contact sport

Tackles like this one (Women's Australian rules football) are used in contact sports including many varieties of Football.

A contact sport is a sport which includes significant physical contact between the athletes involved. Examples of contacts sports are: Rugby football, American football, Ice Hockey, Australian Rules Football, Lacrosse and Amateur wrestling. Examples of non-contact sports are: Table Tennis and Badminton.

Semi-contact sport

A semi-contact sport is typically a combat sport involving striking and which contains physical contact between the combatants simulating full-power techniques. The techniques are restricted to limited power, and rendering the opponent unconscious is forbidden. Such sports usually use a point system to determine the winner, and use extensive protective gear to protect the athletes from injury. Examples of semi-contact sports include Taekwondo (under ITF rules) and various styles of Kung Fu that incorporate semi-contact rules sparring.

Full-contact sport

A full-contact sport is similar to a semi-contact sport, but which contains physical contact between the combatants with the aim of causing a knockout or otherwise rendering the opponent unable to continue the match. Injuries are much more common in full-contact sports since the amount of protective gear is often reduced, and the techniques are executed at full power. Examples of full-contact sports include Boxing, Kickboxing, AFC Sport, full-contact Karate, mixed martial arts, rugby league and Thaiboxing. Grappling sports and arts such as Judo, where techniques are performed with full strength against a resisting opponent - and can cause serious injury if used against someone without proper training - are also referred to as full contact sports within the Martial arts community.

"Contact" versus "Collision"

Current medical terminology in the United States uses the term collision sport rather than contact sport to refer to American football, lacrosse, and ice hockey. The term contact sport is used to refer to sports, such as basketball and association football that allow limited contact. For example, the American Academy of Pediatrics issued a policy statement in 2001 entitled "Medical Conditions Affecting Sports Participation" that included the following definitions:

This terminology may have evolved from a quote from Vince Lombardi, who is reported to have said, "Football isn't a contact sport; it's a collision sport. Dancing is a contact sport." This quotation is also attributed by some sources to Michigan State Coach Duffy Daugherty.

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