Transcript Elizabethan Sports

Elizabethan Sports
BY: JORDAN WITHJACK
Team Sports
Sports were a great form of entertainment during the
Elizabethan era, especially for the Nobility.
Team Sports Continued
Team sports became popular during the
reign of Queen Elizabeth and were
appreciated by players as well as
spectators. Team sports were very
rough and violent during the
Elizabethan era, so most would be
created for very fit, young, and active
men.
Team Sports Include:
 Elizabethan Hunting- “At Force” Hunts were the
most arduous forms of hunting. In this sport, teams
of men would hunt ferocious, wild boars.
 Elizabethan Tournaments- In these tournaments, or
tourneys, team elements were incorporated in many
ways. The main form of tournaments were knights
fighting on horseback or even on foot.
 Elizabethan Bowls-This sport was believed to have
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been played in teams similar to modern day ten pin
bowling.
Battledore and Shuttlecock- These team sports were
the ancestors of today’s badminton.
Gameball- This was a very violent version of modern
day football.
Hurling or Shinty- Similar to hockey.
Pall Mall- An ancestor to Croquet.
Rounders- A bat-and-ball game similar to today’s
baseball.
Elizabethan Individual Sports
All sports in the Elizabethan era tended to include an
element of gambling.
Elizabethan Individual Sports Included:
 Elizabethan Archery- Archery contests were extremely
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popular during the Elizabethan era.
Billiards- An early ancestor to the game Pool played today.
Colf- This sport was an older version of golf.
Elizabethan Tennis- The sport was similar to modern day
tennis.
Wrestling- This sport was similar to the modern day version,
except it was more violent.
Horseshoes- Participants would throw horseshoes at a target.
Quarter-staff Contests- Quarterstaffs were long wooden poles
often reinforced with a metal tip at the end to injure the
opponent.
Fencing
Fencing was a very prominent individual sport. It was
a requirement for all Upper Class Nobility to have
skill in fencing. Also, fencing was a popular training
technique for knights. Because of fencing, a sword
also became part of the apparel during the time
period.
In Conclusion:
Most Elizabethan sports were
considered blood sports and were
very rough and violent. While some
sports were open to anybody that
wanted to watch, some could only
be viewed by the Nobility.
Sources:
http://www.elizabethan-
era.org.uk/
http://www.elizabethanera.org.uk/elizabethanfencing.htm