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Weekly 5: Five alternative sports for urban dwellers
Working out has long been part of the lifestyle of many people living in the capital as it helps them to maintain their health and well-toned body
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em>Working out has long been part of the lifestyle of many people living in the capital as it helps them to maintain their health and well-toned body. There are currently many communities and locations, besides fitness centers, that accommodate a variety of unique sports. Here are some alternative physical activities that can be found in the capital:
Acroyoga
Acroyoga has been gaining in popularity among Jakartans over the past few years due to its beautiful combination of acrobatic and yoga poses, hence the name. Involving two persons as exercise partners, the variation on yoga provides a number of health and relationship benefits ' aside from producing nice poses to be shared on social media.
'Acroyoga helps to boost my courage. Whenever I'm going to do a movement, I have to reassure myself that I can lift or be lifted by my partner without falling,' said Ariana Delicia, a Pondok Indah resident who has been practicing acroyoga for five months.
Moreover, according to her, acroyoga can also strengthen relationships between spouses, siblings or friends as the sport requires trust and communication between partners. Other yoga variations currently in the limelight are aerial and hot yoga.
Sky Jumper
JP/Wendra Ajistyatama
Sky Jumper, also known as powerbocking, is a sport that uses spring shoes, powerbocks, to perform extreme jumps and running moves.
People wearing the powerbocks literally have a spring in their steps and they are able to run at high speeds.
Invented by Alexander Bock of Germany, the shoes are also referred to as jumping stilts and power stilts. The shoes cost from Rp 800,000 (US$55.83) to Rp 3,000,000.
In Jakarta, the powerbockers can be found hanging out and practicing in Gelora Bung Karno in South Jakarta or Kota Tua in Central Jakarta with the two biggest communities being IndoJumpStilts and Sky Jumper Indonesia
Underwater hockey
Those who are bored with swimming but still want to play in the water should try underwater hockey. It is a non-contact sport where two teams compete to maneuver a puck across the bottom of a swimming pool into the opposing team's goal.
The equipment of the sport, which was invented in England in 1954, is quite simple, comprising a wooden or plastic stick, a snorkel, goggles and fins. The players should be able to swim and hold their breath under water for lengthy periods.
Besides having to play while holding one's breath, another challenge of the game is that opposing players do not only come from behind or from or the left or right but also from above.
Jakartans who are interested in the game can visit the Senayan Swimming pool in South Jakarta where members of the Jakarta Underwater Hockey (JUWH) club practice every Monday and Thursday starting from 7 p.m.
Electrical Muscle Stimulator
Fitness training is one of the most popular sports among Jakartans. However, many people feel two hours spent on exercising to be excessive. Hence the recent emergence of a fitness training variation known as Electro Muscle Stimulation (EMS) technology.
The training requires participants to wear wired-up training suits in which muscle-stimulating technology is installed. With the suits, they can perform their fitness exercises faster ' within approximately 20 minutes ' as the technology stimulates eight large muscle groups to contract faster and more effectively.
Currently, such exercise routines can be found in the capital in the 20FIT fitness center.
'We know that Jakarta residents are very mobile so they need a fitness exercise that is fast yet effective. That's why we established the fitness center using this technology as our flagship exercise program,' says Bambang Reguna Bukit, 20FIT chief of equipment and personal trainer distribution.
Vertical running
It is safe to say that running is the easiest exercise people can do. It does not need special equipment or particular location. It simply needs determination and plenty of space.
However, residents of cities like Jakarta frequently do not have such space. One way to get around this is by vertical running.
Vertical runners use stairs of high-rise buildings to exercise. One of the favorite venues for vertical runners in Jakarta is Menara BCA on Jl. Sudirman in Central Jakarta, one of the tallest buildings in the city with 56 floors.
Those who work in high-rise offices can also practice this form of running to stay fit.
