From barrier breaking auto-racing to the calm and peaceful game of golf, the world of games and sports has always been exciting. While the masses enjoy commonly watched sports such as tennis and soccer, there are many people who are involved in sports that do not have much fan following. Yet, even those sports are enough to fascinate the athletes and audience alike. For instance, kayaking is not a very common sport yet you can find a lot of shops with Kayak accessories and kayak hardware.

There is one kind of sport that is although very popular but only few people are courageous enough to be a part of it as a professional athlete – the extreme sports. The true definition of extreme sports is hard to find, yet it can simply be categorized as a sports or activities that are associated with the adrenaline rush that is felt by the athletes and the audience as well.

Extreme sports are also referred to as action sports or adventure sports because they mostly fulfill the thirst for thrill and adventure. These sports can take participants to the edge of their physical and psychological extreme. Also, these sports involve a very high risk of fatal injury. However, every sport that involves a high risk of injury might not be extreme.

The term extreme sports is said to be coined by the highly publicized TV event, The X games. However, the origin of such games links back to simple games and sports. The extreme enthusiasts usually add new and risky techniques and maneuvers in existing sports to make it more thrilling for them and exciting for the audience.

Skateboarding, which is a common and popular activity around the neighborhoods of America, was taken to extremes by performing extraordinary maneuvers at unimaginable heights and dangerous terrains. Similarly, extreme enthusiasts took the typical bike and BMX ride and turned the activity into extreme sports such as dirt biking and extreme BMX.

The scope of going extreme in a sport is not limited to being land but also in the sky and water. Sky diving, paragliding and bungee jumping are some of the most favorite sports of this kind. Plus, hiking is also taken to the next level by climbing the most impossible places such as glaciers and high mountains.

Water gliding, surfing and paragliding are only few of the sports that take the participants to the extremes of their physical and mental endurance. Other water extreme sports include canoeing and rafting against speedy raging rivers.

As apparent in most sports of this kind, these sports do not need any special ground or conditions. Rather, they are played in a natural environment with virtually no or very less safety gear and equipment. Today, there is a new breed of extreme sports that relies totally on human physical capabilities and the ability to transform the body into an extreme machine. A popular example of these activities is free running in which participants jump and run with nearly super-human skills.