing just one tournament to be missed without demotion would be a huge improvement since it could give four months to recover from an injury, instead of two. The Sumo Association could hire independent physiotherapists to judge the serverity of an injury and determine whether or not a 'protected withdrawl' would apply. That would eliminate the possibilities of anyone 'faking' or exaggerating severity of an injury to keep in the salaried ranks.
They used to have that, they got rid of it. Wrestlers abused it. I don't think getting a physio to rule on it would help. The line drawn at what constitutes a valid injury and what doesn't would be arbitrary and cause plenty of problems itself. Although it would help to have actual physios and doctors ringside and respond to injuries like other sports do. When a guy goes down, there should be a doctor attending to him immediately, but everyone just kind of looks around and hopes the half dead wrestler gets up.
It is always worrying when you see an injury like that and there is virtually no response. They certainly need to shrapen up the immediate response and concussion is now being taken more seriously. Did you know, until recently, the on site medical staff where located somewhere upstairs in the Kokugikan. It literally took them several minutes to get to ring side once they realised they were needed, which was a joke. They might need to set a high bar to prevent abuse of a injury ranking protection. Even if they needed to point to an X-ray and show the obviously broken leg to the JSA, that would be better than someone losing their rank for not competing. Something needs to change.
Give this woman a pay raise so she can figure out how to fix, or better yet, prevent these problems. Healthy wrestlers provide the best matches and entertainment.
They did used to have 4 tournaments a year. So having 6 in a year must be taking more of toll, then again sumo wrestlers should be training and practising sumo in a way that makes them less liable to getting injured.
Having to play hurt especially to not lose your spot has so much in common with pro wrestling as well. I def don’t think they should lose their ranking sue to injury we all understand that they worked hard to achieve said ranking and that injuries happen and the shouldn’t get penalized for it When they come back maybe have to matches against wrestlers in that ranking to make sure they can win at least and then reinstate said ranking
I've long believed that there should be SOME sort of system to allow injured rikishi to take the time to heal properly without free falling through the ranks. Rikishi with relatively minor injuries (partial tear of a knee ligament, partial muscle tears, pulled muscles, etc) are forced to either fight on and risk making their injury substantially worse, or watch years of hard work evaporate as they plummet through the ranks if they sit out and take the time to heal. I think letting these wrestlers drop through the ranks, due to injury or suspension, is a massive disservice to everyone involved. It's a disservice to the fans, who no longer get to see some of their favorite fighters competing in the top division. It's a disservice to the wrestlers themselves. It's a disservice to the other wrestlers in the lower divisions as well, who now have to compete for division 3, 4, and 5 titles against the likes of Terunofuji, Tomokaze, Asanoyama, Abi, and Ryuden. I believe that all rikishi should be able to sit out for one basho in a calendar year and not have their rank affected, period. I also believe that if a rikishi has to sit out with injury for multiple tournaments, they should not drop below the top of the next division down (ex. a Juryo rikishi with a torn ACL would not drop below Makushita 1) for at least three tournaments. I also feel that the current system of suspension is almost more of a punishment to everybody BUT the suspended rikishi, and that there must be an alternative way to appropriately discipline a rikishi that doesn't involve tossing an Ozeki into Makushita.
As a fan, I hate to see injuries hindering athletes or slowing their careers down.
Great video as always.
this is a reply to appese youtube
I love Takakeisho, and that time in 2019 when his oyakata made him sit out 2 tournaments so he could heal properly, I was so glad. Injuries deserve to be healed.
This is yet another excellent video for new sumo fans. Not a lot of people know that injuries are the bane of sumo wrestlers' careers. Props to Coach Isegahama for telling Terunofuji to rest, as it is common belief in the sumo stables that "to treat injuries, one must practice harder," to which the opposite happened. Only the Yokozuna have the privilege to sit out and rest like Queen Ter mentioned in the video, but that also comes with the YDC sending them warnings.
I've seen several Ozeki come short of achieving Yokozuna status (Kotooshu, Baruto, and Tochinoshin come to mind) and once-promising wrestlers like Tochiozan become what-if stories since he was outranked by rival Goeido.
Another great video! The interviews were awesome! It's wild how sumo think about injuries so differently to other athletes and even wilder how the suspensions can actually be beneficial!
Sumostew, you don’t stop spoiling us do you?
The thing about these videos, as an aspiring content creator myself, one thing sumostew illustrates time and time again, is the amount of detail and context being provided without a wasted second. I mean, we’re talking about sports level journalism here. These videos do not take short cuts, and the delivery helps me engage with the grand scheme of things.
Wowzers, keep going stew, your going to be big.
I remember that time in the video Takayasu tore his hamstring and yelled out in pain - it sent a chill down my spine. I hate seeing them get injured, and even more so when people just stand there not knowing what to do. After what happened to Hibikiryu a year ago, they are slowly getting better. Forcing Enho to forfeit the match with Takagenji was a step in the right direction. On the other hand, something I love to see is when the opponent senses something is wrong so they gently escort them out of the ring. You get the feeling they really do care about each other. At the end of the day, John said it best: "This is sumo, mate!" Another great video, Ter!
Takagenji should’ve been disqualified for punching.
THE QUALITY!!!! MY GOD!!! sumo, you REALLY outdid yourself AGAIN and i swear....the quality is higher than most movies of big companies nowadays!!! ❤️ thank you so much! your videos really help me getting through a tough time right now ❤️
thank you so much Zj. I wish you all the best through these tough times. I got through mine by thinking about Terunofuji and how he got through his injury. And now he is yokozuna!
I have an immense amount of respect for the rikishi who fight on through injuries. It shows an amazing amount of kokoro. That being said, I'd prefer it if tournaments were scheduled for four times a year instead of bi-monthly. This would those who are injured a longer recovery time, which would probably result in better sumo for spectators, and possibly longer careers for some wrestlers in the long run.
I disagree time frame wise. As a fellow spectator, the wait for the next basho is a grueling one. However, I do agree there need to be better policies in place for injuries. Say all of the current top division sat out 3 tournaments due to injury so about 6 months. They have recovered completely. Now due to the lack of a top division, the Juryo division automatically gets bumped up to fill the slots. Then the top division wrestlers climb the ladder again and reclaim their position. From what I’ve noticed, there’s a massive skill gap between divisions so I don’t see this being a problem for a majority of them and if so, then that’s how the cookie crumbles I guess but at least this way, not only do they get to compete again, but they do so at full health, which let’s face it, hasn’t been a thing in sumo for quite some time.
It's not just the scheduled basho every other month, it is really a year long tradition with exhibition contests, special events and competitive training with other Heya in between tournaments. The national sport is really no big breaks other than for more training. The dedication by rikishi is amazing!
i've been a sumo fan for over 10 years but your videos feel fresh, great storytelling and wonderful pace, besides that i'm learning something new everytime! Thanks for your hard work, it's worth it
Yeah, its a topic that's been going on for years. If they allow people to sit out, it might lead to manipulation of the ranks, and people sitting on their ranks with injuries. On the other hand, you can argue we don't see as much good sumo as we could be with so many injuries. I've dwelled on this topic for years. They definitely need to step up ring side medical personnel, its actually ridiculous how little they have had over the years. I've never had a good answer for this, that doesn't penalize those who don't suffer from injuries.
Thought:
Perhaps an "injury recovery abstain" could be utilised.
A Rikishi injured during an event can opt to request this and either not suffer a rank decrease of have the level of the decrease significantly reduced thus reducing the amount of pressure on them to attempt the next event while injured.
As with all solutions, there are potential negative outcomes. For example, I think falls from the dohyo are a huge factor in many career-ending injuries (remember Kisenosato and Tomokaze?), and I think that lowering the dohyo or putting crash pads around the ring would help protect rikishi. However, we have to ask: would crash pads encourage more rikishi to attempt risky throws on the tawara, leading to MORE injuries as a result?
Any system will have ways to abuse it. However, that doesn't mean we can't take reasonable steps to address the problem as a whole
I think this was a couple of tournaments ago and it was either Ura or Onosho I think who had gotten KO’ed out of the ring during a bout and I was literally screaming at the tv, “WHERE’S THE MEDICAL TEAM?!” Cuz he was just laying there on the clay and they just all sat there like expecting him to get up on his own. Medical guy was in yellow and they forced him up and made him bow to signify the end of the bout but it was absolutely insane to me how even if a wrestler is out cold, they just expect them to rise up. Warriors or not, sumo wrestlers are still human. Since that day I’ve dived into sumo a bit more to understand the sport. In American sports, if someone was KO’ed like that, they would’ve been carted away immediately even if they got back up.
They could change the rules, where if you are absent from injury for 1-3 tournaments. The worst you get demoted is bottom of your current division. So if an Ozeki gets injured then after a year of recuperation he starts at flat bottom of Juryo. But instead of gradual fall if you declare injury, you're immediately taken to the bottom rank of divison, pay halved while missing tournaments. You're set aside basically like the covid guys retaining that absolute bottom rank.
So when they come back from injury they might have an inflated Maegashira/Juryo roster for a tournament or two, but it'd still provide a year reprieve to recover without fear or losing Sekitori status.
Another option is to rework the paid ranking system entirely. Maybe pay-cut everyone in the top, but the only way to lose sekitori status is by losing matches/suspension/retiring/above system of missing 3 consecutive tournaments per division. Then increase rewards for earning kachikoshi/championships/special awards.
I dunno, they'd have to work the specifics. But they should at least give a way for wrestlers to be able to seek treatment without falling completely down to Sandanme or worse for wanting to stay healthy.
great job stew each new video is better than the last recently its been cool watching you transform from what I would call fans videos if that makes sense to these more professional style videos
always tough when talking about injuries but hopefully this explains the mindset of the rikishi and why some of them go easy once they get their KK if they aren't in the running for the yusho
Definitely your best work yet! I've got a strong feeling you'll soon become an absolute mainstay on sumo UA-cam :)
Its so hard to get informed and educated about sumo, but you are changing that and helping me and many others so much! Thank you
Great Video as always :) You are a big part of what brought me into sumo this year. I really liked the "real life" Scenes with the Banzuke, it made the Video more engaging
I like that you run a gofundme, seeing you attend a Basho would be amazing! But have you ever considered starting a Patreon? would live to get an insight into the development of these videos whilst also supporting a good content creator monthly.
Brilliant again, it's been really cool to see how your videos keep on improving. Enjoy the upcoming basho!
Your videos are high quality. You do all this yourself, absolutely love it.
Interviews in the video gives better insight.
For injury, it’s like they said, in sumo it is about pain wrestlers can tolerate or can’t. Let’s enjoy next basho with least injuries.
Your channel has been incredibly helpful for me in understanding this beautiful ancient sport over the past year or so - thank you for another wonderful video
Great content as usual! Thank you!
Great job on this. And nice postcards you made there. That could be a future merch idea 😉.
I appreciated your sharing the views of those associated with Sumo and it's culture on competing while injured.. Culture plays a bigger role than most of us realize.
I think the dohyo is one of the most cringe thing safety-wise about sumo IMO. I mean, why does it have to be so high off the ground? Do we really need to see these guys crash land even more? Also, the corner bucket just sitting there....like, I know the attendee will most likely move it in time, but I fear there's a good chance for someone to crash land on it the wrong way at some point.
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Awesome video as usual, thank you. How can you be part of the sumo fantasy like that you mentioned ?
you can find all the links in a video I made about fantasy sumo leagues -> ua-cam.com/video/hj_KKHvK5t4/v-deo.html
To the producer/presenter of this channel: I have great respect for your journalism skills. You have a sound spot among this sport's commentators. Besides being entertaining and informative, your presentations have a unique quality to them which not only keeps the viewer engaged. It also keeps them invested in..... whatever you present! Now, that takes real skill. And you've got it! Very big Thumbs Up to you.
Thank you very much for your kind words. I appreciate you a lot. It makes me feel great about the work that I do. I wish you all the best!!
Phenomenal video. I particularly liked the pre title intro tying the suspensions in with the topic of the video. Thank you!
These videos are well made, thank you!
Glad I found you. Am a service brat and lived in Japan 3 years and in 10th grade we had to Sumo Wrestle in Phys. Ed. It was the first time in my life I got knocked out. Never forget it.
These guys are physically active on an almost non stop basis. Training just about everyday, sometimes to the point of exhaustion, then they have jungyo tours and the bashos. They don’t get to go on vacations or take long breaks unless they have a debilitating injury or maybe get married and go on a honeymoon. Sumo can be incredibly unforgiving at times. But they inspire me with their tenacity.
so basically it comes down to the financial incentive of getting paid more the higher rank you are. it's unfortunate but this is how it is in every combat sport. Even in boxing or mma for example, most fighters will still choose to compete even with existing injuries as to not miss their payday they've worked an entire camp to get, but even in those sports they are more forgiving with the ranking system if you happen to get injured and pull out. Sumo has a brutal system where it really is survival of the fittest, but honestly all things considered it is probably the best way to run the sport.
wasn't expecting big man Konishiki to make another appearance on this channel!! Love the hard work you put in these videos queen!
You always put out such high-quality and informative content, thanks for uploading sumostew! God bless you!
When takayasu injured in March 2020 my heart sank like a boat, he is my favorite of all time, and it shattered my heart to see him suffered like that😭
thanks for the video. i noticed the results too when ABi and ryuden came back even stronger
🥺😢This vid makes me want to send a message to every rikishi reminding them how appreciated and respected they are. I'm not a sports person, so I don't know who has it worse in terms of treatment after injury, but rikishi seem to have a really tough break. I hope things get better for every ones sake.
Your content is constantly improving and maturing. Love your stuff ❤️❤️you're def my internet crush
another great vid, Ter...thank you...
this is indeed brutal...fighting through injuries can cause life-long damage...I know a former boxer whose ankles never healed because he continually fights; he retired early and he sometimes re-dislocates it just by walking, and he even re-dislocated it just by standing...so imagine the long term damage to a rikishi fighting through injuries...
I'm a traditionalist with sumo, so I don't like change generally, but it seems like most injuries come from falling out of the dohyo. It seems like lowering the height of it would help a lot. The height is only ceremonial and has nothing to do with the actual playing of the sport. Recently when Ura fell out and hit his head on the floor so loud it was heard throughout the arena, it really made me think about how unrelated to the actual match and how unnecessary all these falling injuries are
I’m really excited for the Nagoya tournament this year with Asanoyama’s return. I’m super excited for May too!
This video was so sad! It was awesome! You made a very seriously toned but informative and entertaining video, that's just my opinion. I love this video.
I wish they didn't feel forced to keep competing when injured. There should be a support system to take care of sumo wrestler's expenses when they get seriously injured.
Excellent video and analysis. I love your channel and your content.
it's so tragic to see someone clearly unfit to wrestle just keep going, trying to preserve their rank...
the particular injury that comes to mind is Kaiseis foot, really hope it had time to heal so he can fight his way back to Makuuchi, and have his final basho there....
Any change affecting the ranks even in smallest of ways will be exploited. Just about the only solution as of now is to mitigate injury occurrence, like lowering the dohyo and having medical personnel at hand at any moment. One of the most fundamental changes that would relieve a considerable amount of pressure from top rikishi would be expanding paid ranks to makushita. Quite unrealistic, given the constant alleged financial difficulties of the organization, but I'm sure it would be tremendously effective.
Great video as always keep it up!
Really digging your videos keep up the good work
Amazing video and insight! Thanks
Another Sumostew vid let’s go! 😎
I didn't watch this yesterday, so I could have some Sumo Stew for my Birthday (today) and may The Fourth be with you always...
Happy Birthday!! One more year of sumo for you! Woohoo
I wonder if there is a connection between the amount of injuries and the SIZE of the athletes? We know athletes have gotten bigger as time moves forward, sumo no exception. Is there evidence to suggest there were fewer injuries when rikishi were smaller? Do the records bear any evidence of this? I am of the opinion there are more injuries today than 100 years ago just because of the size of our rikishi today.
This was a most excellent vid to watch, sister. Please keep on keeping on. ;)
Thank you for bringing attention to this. Its troubling to see these athletes abusing themselves because of the loss of their livelihood, or for the the respect of the sport/fans, and the honor of their dojo. With the amount of sacredness, honor and respect these top athletes are meant to embody you would think the association would hold their prized honorable warriors in higher regard for their health. These fighters are the ones to bring attention to the sport and bring interest of fans across the world. With constant injury it may suffer from poor quality rikishi in the tournaments. Maybe the association doesn't care cuz they have so many others in reserve waiting to take up the spot.
One of the greatest risks for serious injuries is the height difference between the doyio and the surrounding area in my opinion.
Rikishis used to be able to sit out tournaments due to injury til 2003.
Look up kōshō seido, you really can't have an injury related video and not talk about its discontinuation in 2003.
Thanks for the video and for the interviews. Hopefully we now have "covid outbreaks" that allow a basho off without losing rank. It is always difficult to watch favorite rikishi in pain trying to not lose rank.
Based on your amazing content, I’m pretty sure you can consider yourself a sumo expert. I think you are! Thank you so much for the videos.
The maudlin electronic organ music is quite fitting. Well done.
Watching this during the May 2024 wreck of a Basho.
Hey there sumostew ( i like to think chanko nabe when i read your pseudo name :D ). I've been a fan of sumo for about 2-3 years now (still don't know too much, but i like watching it when and where i can). I found your channel about 2 weeks ago and i love it, very well documented and very well explained. I like to watch sumo and it saddens me too see such great warriors not be able to perform because of some stupid old rules. Take the one and only georgian loved sumo wrestler, Tochinoshin...he suffered greatly and he was one of the very best with incredible strength and great out putting shows with his signature "baby pick up" move...and he could have excelled so much more if he could have healed properly, but alas...because of stupid rules he injured himself even more and now he can't compete right ever again...shame, such shame, for such an advanced society they sure cling to some stupid sh*t that ruins sports and other stuff.
Very good. Extracting my thoughts about the sport
Yeah baby, more quality sumo content!
I wonder if sumo wrestlers were on average 50-75lbs lighter if we would see much less injury- especially knee injuries?
Great content, again. Thank you.
Just tore my MCL in a sumo bout i was really lucky it wasn't my ACL as well so i wont need surgery! Its healing up well with just a knee brace
Great video. I'm not saying it's right or proper but that's sumo. It's eat or be eatin'. Shodai seems to be holding up physically, mentally is another story
I love your videos. Very entertaining and informative. I don't think seriously injured wrestlers should be penalized. It forces them to fight through the pain and possibly making their injuries even that much worse.
Another great one!
For starters, they need an actual medical crew ringside. A sports doctor, two assistants/nurses, a full cart of medical equipment right inside the halls on each end, and an ambulance with crew right out side the events building. Injuries need, big or small, need to be attended to quickly. From bloody noses and knockouts to possible rips and tears to any part of the body, broken bones, or anything else the doctor may notice before a match telling him that the Rikishi shouldn't be fighting. The wrestler who died last year may have had a much greater chance of survival if a medical crew was able to jump in instantly and tend to him with the proper knowledge and equipment and got him stable and to the hospital much, much faster. Instead of just having people stand around doing nothing and expecting him to just wake up and walk out of there..I've seen multiple injuries that should have had a doctor in the ring the moment the injury happened. And it's sad that these Rikishi aren't respected enough by the council for them to put forth the effort required to keep these guys safe and their health intact.
Great videos ! thank you.
They need to have some sort of system that allows rikishi to withdraw from tournaments without losing rank. Many of these injuries are manageable with skipping a tournament or two. However, playing through it just aggravates it and destroys careers. By either destroying rikishi through injury or kicking them out of their rank the sumo assosciation just allows inferior rikishi to come to top division and give us inferior quality sumo. Some may say that fighting through injury is part of the sport, but often injuries are a matter of circumstance not physical weakness. Look at that injury that destroyed Kisenosato; if he had landed another way he might still be competing.
The assosciation should give them an allowance of tournaments to skip. Perhaps two per year and only if there is a serious injury. Rikishi can be analyzed by the assosciations own doctors so rikishi don't make up stories like in other sports.
@sumostew Dont want to blame you, but your prononciation of Makushita is incorrect.
Actually its spelled Makshita. u is not spelled.
The video was great! Thanks for your professional work!
Great report - again
Do you have a patreon? really enjoying your videos! new sumo fan
This is true of any sport or competition. Just so you understand, this is true of any sport or competition. In my home country of Australia, Ben Elias hooker of the Balmain Tigers, New South Wales Cockroaches and Australian Kangaroos famously said “If you only played when you’re 100% fit or without injury you would never play a game” Same combination dictates here. Indeed Takayasu benefited greatly by being placed at M7 in the last tournament. He will not be given a easier path this time at M2 where he will fight the Sanyaku ranks in his first week. Better to remember Sumo fortunes flow like the ebb and tide of the ocean. There are no guarantees and nothing is written in stone.
I'm sure a lot of these wrestlers use peptides like bpc157 and tb500 to speed up healing, but I still can't imagine the stress on a healing injury.
I feel like there should be a rank dispensation for those that got serious injuries that can only be taken care of for more than two months.
I wonder how much having an off-season would help like 6 months on 6 months off even having two leading groups so there is still year round sumo
JOHN!!!! Love him and his Scottish counterpart!!!!!
Your channel will blow up once sumo gets more popular here in the west. The algorithm always rewards well made videos.
Anyway, since I'm more interested in the combat aspect of sumo than anything else, I really wish it had a proper sports structure when it comes to salaries, injuries, divisions etc.
It's not smart how they don't let low division get paid, how they're forced to wrestle through injuries and the whole training aspect of it.
No pay = less potential athletes. No "injury break" = more likely talented wrestlers end their careers sooner than expected. Their ideals when it comes to how a sumo wrestler should train and live his life = prevents wrestlers from maximizing their brand and athleticism.
Sumo has a lot of potential to become a popular sport (more fans, more money for athletes and more talented athletes), but the fact it carries centuries old traditions really ruin that potential, unfortunately.
I think they should try to minimize a rikishi's drop in the event of injury related losses. Yes they should still drop but not the the extent of another who incurred match losses. There is always case by case situations that could be considered of course
Great video!
Nice video. Thanks
Brilliant video!
Do a video on Tsuyoshi Sudario.
To start, they should do away with, if there's any, tradition about the dohyo (the square platform, not the ring itself) being too small. They should at least make it bigger to eliminate the risk of falling.
The most worrying thing for me is not that the injuries happen, that's just part of the sport, massive guys like this smashing off each other is going to cause injuries somewhere along the line. It's the fact that when an injury obviously happens, the officials just stand there doing absolutely nothing while the Sumo is down on the floor in agony and in major distress and they just let him lay there for what seems an eternity before they wave someone in to try and 'help' them up whilst totally disregarding what kind of injury it may be, potentially injuring the Sumo even further. There seems like there's very lax, almost non existent medical personnel and the list of injuries are all relatively similar, they should have this shit locked down by now as to what to do exactly when an injury happens. But no, the enjoyment of having a Sumo rolling about the floor into the front row audience is more exciting for the tournament organisers apparently. The sport is ancient both literally and its mentality.
We really shouldn't expect anything from them.
Low divisions guy not getting paid is also very ridiculous, it's a big "hey kids, don't bother becoming a sumo wrestler". The training tradition (aka not a real gym) and etiquette rules (outside of battle*, like what clothes they can wear and so on) are also unnecessary if we're strictly thinking about the sports aspect of sumo.
Sumo could be a superb sport but it has many things preventing its growth - and I think they really don't care. It's more about protecting traditions.
The matches themselves are so ducking awesome to watch. It really could become a somewhat global sport if certain aspects of it were more or less abandoned. The whole ceremony and habit parts are great. They should never leave the sport. But the way they treat injuries and basically force athletes to not fully optimize their game and career, it's just too much. Start treating injuries as other sports do and give low division guys money, so the sport can keep its talents for longer and can attract new ones.
As an amateur sumo wrestler, in my opinion, sumo is easier on the body to compete in while injured than most other sports. I've wrestled whole tournaments with a broken arm because in my head, I'm saying "this will only hurt for a few seconds then I've got a while off" while in other combat sports you're fighting with that constant pain for 5 minutes minimum, which quickly wears down on you mentally. Not saying Pro Sumo shouldn't have better injury protocol, just that it's understandable why they don't pull out even when they should.
It seems like injuries would take more of a toll on the body in grand sumo because the bashos are 15 days long. Also would depend on the severity of the injury. A lot of them get pretty gnarly injuries over the years and tape and braces can only do so much.
This video makes it really clear that sumo is brutal. It's hard not to respect the top ranked rikishi for making it that far. And I really hope Asanoyama can make a great come back just like Terunofuji did.
Is the iconic “sumo stomp” actually something done? I’ve watched a couple matches and haven’t seen it
I'd love to get a printed copt of the Banzuke, just to hang on my wall.
During Covid they offered protection to the rankings of rikishi who were sick or who had to isolate. They were forced to miss the tournament but with no demotions. Surely they can do something similar for major injuries, like knee ligament tears.
Even allowing just one tournament to be missed without demotion would be a huge improvement since it could give four months to recover from an injury, instead of two.
The Sumo Association could hire independent physiotherapists to judge the serverity of an injury and determine whether or not a 'protected withdrawl' would apply. That would eliminate the possibilities of anyone 'faking' or exaggerating severity of an injury to keep in the salaried ranks.
They used to have that, they got rid of it. Wrestlers abused it. I don't think getting a physio to rule on it would help. The line drawn at what constitutes a valid injury and what doesn't would be arbitrary and cause plenty of problems itself.
Although it would help to have actual physios and doctors ringside and respond to injuries like other sports do. When a guy goes down, there should be a doctor attending to him immediately, but everyone just kind of looks around and hopes the half dead wrestler gets up.
It is always worrying when you see an injury like that and there is virtually no response. They certainly need to shrapen up the immediate response and concussion is now being taken more seriously.
Did you know, until recently, the on site medical staff where located somewhere upstairs in the Kokugikan. It literally took them several minutes to get to ring side once they realised they were needed, which was a joke.
They might need to set a high bar to prevent abuse of a injury ranking protection. Even if they needed to point to an X-ray and show the obviously broken leg to the JSA, that would be better than someone losing their rank for not competing.
Something needs to change.
How do they compete with so many career ending injuries?? They really are more like warriors than athletes! Here’s hoping Terunofuji bounces back!
I think a lot of them are in constant, low-level pain.
Give this woman a pay raise so she can figure out how to fix, or better yet, prevent these problems.
Healthy wrestlers provide the best matches and entertainment.
They did used to have 4 tournaments a year. So having 6 in a year must be taking more of toll, then again sumo wrestlers should be training and practising sumo in a way that makes them less liable to getting injured.
Having to play hurt especially to not lose your spot has so much in common with pro wrestling as well. I def don’t think they should lose their ranking sue to injury we all understand that they worked hard to achieve said ranking and that injuries happen and the shouldn’t get penalized for it When they come back maybe have to matches against wrestlers in that ranking to make sure they can win at least and then reinstate said ranking
I've long believed that there should be SOME sort of system to allow injured rikishi to take the time to heal properly without free falling through the ranks. Rikishi with relatively minor injuries (partial tear of a knee ligament, partial muscle tears, pulled muscles, etc) are forced to either fight on and risk making their injury substantially worse, or watch years of hard work evaporate as they plummet through the ranks if they sit out and take the time to heal.
I think letting these wrestlers drop through the ranks, due to injury or suspension, is a massive disservice to everyone involved. It's a disservice to the fans, who no longer get to see some of their favorite fighters competing in the top division. It's a disservice to the wrestlers themselves. It's a disservice to the other wrestlers in the lower divisions as well, who now have to compete for division 3, 4, and 5 titles against the likes of Terunofuji, Tomokaze, Asanoyama, Abi, and Ryuden.
I believe that all rikishi should be able to sit out for one basho in a calendar year and not have their rank affected, period. I also believe that if a rikishi has to sit out with injury for multiple tournaments, they should not drop below the top of the next division down (ex. a Juryo rikishi with a torn ACL would not drop below Makushita 1) for at least three tournaments. I also feel that the current system of suspension is almost more of a punishment to everybody BUT the suspended rikishi, and that there must be an alternative way to appropriately discipline a rikishi that doesn't involve tossing an Ozeki into Makushita.
How do you get a copy of the Banzuke?
It was given to me as a gift. But I believe it is from bigsumofan.com
This is a really good video
Awesome video.
wow its so crazy from 6 weeks rest to 3 days
Abi just won November 2022 Basho