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Athletic aficionados and active adventurers, assemble around!

Are you excited to learn more about awesome sports that all start with the letter “A”?

Affirmative?

Awesome!

Get ready to be astonished by the array of action-packed sports starting with the letter “A”!

Sports that start with the Letter A

  1. American Football
  2. Athletics
  3. Aquatics
  4. Auto Racing
  5. Archery
  6. Alpine Skiing
  7. Airsoft
  8. Air Racing
  9. Arm Wrestling
  10. Aikido

#1 American Football

American Football is a popular team sport predominantly played in the United States. It consists of two teams, each with 11 players, competing on a rectangular field with goalposts at each end.

The objective is to score points by advancing the football into the opposing team’s end zone through running or passing.

Key positions include quarterbacks, running backs, wide receivers, and defensive players such as linebackers and cornerbacks.

The National Football League (NFL) is the professional American football organization, with the annual Super Bowl being a widely-watched event.

#2 Athletics

Athletics is a collection of sports events that involve running, jumping, throwing, and walking. It is often referred to as track and field.

Some of the most popular athletics events include sprints, middle and long-distance running, hurdles, long jump, high jump, triple jump, pole vault, shot put, discus, hammer throw, and javelin.

Athletes compete at various levels, including the Olympic Games, World Athletics Championships, and regional and national competitions.

#3 Aquatics

Aquatics is an umbrella term that covers several water-based sports, including swimming, diving, synchronized swimming, and water polo.

Swimming events range from short sprints to long-distance races and include freestyle, backstroke, breaststroke, and butterfly strokes.

Diving sees athletes performing acrobatic maneuvers while jumping from platforms or springboards into a pool.

Synchronized swimming, now known as artistic swimming, combines swimming, dance, and gymnastics in choreographed routines.

Water polo is a team sport played in a pool, with players attempting to score goals by throwing a ball into the opponent’s net.

#4 Auto Racing

Auto racing, also known as motor racing or automobile racing, is a competitive sport involving the racing of vehicles, usually cars or motorcycles, on designated tracks or circuits.

Different types of auto racing exist, such as Formula 1, NASCAR, IndyCar, and rally racing.

The objective is to complete a set number of laps or distance in the shortest time possible, with drivers often facing various challenges like tight corners, high speeds, and changing weather conditions.

#5 Archery

Archery is a precision sport that involves shooting arrows at a target from a specified distance using a bow.

The goal is to achieve the highest score by hitting the target as close to the center as possible.

Archery has a long history, dating back thousands of years, with roots in hunting, warfare, and recreation.

Today, it is a popular competitive and recreational activity, with events at the Olympic Games, Paralympic Games, and World Archery Championships.

#6 Alpine Skiing

Alpine skiing is a winter sport that involves descending snow-covered slopes on skis with fixed-heel bindings.

The sport encompasses various disciplines, such as slalom, giant slalom, super-G, downhill, and combined events.

Slalom and giant slalom races require skiers to navigate a course marked by gates, while downhill and super-G events focus on speed and technical ability.

Alpine skiing is a popular recreational activity and a competitive sport, with international competitions like the Winter Olympic Games, World Cup, and World Championships.

#7 Airsoft

Airsoft is a competitive team sport that involves players eliminating opponents by hitting them with plastic pellets fired from replica firearms.

The sport emphasizes strategy, teamwork, and tactics, with various game scenarios and objectives.

Airsoft events can take place in indoor or outdoor settings and often involve military simulation, where participants wear camouflage and use realistic weapon replicas.

Safety gear, such as eye protection and face masks, is essential in airsoft to prevent injury.

#8 Air Racing

Air racing is a motorsport that involves pilots navigating a course in the air at high speeds, typically using small, agile aircraft.

Races can be categorized into different types, such as pylon racing, where pilots fly around a set course marked by pylons, and cross-country racing, which involves covering a long distance in the shortest possible time.

Air racing requires skill, precision, and quick decision-making. Some notable air racing events include the Red Bull Air Race World Championship and the Reno Air Races.

#9 Arm Wrestling

Arm wrestling is a strength-based sport that pits two competitors against each other in a test of upper body power.

Participants grip each other’s hand, with elbows on a table, and attempt to force their opponent’s arm down to the table surface.

Arm wrestling requires a combination of technique, leverage, and muscular strength.

The sport has organized competitions at various levels, from amateur to professional, with the World Armwrestling Championships being a prominent international event.

#10 Aikido

Aikido is a modern Japanese martial art that emphasizes harmony, fluid movement, and non-aggressive techniques.

Developed by Morihei Ueshiba in the early 20th century, Aikido focuses on using an attacker’s energy and movements against them, rather than relying on brute force.

Practitioners learn to blend with and redirect the force of an attack, often resulting in joint locks and throws. Aikido is practiced worldwide for self-defense, physical fitness, and personal development.

More Sports Starting with A

  1. Artistic Gymnastics: Artistic Gymnastics showcases the strength, agility, and grace of athletes as they perform on apparatuses like the balance beam, uneven bars, rings, and floor. Both men’s and women’s events are featured in this sport, with competitors executing impressive routines to captivate judges and audiences alike.
  2. Adventure Racing: Adventure Racing tests the endurance, navigation, and teamwork skills of participants as they traverse diverse terrain and overcome various challenges. These multidisciplinary races often include activities such as mountain biking, trail running, and kayaking, with teams working together to complete the course as quickly as possible.
  3. Acrobatic Gymnastics: Acrobatic Gymnastics combines strength, flexibility, and balance as athletes perform complex routines in pairs or groups. These performances involve a variety of lifts, throws, and holds, demanding exceptional coordination and trust between partners as they strive to impress the judges.
  4. Australian Football: Australian Football, also known as Aussie Rules, is a fast-paced, full-contact sport that combines elements of rugby and soccer. Players compete to score goals by kicking an oval-shaped ball through tall goalposts, while also using their hands to pass and catch the ball. The sport is particularly popular in Australia, with professional and amateur leagues drawing passionate fans.
  5. Artistic Roller Skating: Artistic Roller Skating brings the elegance and skill of figure skating to roller rinks. Athletes perform graceful routines on quad roller skates, showcasing their balance, agility, and artistic expression through various jumps, spins, and dance moves.
  6. Arena Football: Arena Football is an indoor adaptation of American Football, played on a smaller field with fewer players per team. This high-scoring, fast-paced game emphasizes passing and offense, with unique rules like rebound nets and no punting to keep the action moving at a breakneck pace. Fans enjoy the close-quarters excitement and high-energy atmosphere of Arena Football games.
  7. Aggressive Inline Skating: Aggressive Inline Skating takes rollerblading to the extreme, with athletes performing daring stunts, grinds, and flips on skate parks, street obstacles, and halfpipes. This thrilling sport requires skill, creativity, and fearlessness as competitors push the boundaries of what can be done on inline skates.
  8. Armored Combat: Armored Combat brings historical battles to life, as competitors don full suits of armor and engage in combat using blunt-edged replicas of medieval weapons. This full-contact sport emphasizes authenticity, strategy, and physical prowess, providing a unique experience for both participants and spectators.
  9. Aerials: Aerials is a breathtaking freestyle skiing discipline, where athletes launch off snow ramps to perform daring flips and twists in mid-air. Competitors aim to impress judges with their height, form, and execution, while also maintaining control during their daring descents and landings.
  10. Artistic Billiards: Artistic Billiards is a unique cue sport that combines precision and creativity, as players perform a series of predetermined shots, or “figures,” on a billiards table. Competitors must demonstrate their mastery of various techniques, such as masse shots, jumps, and banks, earning points based on the difficulty and success of each figure.
  11. Adventure Golf: Adventure Golf, often referred to as mini-golf or putt-putt, is a fun and accessible sport that challenges players to navigate creatively-designed courses with various obstacles. The objective is to complete each hole in the fewest strokes, making precision and strategy key components of the game.
  12. Arena Polo: Arena Polo adapts the traditional equestrian sport of polo for indoor or outdoor arenas with a smaller playing area. This fast-paced game requires excellent horsemanship, teamwork, and coordination as players attempt to score goals by hitting a ball with their mallets.
  13. Aesthetic Group Gymnastics: Aesthetic Group Gymnastics merges gymnastics, dance, and ballet in a mesmerizing team sport. Athletes perform coordinated, expressive routines set to music, focusing on harmony, flexibility, and synchronization. With no apparatuses involved, the emphasis is on fluid movement and captivating artistic expression.
  14. Aquathlon: Aquathlon is a multisport race that challenges athletes in both swimming and running disciplines. Competitors aim to complete the course as quickly as possible, with the clock running continuously through the transition between sports. This endurance test is popular among triathletes as a focused training event.
  15. Arena Rugby: Arena Rugby brings the excitement and physicality of rugby to an indoor setting, with a smaller field and modified rules. This fast-paced, high-scoring game emphasizes speed, agility, and teamwork, providing an exhilarating experience for both players and spectators alike.
  16. Australian Handball: Australian Handball is a fast-paced, non-contact sport played in a rectangular court with two teams aiming to score by throwing the ball into the opponent’s goal. Combining elements of European handball and Australian football, this energetic game requires speed, agility, and teamwork to outmaneuver and outscore the opposition.
  17. Aerobatics: Aerobatics showcases the skill and daring of pilots as they perform jaw-dropping aerial maneuvers, such as loops, rolls, and spins. These thrilling displays of precision and control can be seen at airshows or in competitive events, where pilots are judged based on their technique and execution.
  18. Aeromodeling: Aeromodeling is a fascinating hobby and competitive sport that involves designing, building, and flying model aircraft. Enthusiasts can choose from a range of disciplines, such as radio-controlled, free-flight, and control line, each requiring skill and attention to detail to excel in performance and craftsmanship.
  19. Alpinism: Alpinism, or mountaineering, is the challenging and adventurous pursuit of climbing and traversing mountains. This sport tests the physical endurance, technical skills, and mental fortitude of climbers as they face harsh conditions and potential hazards while ascending some of the world’s most awe-inspiring peaks.
  20. All-Terrain Boarding: All-Terrain Boarding, also known as mountain boarding or dirtboarding, combines the exhilaration of snowboarding, skateboarding, and off-road biking. Riders navigate various terrains on boards equipped with large wheels and bindings, using their balance, agility, and speed to tackle downhill courses, jumps, and other obstacles.
  21. Assisted Cycling: Assisted Cycling is an inclusive sport that enables individuals with disabilities or limited mobility to enjoy the benefits and excitement of cycling. This activity often involves adaptive equipment, such as tandem bicycles, hand cycles, and tricycles, and can be enjoyed recreationally or competitively.
  22. Aquabike: Aquabike combines the sports of swimming and cycling in a multi-discipline event. Participants complete a swimming segment before transitioning to a bike ride, with the goal of finishing the course in the shortest time possible.
  23. Archery 3D: Archery 3D is a dynamic variation of traditional archery, where competitors shoot at life-sized foam animal targets placed at varying distances and angles within a natural outdoor setting. This sport challenges an archer’s ability to judge distances and adjust for various factors such as elevation and wind. Archery 3D originated in the United States in the 1970s as a way for bowhunters to practice their skills in realistic hunting scenarios.
  24. Autocross: Autocross is a timed motorsport event where drivers navigate a course marked by traffic cones, aiming to complete the route as quickly as possible without hitting any obstacles. The sport emphasizes precision and car control, rather than outright speed, making it accessible to a wide range of drivers and vehicles.
  25. Autocross: Autocross is a timed motorsport event where drivers navigate a course marked by traffic cones, aiming to complete the route as quickly as possible without hitting any obstacles. The sport emphasizes precision and car control, rather than outright speed, making it accessible to a wide range of drivers and vehicles.
  26. Autograss: Autograss is a fast-paced, off-road motorsport where drivers race on oval dirt tracks in various classes of cars. Featuring compact, powerful vehicles, the sport offers thrilling, wheel-to-wheel action as competitors battle for position and navigate unpredictable terrain.
  27. Autospeedway: Autospeedway is a high-speed, action-packed form of motorsport that takes place on short oval tracks. Drivers compete in various types of vehicles, from stock cars to modified race cars, in adrenaline-pumping races that often feature daring overtakes and spectacular crashes.
  28. Axe Throwing: Axe Throwing is a competitive sport where participants throw axes at a target, aiming for the bullseye. Combining skill, focus, and technique, axe throwing has grown in popularity as a recreational activity and competitive sport, with leagues and championships held worldwide.
  29. Acroski: Acroski, also known as ski ballet, is a hybrid sport that combines elements of skiing and figure skating. Athletes perform choreographed routines set to music, showcasing their creativity, agility, and technical skill on the slopes. Though no longer an Olympic event, it remains a fascinating display of artistic athleticism.
  30. Air Hockey: Air Hockey is a fast-paced, tabletop game where players use handheld strikers to hit a small puck across a smooth, air-cushioned surface, aiming to score goals in their opponent’s net. Requiring quick reflexes and strategic thinking, air hockey is a popular recreational activity enjoyed by all ages.
  31. Arnis: Arnis, also known as Eskrima or Kali, is a Filipino martial art that focuses on weapon-based combat, primarily using sticks and bladed weapons. Combining offensive and defensive techniques, practitioners develop speed, coordination, and tactical thinking as they train for self-defense and compete in various forms of competition.
  32. Artistic Cycling: Artistic Cycling is a unique sport that combines the grace of gymnastics with the skill and control of cycling. Athletes perform choreographed routines on specially-designed bicycles, showcasing their balance, strength, and creativity as they execute impressive stunts and maneuvers.
  33. Association Croquet: Association Croquet is a strategic lawn game where players use mallets to hit balls through a series of hoops in a specific order. Combining skill, tactics, and strategy, the sport challenges competitors to outthink and outmaneuver their opponents while adhering to a strict set of rules and etiquette.
  34. AFLX: AFLX is a modified version of Australian Football designed for faster gameplay and smaller playing areas. Featuring reduced team sizes and simplified rules, the sport offers high-intensity action and a more accessible introduction to the traditional game, making it popular among amateur players and communities.
  35. AFL Wheelchair: AFL Wheelchair is an inclusive adaptation of Australian Football, designed for athletes with mobility impairments. Competitors use specially-designed wheelchairs to navigate the field and handle the ball, retaining key aspects of the original game while offering an exciting and accessible sporting opportunity for all abilities.
  36. American Handball: American Handball is a fast-paced sport where players use their hands to hit a small rubber ball against a wall, aiming to make it difficult for their opponent to return the shot. Played in singles or doubles, the sport requires agility, speed, and strategic thinking to outplay the opposition.
  37. Aquajogging: Aquajogging is a low-impact, water-based exercise that simulates running in a pool while wearing a flotation belt. It provides a cardiovascular workout and helps maintain muscle strength without putting stress on joints, making it an ideal option for rehabilitation, cross-training, and fitness enthusiasts of all ages.
  38. Artistic swimming: Artistic swimming is a captivating aquatic sport that combines elements of swimming, dance, and gymnastics. Teams of athletes perform coordinated, synchronized routines set to music, showcasing their strength, flexibility, and creativity while maintaining precise timing and formations. Artistic swimming has been an Olympic event since 1984.

FAQ

Which sports start with the letter A?

Some popular sports that start with the letter A include American Football, Athletics, Aquatics (including swimming, diving, synchronized swimming, and water polo), Auto Racing, Archery, Alpine Skiing, Airsoft, and Aikido.

What is the most popular sport that starts with A?

American Football is arguably the most popular sport that starts with the letter A, particularly in the United States, where it has a massive following and a significant cultural impact.

Max is a sports enthusiast who loves all kinds of ball and water sports. He founded & runs stand-up-paddling.org (#1 German Paddleboarding Blog), played competitive Badminton and Mini Golf (competed on national level in Germany), started learning ‘real’ Golf and dabbled in dozens of other sports & activities.

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