Throughout the years of human existence, prominent exhibitions of athleticism, known to us as sports, have taken a major role in almost all societies across the globe. Certain sports have emerged as victors in the race to win our hearts. We know these as football, basketball, and so on. However great as these sports may be, they have caused us to loose track of some of lesser popularity: the underdogs; the sports that got nothing handed to them; the ones that had to make it in a world of Michael Jordans and Derek Jeters. Many people have never heard of korfball or seen a bout of shin kicking. For that I am truly heartbroken, but that ignorance has reached an end. Tired of the same old sports? Well, try one of these on for size.

Hurling

Originating in Ireland, hurling has quickly become one of the premier athletic events in the country. Played on a field somewhat larger than a soccer pitch, hurling pits two 15 player teams against each other. The object of the game is to hit a small ball called a sliotar, between the opponent’s goalposts using a hurley, a wooden stick resembling a hockey stick crossed with a baseball bat. Players can either hit the ball over the crossbar for one point, or under the crossbar into a net guarded by a goalkeeper for three points.

The sliotar can be caught in the hand, but cannot be carried for more than four steps. The sliotar can also be struck in the air, or struck on the ground with the hurley. A player who wants to carry the ball for more than three steps has to bounce or balance the sliotar on the end of the stick.

The ball can only be handled twice per possession. This makes for one of the most interesting sports to watch, as the players battle it out on a huge field.

Barefooting

Made famous by none other than the Australians, barefooting is quite a bit like waterskiing without one key component, the skis. If getting dragged behind a boat going 40 miles per hour using your feet instead of skis sounds like your cup of tea, then head over to the land down under. You will be a complete stud the next time your friends ask you to go water skiing and you can say “nah, I don’t need the skis, just put me in the water.” Friends will gasp, women will swoon, it happens every time.

KorfBall

Now, if there was ever a sport that was blessed by the ancient gods as a true test of athletic ability, it’s korfball. Coming out of Holland, it claims to be the fastest growing sport in the world. Each team consists of eight players, four female and four male. The court, which is similar to a basketball court, is divided into two halves with two of each sex at either end. One half of the team attacks, while the other half defends, until either team has scored two goals. Then everyone swaps ends and positions. Goals are scored by shooting a ball into a korf (basket), but the shooter must be free from his or her defender in order to shoot. The team with the most goals at the end of this period wins. If you want to take a new approach to basketball, then go out and korf it up, my friends.

OctoPush

With unknown origins, this sport is pretty much hockey, but played with shorter sticks. Oh, did I mention that the game takes place under water? Equipped with a snorkel, fins, and a mask, each team of six attempts to push a rubber puck across the bottom of a pool into the goals at either end. With complex positioning and strategies, octopush sounds like one of the toughest, and, dare I say, manliest, sports there is. So, on the next hot summer day, why not try out some underwater hockey? Just don’t be surprised when you get kicked out of Medgar Evars for playing a little octopush during lap swim.

Hopefully the world will no longer turn its back on these fine competitions of skill and athleticism. Perhaps a national hurling team will be established, or barefooting will be introduced into the next Olympic Games. Okay, probably not, but next time your friends want to go play some soccer or some basketball, just try to convince them that korfball would be a satisfying alternative.