Deriving from the ancient Japanese sport of sumo wrestling, the sumo suit is a fun and active take on the old art. No need to pile on the pounds or strip off. No need to try on an oversized nappy or get hurt in the process! With sumo suits, all you need to do is don the inflatable skin and get in the ring.
The rules are simple. You face another competitor and are placed in a padded ring or on a soft mat. The aim is to get the other person off the mat by any means (well, almost). Being strapped inside a giant inflatable sumo costume, this makes your job not only more difficult but also more hilarious. You will think that it is easy, but maneuvering and dodging in such a suit is quite a challenge. Of course, your competitor is up against the same problems, and usually, what happens is both ‘wrestlers’ simply charge at each other and bounce around until they topple on the floor in an inflatable heap.
These duels are quite brief usually, and you can have the best of 3 or best of 5 or more epic battles if you have the stamina. If there are plenty of willing opponents then you could have winner stays on for a true test of endurance. Of course, for the ultimate in sumo wrestling, you could get hold of several suits and have a ‘royal rumble’ type scenario, where a new competitor enters the ring every minute until the whole mat is full of inflatable sumo wrestlers. The last one left within the mat’s confines is the winner.
As you can see, there are numerous ways of incorporating the sumo wrestling suits into plenty of fun games. You can tinker with these ideas and perhaps create your own take on the more tried and tested formulas. It is always advisable to have at least one referee, or umpire, to watch and follow events. Depending on the rules for your wrestling bouts, you may need a scorer or a judge as well, just to save there being any arguments later on!
These types of competition are always popular and successful, drawing in large crowds to watch the hilarious gladiator-style battle. Of course, the fact that the wrestlers look ridiculous and move with the grace of a drunken ogre, only adds to the fun. You will see these suits at fairs and fetes or you can organize your own for all manner of occasions. It is up to you if you want to incorporate different rules and regulations or would rather a more relaxed ‘freestyle’ type wrestle. Either way, you’re bound to have a good time.