When asked to define what makes a sport extreme, one practitioner—a rock climber in the countryside and a skateboarder in the city—replied, “It’s a sport where you may well hurt yourself, or worse.” Readers of this compelling book will learn all about these alternative, edgy sports and what it takes to parachute from an airplane, zip-line through the air, or brave the possibility of a flash flood by venturing into a canyon. Or, readers may simply be satisfied to read about the popular X Games, during which they can sit back and watch the pros take the risks.

Explore the wild world of slacklining! Readers will learn more about rope sports, equipment needed, and safety measures taken for this extreme sport. Discover other rope sports and how athletes practice their skills and experience thrill in nature.

Martial arts are extremely popular today, and teens will be captivated by the history of the fighting sports. This volume takes a look at kung fu and tai chi chuan in China; the practices of the Japanese samurai warriors as well as jujitsu, judo, sumo, and karate; and the global rise of martial arts from muay Thai in Thailand and capoeira in Brazil to the Mixed Martial Arts that are now so widespread in the United States. Legendary and contemporary fighters are profiled, including Yue Fei, Jet Li, Bruce Lee, Randy Couture, B. J. Penn, Ronda Rousey, and Anderson Silva.

American Ninja Warrior is the name of a television show on which athletes compete to complete difficult obstacle courses. Colloquially, "Ninja Warrior" refers to this type of obstacle course challenge depicted on the show, built to test strength, agility, balance, and endurance. This exhilarating book brings readers into the action, explaining what Ninja Warrior is, depicting its coolest maneuvers, and profiling its biggest stars. It stresses how to perform these acts safely. This compelling book teaches readers, who may not have access to traditional sports, how to conquer personal challenges over mere winning and stay the course.

The oldest organized sport in North America, lacrosse was first played by the Six Nations of the Iroquois and later adopted by European settlers in the nineteenth century. The game has evolved into a thrilling, fast-paced field sport enjoyed by players of all ages. In addition to the thousands of youth and college teams, professional leagues in the United States and Canada have raised the level of competition. Readers will discover the rules and levels of play and be introduced to some of the most accomplished lacrosse players of the past and present.

One of the few organized team sports that can be enjoyed either indoors or against a backdrop of sun and surf on the beach, volleyball has become a beloved game around the world. International competitions have fueled volleyball’s global appeal and earned the sport a dedicated fan base. Readers will learn about the history of this exciting game, how to coordinate various positions, formations, and moves for successful play, and the stories of some of its greatest indoor and outdoor players.

Ice hockey—which has been evolving for thousands of years—is not now, nor has it ever been, a sport for the timid. Armed with pounds of padding, wooden sticks, and goal-driven intensity, the players of this sport are indeed a force—a fast and often fierce force. Readers of this book will learn about the history and evolving rules of the game, how it came to be organized into leagues, and who the movers and shakers in the icy and often adrenaline-riddled rink are.

From its earliest inception with modified cars painted in modest black and white to the logo-covered stock cars that race today, fans get the inside track on NASCAR and the people who turned it into a multi-million dollar industry. Lively biographies of the greatest drivers on the motorway are featured, including legends, young up-and-comers, and the courageous women who have been fearless pioneers in this traditionally male-dominated sport. This enthralling package comes fully loaded with stunning color photographs and riveting text that will make readers feel as if they are sitting in the pole position at the Daytona International Speedway.

Adventure and extreme sports are increasing in popularity and it is not surprising that commercial adventure tourism and the accompanying life style and fashion, have become increasingly important to world economy. These unique sports involve not only major physical endurance and mental challenges but interaction and bonding with nature. They also tend to attract and excite audiences, both at the event and in the media. They are exciting to watch and redraw the boundaries of human achievement with the accompanying risks of injury and death. Adventure sports are usually performed in beautiful, exciting and remote locations or in extreme environments far away from medical assistance. Extreme sports usually involve an element of increased risk. These risks are highlighted by the media, usually after a reported accident or fatality but may vary according to the involvement of the participant; the weekend recreational adventure sports athlete or the experienced professional. A wide variety of sports fall into the category of adventure and extreme sports and with an increasing number of disciplines, this field is ever expanding. Sports are performed in contact with the “ground”; mountain running and biking, rock climbing, ice climbing and mountaineering. In the air: skydiving and base jumping. On water: surfing, white water kayaking and rafting, board sailing and diving. And also involve mechanical vehicles and animals! Some sports may be performed as a combination of few disciplines, such as water and air, e.g. kite surfing, and as so involve very unique mechanisms of injury. Sports events can also be merged to form a multi-sport race comprising many disciplines lastly from single to multi day races. Sports may involve competition with others, against the environment or with oneself, frequently the most ferocious adversary. Adventure sports are becoming increasingly popular in the general public and a few take these sports to an extreme level with the accompanying risks. Those that do, bring such time and dedication that they become professional in terms of training, preparation and finance. More and more people are enjoying adventure sports and unfortunately increased numbers are becoming injured as a result. Future research is progressing alongside the sport development, to allow the sport mechanisms, injury patterns and predisposing factors to be better understood. It is the hope of all researchers to make the sports safer without detracting from their adventurous nature. The aim and scope of our book would be to bring the sports medicine involved ineach of these sports into one volume. We would explain each sport including subtle similarities and differences, the common injury mechanisms, patterns of injury and treatment options. Additional chapters would include the mental characteristics of adventure racers and extreme sports athletes, together with the complexities of competing in hot and cold extreme environments. The book will present chapters focussing on the sports listed below, concentrating on published literature and newly formed studies by experts in the fields of injury epidemiology, prevention, management and rehabilitation.

Students and extreme sport enthusiasts will not only learn about the sports themselves, but also about the techniques, innovations, engineering, and physics behind them. How do ice yachters achieve speeds of up to 150 MPH? What does take to become a pro snowboarder? Other parts of the encyclopedia highlight key areas of study, such as extreme sports and the media, the controversies surrounding, and the impact of extreme sports on our culture. A resource guide of print and electronic sources, competitions, organizations offers students an insider's guide to all things extreme. Inside readers will discover BASE (Building, Antenna tower, Span, Earth) Jumping. What's more dangerous than leaping off of a tall building? Jumping off a structure that's much closer to the ground, and that's exactly what many BASE jumpers regularly do. The risks include malfunctioning parachutes, landing on rocks, into electrical wires and more. Readers will learn about Bhang Gliding, where experienced pilots perform full barrel rolls, inverted maneuvers and other stunt flying moves. It is no longer unusual for an experienced hang glider to travel 200 miles or reach altitudes above 10,000 feet. Coverage also includes information on caving, which involves exploring caves that travel deep into the earth, moutain biking, and many other sports.