List of Sports

From ancient Egypt to the first Olympic Games in Greece, sports are one of the most valuable activities for humanity and, for children especially, it’s one of the foundations of a positive physical and mental development throughout their lives. Whether it’s running, playing tennis, or doing gymnastics, sports are a great asset for kids education. In this list of sports, you’ll find all the vocabulary in English related to the main disciplines, competitions, and games, so your little ones can start learning right away about this essential topic.

What is a sport?

There are many different sports disciplines around the world, some more known than others. However, to learn about these it could be a good idea to first answer the main question “What is a sport?” A sport is an activity that is competitive and athletic, and which requires some particular set of skills or physical abilities to be carried out.

There are several types of sports, usually divided by four main categories according to the types of skills required: physical sports (swimming, gymnastics), motorised sports (these often involve vehicles like cars or motorbikes), mind sports (like chess, which needs a lot of attention and critical thinking skills), and sports with animals (horseback riding, for example). Some of these activities can be individual, and others may be performed on couples or even teams. Now, let’s take a look at the main sports there are and some vocabulary about sports in English

Why are sports important?

Sports are deeply ingrained in the different cultures found around the world. Learning about sports helps the little ones get to know more about their surroundings, breaking down language and cultural barriers as they get to know new vocabulary and expressions as they practice their favorite disciplines. Moreover, practicing a sport is the perfect way for children to learn about sportsmanship, and also to grasp the importance that teamwork has in a person’s life.

Additionally, children that grow up practicing a sport develop great physical skills, are more inclined to make new friends have improved self-esteem and lower levels of stress, which in turn is quite beneficial for their mental health. So, sports are not only great for the body, but also for the children’s mind.

Sports Names

Let’s take a look at some sports vocabulary in English, from the name of sports to items related to them.

Adventure Sports

kayaking

bobsleigh

canoeing

cross-country skiing

rafting

skeleton

skibobbing

surfing

Aquatic Sports

snorkeling

olympic swimming

bodyboarding

diving

freediving

paddleboarding

rowing

scuba diving

synchronized swimming

Strength and Agility Sports

aerobics

aikido

archery

artistic gymnastics

baton twirling

bodybuilding

boxing

cross-country equestrianism

cross-country running

cycling

discus throw

equestrianism

fencing

figure skating

horse racing

judo

karate

kendo

kickboxing

kung fu

long jump

marathon

mixed martial arts

Muay Thai

pole vault

powerlifting

racewalking

rhythmic gymnastics

sprint

sumo

sword-fighting

trail running

trampolining

tumbling

ultimate

walking

weightlifting

wrestling

Ball Sports

baseball

basketball

tennis

badminton

bowling

cricket

curling

dodgeball

football

golf

handball

hockey

horseball

hurling

ice hockey

kickball

lacrosse

paddle

polo

racquetball

rinkball

rounders

rugby

soccer

softball

squash

table tennis

unicycling basketball

unicycling handball

unicycling hockey

volleyball

water polo

Extreme Sports

BASE jumping

abseiling

bouldering

gliding

kiteboarding

kitesurfing

parachuting

paragliding

parasailing

skateboarding

skydiving

skysurfing

snowboarding

wakeboarding

windsurfing

Mountain Sports

climbing

cross-country cycling

hiking

mountaineering

Motorised Sports

drifting

formula racing

kart racing

rallycross

Mind Sports

Go

bridge

checkers

chess

mahjong

Sport Activities

Even though a sport is -in general- a physical activity, there is also another type of activities that aren’t considered sports. These, despite requiring a physical effort to be performed, aren’t regulated and organized, unlike sports. Moreover, some sports activities like the decathlon, also aren’t sports, but instead, they are formed by various events and challenges of different sports. Let’s check out the most common ones.

airsoft

aquathlon

ballooning

barrel racing

biathlon

capoeira

cheerleading

CrossFit

dancing

darts

decathlon

foosball

gymkhana

heptathlon

jogging

laser tag

paintball

parkour

petanque

pool

triathlon

Sports vocabulary

Now, let’s take a look at some vocabulary that’s frequently used in different sports and disciplines.

backstroke

butterfly stroke

freestyle swimming

winter sports

water sports

ball

racetrack

jockey

olympics

olympic games

player

racer

swimmer

track

ring

velodrome

stadium

coach

team

olympic pool

court

field

arena

athlete

draw

gym

medal

referee

score

sportsmanship

tournament

whistle

javelin

lane

lap

record

basket

pass

dribble

free throw

hoop

slam dunk

foul

time-out

goal

goalkeeper

volleyball

penalty

skates

skateboard

ski boot

racquet

baseball bat

catcher

pitcher

base hit

home run

defeat

defense

fitness

tie

puck

How to use play, do and go?

Now that your little one is learning vocabulary about sports, there’s another important issue related to this topic: how to talk about sports in English. In this language, there are three different verbs in English that can be used to talk about sports. Let’s take a look at these.

Play

When talking about team sports, ‘play’ is the verb to use. Usually, the sports that go with ‘play’ are those that need a ball or some other similar equipment to be played. For example: “Let’s play football!” or “Do you want to play volleyball tomorrow?”

Some of the most common sports that go with play are tennis, football, golf, cricket, basketball, volleyball, chess.

Do

This verb is used when talking about a sport that’s done individually instead of in a team. Some examples of these sports are aerobics or martial arts. “I do martial arts on Sundays.”

The most common sports in this group are karate, athletics, archery, gymnastics.

Go

This is the correct option to refer to a sport that ends in -ing, like swimming or skating. For example, “Marcia and Alex are going swimming on Saturday.”, or “The girls go skiing in the winter.”

Among the most common sports in this category are cycling, swimming, dancing, snowboarding, running, fencing.

Sports Vocabulary Printable Flashcards