Martins Licis has become a sumo wrestler!
2019 World’s Strongest Man Martins Licis recently went through the process of training and living like a sumo wrestler. The strongman has been on a journey of strength in the past few years. Rather than solely compete in strongman competition, Licis has been exploring other methods of building strength and competing.
Sumo wrestling spawned 2,000 years ago as a Japanese Shinto religious ritual. Fast forward to today and many in the West view Sumo as just two massive men trying to push each other out of the circle. The ritual originally was meant to “entertain the divine” and the winner would be given a harvest as winnings. As Japan modernized so did sumo which would eventually become a sport. Now Martins Licis is looking to try his hand at authentic Sumo training.
Like many other strongman competitors, Martins Licis is constantly looking for different ways to test and improve his strength. As such, Licis has been embarking on a journey of strength. He has been traveling across the globe, seeking out different methods of training for strength as well as competing in various sports along the way. His journey finally found him traveling to the Far East to test his metal in the ancient Japanese tradition of sumo.
Journey to the Far East
Tsukuba, Japan. Martins Licis has traveled to the Ibaraki Prefecture to train with some of the best sumo wrestlers in the world. The Tatsunami stable houses 20 Sumo wrestlers all living and training in the lifestyle. Licis hopes to get the authentic experience of embodying the Sumo traditions.
I’ve been itching to try this for WAY TOO LONG, and it finally happened! Sumo wrestling at the Tatsunami stable in Japan was an eye-opening experience I’ll never forget. The level of athleticism and focus in the stable was phenomenal. The traditions and movements, beautiful. The lifestyle, unforgiving, merciless and incredibly rewarding. Tune in Tomorrow at 10AM PST , and join us in this, one of a kind, deep dive into the world of Rikishi on my YT channel.
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Martins Licis spent two days at the Tatsunami stable and learned what was to be a top-level sumo wrestler. The experience left him forever changed and with a newfound appreciation for this incredible strength sport. To see his full experience as a sumo wrestler watch the video below.
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News and Editorial Writer at Generation Iron, Jonathan Salmon is a writer, martial arts instructor, and geek culture enthusiast. Check out his YouTube, Instagram, Twitter, Facebook, and Sound Cloud for in-depth MMA analysis.
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