FISTBALL
As the name suggests, in this sport the ball can only be hit with a closed fist or arm. Similar to volleyball, it is played by two teams of five players each on a grass or wooden court, and the players hit the ball three times before passing it to the other side of the net. Fistball originated in Ancient Rome, around 300 BC, when it was played with a ball made of leather and an animal's bladder filled with air. Its modern form, as well as its rules, emerged in Germany in 1895 and arrived in Brazil with immigrants from that country. Fistball is known internationally as faustball, because the word faust, in German, means “fist.”
SEPAKTAKRAW
Originating in Southeast Asia five hundred years ago, it combines a type of footvolley with martial arts. The three players on each team can make up to three touches using all parts of their bodies, except their hands and arms, to pass the ball to the other side of the net – this is where flying kicks and other fantastic shots come in. The ball was originally made of bamboo and is now made of synthetic material. Sepaktakraw is usually played on a court similar to a volleyball court, but in Brazil it is also played on sand. There are about two hundred players in Rio de Janeiro, Minas Gerais, Paraná and Pernambuco. Sepaktakraw is derived from an ancient Malaysian game called Sepak (which means kick) Raga (rattan ball, a type of bamboo).
TCHOUKBALL
It is played like handball: the nine players pass the ball between themselves to the “remission box”, a goal measuring just 1m2 covered with an elastic net. When thrown, it bounces off the net and, if the defending players fail to catch it, the opponent scores a point. The sport was invented by Swiss doctor Hermann Brandt in 1970, and the name comes from the “tchouk!” sound the ball makes when it hits the net.
ZORBING
How about sliding down a ravine inside a plastic ball at 50 km/h? That's the real thrill of the sport. The "zorbonaut" sits in a 1.80 meter high chamber inside the sphere, which is 3.2 meters in diameter, surrounded by a 70 centimeter thick air cushion. This fun activity was created in 2002 by New Zealanders Andrew Akers and Dwane van der Sluis. To prevent the zorbonaut's stomach from turning as much as the ball, it only turns twice every 10 meters.