Barnsley Sumo Club

We had a good technical tsuppari focused session yesterday. Lots of effort on show and some top quality sumo bouts to finish.

We had an awesome seminar yesterday with the University of Sheffield Judo Club. It was a whistle stop tour of yotsu-zumo (belt wrestling), some basic throws, and oshi-zumo (pushing style) before putting it all into practice with some friendly competition. As not too distant cousins, sumo has a lot to offer judoka and can be great supplementary training to increase balance, strength, speed and fighting spirit.

Yesterday we welcomed Fiona and Jack to their first sumo session. They got stuck in straight away and showed some real promise. It's always great to see people giving sumo a go. If you've ever thought about getting involved but don't know where to start, drop us a message to start your sumo journey.

We were on the telly again! BBC Look North joined us at our training session on Saturday to find out what sumo is all about. We're on between 16:40 - 19:40. A really good piece to show that sumo is for everyone and why you should definitely give it a go.

Look North (Yorkshire) - Evening News: 26/01/2026 The latest news, sport and weather for Yorkshire.

A massive thank you to BBC Sheffield for helping us get the word out about why 2026 should be the year you give sumo a go. Forget the stereotypes, sumo is for everyone no matter your shape, size, gender or background. Come and experience this millennia old martial art and Japan's national sport right here in Barnsley.

"Sumo is for everyone. It really is one of the most, if not the most, accessible martial art."

Read more: https://bbc.in/46931pu

Sumo bouts are won by a matter of fractions, but they're not over until they're over. It's easy to assume you've done enough and admire your hard work only for your opponent to reverse your efforts before you know what's happened. This morning's session focused on tawara (ring edge) defence and reversal techniques to catch our opponents by surprise and turn a losing position into a winning one.

We started off 2026 with a bespoke session for Barnsley Round Table's first social event of the year. We had a great time teaching the guys the sumo basics and putting them into practice. They worked hard and showed a lot of potential! Hopefully, there aren't too many sore legs this morning...
If you're interested in trying sumo for yourself, as a social/team building event, party idea or any other reason, make 2026 the year you come and give sumo a go. Drop us a message to get involved.