The Niche Sports Guide of Auckland

FEATURE | TANGATA WHENUA / LOCAL

Written by Joshua Black | Contributing Writer

Everyone knows exercise = good, but its mental health benefits are especially important at uni. It reduces stress hormones such as cortisol and adrenaline, and stimulates the production of endorphins, think “runner's high”, or that post-workout calm. Since uni can create a lot of stress - and maybe a cheeky breakdown or two - a routine activity that mitigates these feelings is so important.

However, I think many people go about this the wrong way by only getting a gym membership.

If you’ve struggled to stay consistent with the gym, and it’s your only form of exercise, that makes sense. If it’s not a sport you enjoy, it’s a chore. You’re only giving yourself more work and more to worry about.

The more you enjoy something, the better you’re going to get at it. So find something you’ll enjoy, where skill, progress, and community keep you engaged.

The Guide

I did some research to find some of the more unconventional sports in Auckland. This is to spark new ideas for those who never enjoyed anything offered in PE, those who want to try something new, or those who just want a unique conversation starter at parties.

Arm Wrestling

Club(s): Auckland Arm Benders, NZ Arm Wrestling Federation, Savage Stallion Arm Wrestling

The sport for those whose biceps have biceps.

The premise is simple: you and an opponent interlock hands, and while keeping your elbow on the same table, you must pin their wrist to the table.

Though it’s deceptively simple, there is a lot of hidden technique involved. Wrestlers are allowed to wrap their leg around the table leg, and they make sure to position their wrist, elbow and shoulder in such a way that they can put their entire body into the motion, while protecting themself from injury.

Although you’d expect the sport to reek of toxic masculine energy, I did a documentary on the Auckland Armbenders a few years back, and I found that they were very chill and welcoming. The two founders were more inspired by Dragon Ball’s super saiyan charge-ups than any desire to out bro their bros.

Head to Facebook to follow the Arm Benders with training updates; nowadays, they seem to bring tables to Victoria Park under the overpass. Otherwise, go to the NZ Arm Wrestling Federation website to find the next competition.

Capoeira

Club(s): Capoeira Abadá Auckland, Capoeira Angola Ecamar

The sport for those who really want to fight or dance, but don’t have time for two hobbies.

Capoeira is an Afro-Brazilian martial art and game that involves kicks, handstands, and staying on beat. As a sport, Capoeiristas stay in a constant rhythmic flow from side to side, mixed in with attempts to kick the head and general acrobatic moves.

Most instances of capoeira don’t actually involve contact with your opponent. In a Roda, for example, a circle is formed by capoeiristas, and it becomes a simulated fight/dance battle fusion.

The outside circle will play instruments, sing, and clap along. The capoeiristas on the inside perform their moves as a showcase of skill. In videos, you’ll see very slow kicks or people backing off if they are actually going to make contact. There are no rounds, no scores, no winners, it’s just vibes.

So there are certainly more effective ways to learn to fight, but if you’re there for the vibes, check out those clubs listed above on Facebook for class times/prices.

Parkour

Club(s): Flow Academy

This sport is for those who bought a GoPro in 2013 but haven’t used it since the day they got it.

Parkour is the sport that combines acrobatics with traversing random shit. Athletes challenge themselves with the task of completing obstacle courses in the “fastest and most efficient way possible”. I put that in quotes because freerunning, which used to be considered a more performative practice, has become assimilated with the sport. There’s nothing efficient about throwing a cheeky somersault in your run, but it’s accepted as part of the game.

Parkour is often done outside and associated with urban exploring and trespassing, which is pretty controversial, and just full of white boy energy.

However, there is an official NZ Parkour association that organises competitions and workshops with schools. If you are interested in learning the sport in an indoor training facility, you can go to Flow Academy in Albany.

Underwater Hockey

Club(s): Pakuranga Underwater Hockey Club, FINS Underwater Hockey Club, Nova Underwater Hockey Club

The sport for people who were just really good at fighting over a bowl with their fork as a kid?

Underwater hockey is hockey, but your stick is the size of your hand. You can’t breathe, and you can’t speak. What’s not to love? Played at the bottom of the pool, you and your team take turns diving down, each player with a snorkel and flippers.

Underwater, you shimmy the puck up the length of the pool until you push it into their goal, or run out of air and resurface. The puck is weighted, and can actually be sent a long way, but the sport plays like fish tank roleplay where there’s only one flake of fish food left, so you don’t get many breakaways.

For reasons I couldn’t fathom, the sport isn’t that popular around the world. However, it turns out that New Zealand actually ranks first in the world for under 24’s men/women, under 19’s men, and the elite division for men. So I guess if you would like to carry on our world-class legacy, you can head to underwaterhockeynz.com for more info on clubs near you.

Race Walking

Club(s): Racewalking Auckland (RWA)

This sport is for those who often find themselves in a hurry to get somewhere but feel too embarrassed to run in public. 

Race walking is racing where at least one leg must be on the ground (to the human eye), and your front leg must be straightened from the moment of first contact with the ground until it’s underneath your torso. 

Years of research have perfected the walking stride. The best method is to walk along a straight line (like a tightrope), turning your pelvis to lengthen your stride, and with lowered hips for less bounce.

Races at the Olympics used to go up to 50km for men (longer than a marathon). The world record for this race belongs to French racewalker Yohann Diniz, who completed the race in 3:32:33. That’s an average pace of 14.11 km/h. Elite marathon RUNNERS have an average pace of 14.49 km/h.

RWA holds weekly events every Sunday, alternating between races and training. The venue changes every week, so head to their website for their venue calendar.

HEMA/Buhurt

Club(s): Auckland Sword and Shield, Auckland School of European Martial Arts, Dreadnoughts Medieval Combat

This sport is for those who want to pretend they’re learning ancient martial arts, but actually just want to give someone a concussion.

Buhurt/HEMA (Historical European martial arts) is a modern revival of weapon-based martial arts from the late Middle Ages. Buhurt is the term that was used during this historical period for team-based and one-on-one bouts with blunted weapons, which would be held in events similar to jousting tournaments.

Because of this, the swordplay differs from fencing, as it is more about brute force than finesse. Athletes are donned in a full set of period-accurate armour, and simply beat each other until someone falls over or gives in (Practices do look more practical).

If you would like to get a better idea of the sport, there is occasionally a Beers and Brawls event, where the Dreadnoughts display their sport at the Beer Spot in Northcote. Otherwise, search for any of the clubs listed above on Facebook.

Airsoft

Club(s): The Bastion, MIA, Speedsoft NZ

This is the sport for those who thought they were going to join the military when they were a kid, but were disappointed to find out war is actually a soulless onslaught of tragedy and trauma… But they still want to dress up and shoot people.

Airsoft is a sport where people shoot each other with little plastic bullets - BBs - from airsoft guns that replicate real-life guns. Playstyles and events can vary from hardcore multi-day “milsim” (military simulations) operations to indoor run and gun “speedsoft” games. Players who are into the milsim side go all out to customise their attire and guns for periodic or faction accuracy, making this sport a unique form of LARPing.

In Auckland, it’s mainly a casual collective of squads that come together for games hosted on Facebook. Finding your squad is very important for not getting shot immediately, and from my experience, most people are happier to pick newbies up.

The Bastion is one of the more prominent squads that host casual games once a month. I’d recommend heading to their Facebook to find their next event.

Conclusion

Finding the right sport can be a long journey. The best way to find your sport? Try a bunch, and don’t feel bad about quitting early.

I quit Judo after a month. I found it awkward and frustrating; I could feel new injuries every session. You’re damn right I didn’t give it “a proper go”, but how could I if I was already miserable being there?

As I bounced between other sports, I felt the guilt that I always “gave up too early”. But now I’ve found bouldering, and I love it. I know this, because injuries are treated as “yea, but I can probably climb a bit longer” rather than “god damn it, why am I doing this”. 

I’ve been at it for a year, and if I had given everything I tried a proper go, I wouldn’t have found bouldering for another five years.

So just jump around until you find something that clicks. There’s bound to be something out there for you, and I hope this list has sparked your interest to broaden your scope. The search is so worth it on the other side.