The trivia question for today is…..What is “Shuudan Koudou”? Is it some sort of Asian discipline that helps you to reach higher states of consciousness? Or, is it some kind of complex Sudoku that takes a chess champion to solve? Well, not even close. Don’t know the answer? Then read on and all will be revealed.
“Shuudan Koudou” has been described as “Synchronized Swimming out of the water” the actual term “Shuudan Koudou” translates to English as “Collective Walking” and is a sport that is extremely popular in Japan. It is quite amazing to watch, and the time these eager participants must have put into their routine must be incredible. So, this is not something that you can rehearse for a couple of times and show up and amaze everyone. It takes a lot of coordination, poise and intelligence to pull off and look convincingly professional doing it.
The timing and synchronicity of their routine is just amazing, as is the choreography. It would only take one missed cued step for the performance to end in disaster. It seems that the most important member of the team is the one calling the instructions from the sidelines. This person is the one in charge of having everything play out to perfection. His responsibility is huge, but it’s everyone’s effort that will make the performance, one to remember for the audience and fans.
The actual sport of “Shuudan Koudou” was developed some 47-years-ago by Japans “Nippon Sports Science University (NSSU)”. Over the years the choreographed routines have become more and more complicated and difficult. In recent years women have been allowed to compete. It’s not unlike the “Cheerleading” competitions held in the United States.
For a team to win one of these prestigious competitions brings great honor and makes the time and effort that these young men and women put into their beloved sport all the more worthwhile. They spend hours upon hours practicing these precisely timed steps to get it right before the all-important competitions, one slip, and it’s all over for this year.
So, now you know a little bit more about “Shuudan Koudou” and you can impress your friends with your wealth of knowledge on all sorts of weird and wonderful subjects, but I would advise you to take a look at the video below to reinforce that knowledge and to witness just how clever this relatively young sport is.
So, are you ready to be amazed and treat your OCD to the one treat that will make getting up early today the more worth it? Click on the link below and be prepared to have you mind blown, and a bit of a giggle at the same time.
