When is fighting a sport?

Mark Pawlak    Adventure Sports & Travel Thoughts     box, Boxing, Danger, extreme sport, extreme sports, fight, fighting, fighting sports, fit, fitness, Martial Arts, mixed martial arts, Risk, Safety, skill, Sports

We’ve long accepted fighting as sport. It’s established in so many forms, disciplines and cultures that it’s rarely criticised. Most recently we’ve seen the extreme sports of fighting, Mixed Martial Arts, move further toward the mainstream.

Pitting one style against another is always interesting. However, there is a line past which extreme fighting becomes more about violence than skill. So, where do we draw the line?

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Shark Diving: Should we be afraid?

Mark Pawlak    Adventure Sports & Travel Thoughts     Africa, cape town, Danger, kitesurfing, ocean sports, Risk, Safety, Scuba Diving, shark, shark dive, shark diving, sharks, south africa, Surf, Surfing, water sports, watersports

Another Shark Week has concluded on one of the major networks. No matter how many times it’s explained that sharks rarely attack, there’s always a moment, a worry that passes over watersports fans as we paddle out into the waters.

Sharks: even the smallest look intimidating. But is this because we are conditioned to fear them, or based on a genuine threat? Surely kitesurfers are safe? Or are they?

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Are headphones putting your senses on pause?

Mark Pawlak    Adventure Sports & Travel Thoughts     Adventure Sports, Adventure Sports Equipment, Danger, extreme sports, Music, Safety, Safety Tips

We’ve only five senses. Unless you can draw on a sixth, it seems foolish to interfere with them during extreme sports or adventure sports activities.

It’s difficult to separate your music from your sport. Golfers may find it easier to leave their mp3 players back in the clubhouse, but that’s because their sport has no soundtrack, whereas extreme sports is powered by music, ‘amped’ in fact. read more

Holiday in a war zone: extreme enough for you?

Mark Pawlak    Adventure Sports & Travel Thoughts     Adventure, Adventure Travel, Afghanistan, Albania, Biking, Bosnia, conflict, conflict countries, Cyprus, Danger, driving, Europe, extreme travel, Georgia, Helmand, Holiday, Holidays, Iran, Iraq, Middle East, Risk, Safety, Safety Tips, Skiing, Travel, Turkey, War, war zone

Danger is exciting. But how much can you flirt with it before you get hurt? There really isn’t anyway of telling, no logic or probability to consider. But putting yourself in the path of armed conflict, even onto the damaged ground of a country recently scarred by war is ill advised. Or are we missing something? Is war zone tourism extreme enough for you?

I’m sure you have some answers, but for us it’s a matter of definition: What is a war zone? What is too dangerous? And ultimately, who decides?

Let’s start with definitions: If a war zone is a place where war is happening right now, then it’s too dangerous to visit. But just because you’re told a country is a war zone, don’t be scared off visiting, just start investigating further. Perhaps find out if the whole country/region is affected, then establish which areas are safe and what is the true risk, not just the perceived risk.

There are people climbing in parts of Afghanistan right now, without body armour. And Georgia, a place of ongoing fighting between the Russian army and Chechen rebels, is not off the adventure travel map either. So would you still go?

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Keeping Extreme Sports Safe

Ian K    Adventure Sports & Travel Thoughts     Accident, Adventure Sports, Danger, equipment, extreme sports, gear, Injury, Protection, Protective clothing, Risk, Safety, Safety Tips, Skateboarding, Sport Safety

It’s not been a good month for skateboarding. There have been a number of accidents that have made the press, and inevitably questions are being asked about the safety of extreme sports.

So, it seems only right we set the record straight, and make four points on safety and risk: read more