# SUMA VS. FOOTBALL **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [October 24, 2001, 1:23am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/suma-vs-football/89215 "2001-10-24T01:23:27Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 13\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![CUERVO\_DOA](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/b3f665/32.png) [@CUERVO\_DOA](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CUERVO_DOA)\ **Post date:** [October 24, 2001, 1:23am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/suma-vs-football/89215/1 "2001-10-24T01:23:27Z")
WHO WOULD BE HAVE MORE POWER PUSHING INTO EACH OTHER…A SUMA WRESTLER OR AN NFL LINEMAN? ---
**Author:** ![Man\_from\_Mars](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/c5a1d2/32.png) [@Man\_from\_Mars](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Man_from_Mars)\ **Post date:** [October 24, 2001, 1:54am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/suma-vs-football/89215/2 "2001-10-24T01:54:06Z")
It would depend on how big the respective lineman and sumo wrestler are. ---
**Author:** ![Fear\_Itself](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/fear_itself/32/19637_2.png) [@Fear\_Itself](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Fear_Itself)\ **Post date:** [October 24, 2001, 2:02am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/suma-vs-football/89215/3 "2001-10-24T02:02:28Z")
Probably the lineman, but only if he leaves his Caps-Lock on all the time. ---
**Author:** ![Anal\_Scurvy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/c57346/32.png) [@Anal\_Scurvy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Anal_Scurvy)\ **Post date:** [October 24, 2001, 2:20am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/suma-vs-football/89215/4 "2001-10-24T02:20:18Z")
Depends where they’re pushing. If they’re gripping each other at waist level, I’d give the edge to the football player, because that’s what they train for their sport. If they’re in a more upright stance and are grasping at the shoulders… maybe even chest to chest… I’d go with the sumo, because that’s what he trains for in his sport. ---
**Author:** ![Rysdad](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/7cd45c/32.png) [@Rysdad](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Rysdad)\ **Post date:** [October 24, 2001, 2:59am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/suma-vs-football/89215/5 "2001-10-24T02:59:00Z")
The lineman. He wears cleats. ---
**Author:** ![cornflakes](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/9d8465/32.png) [@cornflakes](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/cornflakes)\ **Post date:** [October 24, 2001, 5:40am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/suma-vs-football/89215/6 "2001-10-24T05:40:20Z")
It depends on what you mean by power. A Sumo wrestler probably applies a stronger overall force over a longer period of time, but the lineman is trained to apply a quick sharp impact by hitting with their helmet and/or shoulder pads to throw the opponent off balance. The Sumo wrestler would do more work, but the lineman would apply a greater instantaneous power. Now, to repeat my reply for the hearing impaired: “IT DEPENDS ON WHAT YOU MEAN BY POWER. A SUMO WRESTLER PROBABLY DOES MORE WORK, BUT A LINEMAN APPLIES A GREATER INSTANTANEOUS POWER.” (using all caps is considered a way of shouting.) Welcome to the SDMB, by the way! ---
**Author:** ![Rysdad](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/7cd45c/32.png) [@Rysdad](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Rysdad)\ **Post date:** [October 24, 2001, 5:54am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/suma-vs-football/89215/7 "2001-10-24T05:54:17Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by cornflakes \* > \*\*(clip)…the lineman is trained to apply a quick sharp impact by hitting with their helmet…(clip) \*\* _Tweeeeet!_ There’s a flag on the play. Linemen aren’t supposed to hit with their helmets. If they do it while tackling, that’s called ‘spearing,’ and it draws a penalty. An offensive lineman may do it while blocking, but they’re risking a broken neck. Defensive linemen would do it less since they need to keep their heads up to see what the quarterback and/or running back are doing. ---
**Author:** ![mmmiiikkkeee](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/edb3f5/32.png) [@mmmiiikkkeee](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/mmmiiikkkeee)\ **Post date:** [October 24, 2001, 6:24am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/suma-vs-football/89215/8 "2001-10-24T06:24:45Z")
They have quite different footwear and pushing surfaces. I think the upper class sumos are about the same average weight as the NFL linsemen of today (~330lbs). Their sports are quite different of course, so that’s not a measure of their absolute strength - put a sumo on the football field and he’d be flattened quite quickly; put a linesman in a sumo ring and he’d get beaten just as fast. So you’d want to get each one to push a semi in neutral like on strongman competitions to find the answer. ---
**Author:** ![cornflakes](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/9d8465/32.png) [@cornflakes](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/cornflakes)\ **Post date:** [October 24, 2001, 6:36am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/suma-vs-football/89215/9 "2001-10-24T06:36:44Z")
Hey **Rysdad** , I was _told_ to do that! While I played the game through junior high and high school, I never wanted to watch it apart from game films. Because of this I really don’t know today’s NFL rules, but we were taught to hit with the forehead (and my coaches wanted to hear the crack of that helmet hitting!) Spearing was considered hitting with the top of the helmet and was a good way to hurt your neck. Wasn’t this at least the way the NFL ruled it back in the '70s and '80s? ---
**Author:** ![BobT](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/8e8cbc/32.png) [@BobT](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BobT)\ **Post date:** [October 24, 2001, 6:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/suma-vs-football/89215/10 "2001-10-24T18:40:24Z")
Coaches throughout all levels of football strongly discourage any tackling or blocking that involves leading with the helmet. It’s probably the #1 safety issue in football now. I cover high school football games and one of the most common things coaches yell now is “Don’t lower your head!”, i.e., make the hit standing up, preferably with your shoulder. ---
**Author:** ![M.T.Bochs](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/5e9695/32.png) [@M.T.Bochs](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/M.T.Bochs)\ **Post date:** [October 24, 2001, 8:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/suma-vs-football/89215/11 "2001-10-24T20:53:55Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by Anal Scurvy \* > \*\*Depends where they’re pushing. If they’re gripping each other at waist level, I’d give the edge to the football player, because that’s what they train for their sport. If they’re in a more upright stance and are grasping at the shoulders… maybe even chest to chest… I’d go with the sumo, because that’s what he trains for in his sport. \*\* Sumotori train quite extensively in taking grips on the waistband of the mawashi (the thing that looks like a diaper). The size of the men involved is similar, as is the sort of collision they train for, making allowances for differences due to the lineman’s padding. I suspect the power generated is also quite similar. FWIW, Yokozuna Wakanohana is now playing pro football in a Japanese league, after trying out for arena ball in the US. ---
**Author:** ![M.T.Bochs](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/5e9695/32.png) [@M.T.Bochs](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/M.T.Bochs)\ **Post date:** [October 24, 2001, 8:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/suma-vs-football/89215/12 "2001-10-24T20:59:34Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by Anal Scurvy \* > \*\*Depends where they’re pushing. If they’re gripping each other at waist level, I’d give the edge to the football player, because that’s what they train for their sport. If they’re in a more upright stance and are grasping at the shoulders… maybe even chest to chest… I’d go with the sumo, because that’s what he trains for in his sport. \*\* Sumotori train quite extensively in taking grips on the waistband of the mawashi (the thing that looks like a diaper). The size of the men involved is similar, as is the sort of collision they train for, making allowances for differences due to the lineman’s padding. I suspect the power generated is also quite similar. FWIW, Yokozuna Wakanohana is now playing pro football in a Japanese league, after trying out for arena ball in the US. ---
**Author:** ![JuanDeCuba](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/a87d85/32.png) [@JuanDeCuba](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/JuanDeCuba)\ **Post date:** [October 24, 2001, 11:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/suma-vs-football/89215/13 "2001-10-24T23:32:56Z")
Thats good to hear. I thought his injury was too bad to play any sport competitively. 🙂