Archery

Archery is the sport/skill of using a bow to propel arrows. Historically, archery was used for hunting and combat but now is mainly a competitive sport and recreational activity. It is a very social sport and whether you want to just improve your skills or to participate in friendly club and inter-club competitions, you will find that archery provides a balance between fun and fitness no matter what your ability.

Athletics

Athletics is a collection of disciplines across the track, field, road and off-road that involve running, jumping and/or throwing!! It is one of the most exciting, diverse and vibrant sport there is, offering something for all skills and abilities and can be traced back to the ancient Olympic games! It is extremely beneficial health wise as participating can greatly improve endurance, stamina and muscle tone. 

Sutton Coldfield is lucky that it can boast that it has a 400m 8 lane track at Wyndley Leisure Centre.

Badminton

Badminton is a fast, dynamic racket sport played on an indoor court using rackets and shuttlecocks (feather or synthetic). It is played as singles, doubles and mixed doubles and caters for all ages and ability levels from beginner through to world class performance.

With around plenty of courts in the area, it is easy to book a game. But Sutton Coldfield also offers a number clubs and leagues for a great way to play whether for fun, fitness or at a more competitive level.

Basketball

Basketball is a game played by two teams on a rectangular court, having a raised hoop (basket) suspended 10 feet off the floor at each end, with points being scored by tossing the ball through the opponent's basket. The aim of the game is to score more points than the opposing team.

A game lasts for four, ten-minute periods, with the clock stopping when the ball is not in play.

Teams are made up of 12 players, with only 5 allowed on court at any time. Teams can substitute as many times as they like, but can only do so when the ball is not in play.

Bowls

There are multiple variants of bowls; flat green outdoor, flat green indoor, crown green and short mat, but all involve rolling biased balls so that they stop the closest to a smaller ball called a "jack" or "kitty".

Boxing

Boxing is a dynamic sport that teaches physical and mental discipline, and the training that comes with it is amongst the most intensive in sport. It provides a thorough full-body workout, and can be a lot of fun too. It's also a fun and effective way of developing communication skills and can help people with self-esteem.

Few progress to actually having fights, with sparring - in which extensive protection is worn and full-strength punches seldom landed - providing a more gentle introduction to the sport. 

Canoeing

Canoeing gives participants the opportunity to get out on the water and offers a wide range of activities, some based on competition and others, less formalised, based on journeying and adventuring.

There are different types of canoeing including; Canoe Slalom, Freestyle Kayaking, Canoe Sailing, Polo, Sea Kayaking and Sprint Racing.

Cricket

Cricket is a bat-and-ball game played between two teams of 11 players each on a field at the centre of which is a rectangular 22-yard long pitch. Each team takes its turn to bat, attempting to score runs, while the other team fields. The batting team continues batting until ten batsmen are out, or a specified number of overs of six balls have been bowled, at which point the teams switch roles and the fielding team comes in to bat.

Cricket is a unique game where in addition to the laws, the players are expected to abide by the "Spirit of the Game".

Club cricket is a mainly amateur, but still formal and competitive, usually involving teams playing in competitions at weekends or in the evening.

Cycling

The sport has a lot of different disciplines - BMX, Cycle Speedway, Cycle-cross, Mountain Bike, Road and Track Cycling, and is an excellent form of physical activity for people seeking to improve their fitness and cardiovascular health.

Fencing

Fencing is a sport in which two competitors fight using 'rapier-style' swords, winning points by making contact with their opponent. There are three forms of modern fencing, each using a different style of weapon and different rules, and as such the sport is divided into three competitive scenes: foil, épée, and sabre.

In foils and epee, points can only be scored by the point of the weapon hitting. In the case of the foil, only a hit on the torso counts. In the epee, the whole body is the target. In sabre, points can also be scored by hitting the arms and head.

Football

Football is one of the most popular sports in the country and here in Sutton Coldfield there are lots of opportunities to play the nation’s favourite game.

The sport involves two teams kicking a ball and whoever scores the most goals, wins the match. It provides a truly extensive variety of physical exercise. Players run, kick, dodge, sprint and jump, and constantly twisting and turning your body increases endurance, promotes agility and develops physical coordination.

This global sport is enjoyed by millions both on and off pitches from all over the world. It is a great team game for people of all ages and sexes and there are plenty of opportunities to take the sport as far as you would like to.

Sutton Coldfield is the home to one club that plays at level 8 of the football pyramid, but many clubs to suit all ages, males and females.

Golf

Golf is a precision club and ball sport that is a great form of non-impact exercise. It is not played on a standardised field but rather on uniquely designed, and often beautiful, courses which make for a more entertaining and challenging game.

The basic idea behind a game of golf is to complete the course in the fewest possible strokes of the ball. It can be played both individually and as part of a team. Due to its handicap system, golf is considered one of the most accessible sports around as any age can play with and against each other.

Gymnastics

Gymnastics is a sport involving the performance of exercises requiring physical strength, flexibility, agility, coordination, and balance and covers many different disciplines.

All are skilled and challenging fall under the individual disciplines and activities of:

•Men's artistic Gymnastics (includes high bar, parallel bars, rings, floor, vault & pommel horse)

•Women's Artistic gymnastics (includes uneven bars, beam, floor and vault)

•Rhythmic Gymnastics

•Trampoline and Tumbling Gymnastics

•Acrobatic Gymnastics

Handball

Handball is a team sport that requires you to score by throwing a ball into a goal. Handball is a dynamic, popular and exciting sport that requires athleticism, strength and stamina, great fitness and most of all, team work.

Hockey

Hockey is a team sport where a ball or a puck is manoeuvred into the opponent's goal with a hockey stick. The game is popular with both males and females and is great for all ages. The sport has developed into different varieties including field hockey, ice hockey, inline hockey, roller hockey and street hockey. The most popular though is field hockey which is an 11-a-side game played outdoors on mainly artificial surfaces.

Judo

Judo is an unarmed Olympic combat sport that demands both physical prowess and great mental discipline. Two players (called judoka) compete against each other on an 8m x 8m matted area for up to 5 minutes with the player scoring the most points winning the contest. Scores of varying degrees are awarded for throws, holds and more, with the coveted "ippon" score ending the contest. If the scores are level at the end of the 5 minute period the contest goes to 'golden score' with the first person to score any point winning the contest.

Judo was founded by Jigoro Kano in Japan in the 1880s and has grown in popularity to become one of the most popular individual sports across the globe.

Kickboxing

Kickboxing is a group of stand-up combat sports based on kicking and punching, historically developed from karate mixed with boxing. Kickboxing is practised for self-defence, general fitness, or as a contact sport.

Netball

The game is played on a hard court with scoring rings at both ends, where players score by netting the netball.

There are seven players on each team. All have named positions on the court such as wing defence or centre. The players are restricted to specific areas according to their position. Players cannot travel with the ball, making netball a game of fast passing with the object being to outscore your opponent by shooting more balls through the goal ring.

Orienteering

Orienteering is a challenging outdoor adventure sport that tests navigational skill and fitness requiring participants to complete an outdoors course in the fastest possible time.

Rowing

Rowing is about propelling a boat across the water using oars. The sport can be either recreational, where the focus is on learning the technique of rowing, or competitive, where athletes race against each other in boats.

In sweep or sweep-oar rowing, each rower has one oar, held with both hands. This is generally done in pairs, fours, and eights.

In sculling each rower has two oars (or sculls), one in each hand. Sculling is usually done without a coxswain, in quads, doubles or singles. The oar in the sculler's right hand extends to port, and the oar in the left hand extends to starboard.

Rugby

Rugby is a contact sport where aim is to use the ball to score more points than the other team.

You can run with the ball, kick it and pass it, but passing the ball forwards is not allowed.

There are several ways to score points.

•A try - points are awarded for touching the ball down in your opponent's goal area.

•A conversion - points are added for a successful kick through the goalposts after a try

•A goal kick - points are awarded for a penalty kick or drop goal through the posts

Sailing

Sailing, yachting and windsurfing are great sports for getting active and energetic, outside in the fresh air.

Recreational sailing or yachting can be divided into racing and cruising. Windsurfing is a surface water sport that combines elements of surfing and sailing and consists of a board powered by wind on a sail. It is predominately undertaken on a non-competitive basis.

Shooting

Target shooting is a popular sport, which demands exceptional concentration and a strong mental approach, comprising over 41 different disciplines across the 3 main categories of Shotgun, Pistol and Rifle.

In Rifle and Pistol events, competitors aim at a 10-ring target from a set distance (10m, 25m or 50m). Depending on the event, competitors are required to shoot from standing, kneeling or prone (lying down) positions.  In Shotgun events, competitors shoot at moving clay targets launched above and in front of them.

Squash

Squash is racket sport played by two players (or four players for doubles) in a four-walled court with a small hollow rubber ball. The aim is to strike the ball against the valid part of the end wall before it bounces a second time. 

Squash provides an excellent cardiovascular workout and a good upper and lower body workout by utilising both the legs to run around the court and the arms/torso to swing the racquet.

Swimming

Swimming is an activity that people of any age, size or ability can participate in and incorporates Diving, Synchronised Swimming, Water Polo and Open Water.

Wyndley Leisure Centre has a 25 metre pool and training pool.

Table Tennis

Table tennis is a racket sport where two players (or four for doubles) hit a ball with a bat, before the ball bounces for a second time on their side, across a table which is divided by net, to bounce on the opposite side.

It is a sport that is very simple for a beginner to pick up and start to play, but at the advanced level involves high amounts of skill.

Taekwondo

Taekwondo is a Korean martial art, characterized by its emphasis on head-height kicks, jumping and spinning kicks, and fast kicking techniques.

There are two national governing bodies receiving Sport England funding to deliver Taekwondo activity programmes in the UK.

British Taekwondo is responsible for the Olympic style of Taekwondo and the British Taekwondo Council is responsible for overseeing the number of different associations that deliver slightly different styles of Taekwondo. 

Tennis

Tennis (or lawn tennis) is a racquet sport played on a court divide by a net. Players use a racquet to hit the ball, before it bounces twice, over the net into the opponent's court.

It requires agility, speed and endurance, so it’s a brilliant way to keep fit while developing motor and coordination skills. And within local clubs there is usually a great social side to the game.

Volleyball

Volleyball is a team sport in which two teams, each of 6 players, are on a court separated by a high net.

Each team tries to score points by grounding a ball on the other team's court but only having 3 touches before the ball must pass over the net. 

Water Polo

Water polo is a fast-paced sport played by two teams (of seven) in a swimming pool. There are goals at each end of the pool with aim to scores the most points by getting the ball in the goal.