Sports are enjoyed by people all around the world. If you want to learn the names of the various types of sports that people do, check out this list of sports (in English) with pictures. If you’re a teacher, scroll down to the bottom to see some of the best activity recommendations for teaching sports names.
Different sports names
List of Sports
Here is a sports list to assist in teaching or learning different sports.
- archery
- badminton
- baseball
- basketball
- bobsled
- bowling
- boxing
- bungee jumping
- cricket
- curling
- cycling
- darts
- diving
- fencing
- figure skating
- fishing
- football (American)
- golf
- gymnastics
- handball
- hang gliding
- hockey (field hockey)
- hockey (ice hockey)
- horse jumping
- horse racing
- judo
- karate
- luge
- rock climbing
- running
- rugby
- scuba diving
- skating
- skiing
- snowboarding
- skateboarding
- skating
- skeleton
- skiing
- skydiving
- soccer
- squash
- sumo wrestling
- surfing
- swimming
- table tennis/ping-pong
- taekwondo
- tennis
- track and field
- volleyball
- water polo
- waterskiing
- weight lifting
- windsurfing
- yoga
Complete Sports List in English, With Pictures
Have a look at the types of sports, with pictures.
Archery
Badminton
Baseball
Basketball
Bobsled
Bowling
Boxing
Bungee Jumping
Cricket
Curling
Cycling
Darts
Diving
Fencing
Figure Skating
Fishing
Football (American)
Golf
Gymnastics
Handball
Hang Gliding
Hockey(Field Hockey)
Hockey (Ice Hockey)
Horse Jumping
Horse Racing
Judo
Karate
Luge
Rock Climbing
Running
Rugby
Scuba Diving
Skateboarding
Skating
Skeleton
Skiing
Skydiving
Snowboarding
Soccer
Squash
Sumo Wrestling
Surfing
Swimming
Table Tennis/Ping-Pong
Taekwondo
Tennis
Track and Field
Volleyball
Water Polo
Waterskiing
Weightlifting
Windsurfing
Wrestling
Yoga
Games and Activities to Teach Different Sports Names
If you’re an English teacher and want some ideas to teach sports names, here are some of the top recommendations:
A-Z Alphabet Game
Unless your students are absolute beginners, it’s likely that they already know many of the sports on this list of sports. That’s where this activity comes in—it can help students activate their prior knowledge before adding on new vocabulary.
Have a watch right here for this quick A-Z warmer activity:
Flashcard Games and Activities
I love to use flashcards when teaching kids who are beginners. They’re so useful and there are a ton of great games and activities you can do with them. They’re also ideal for helping teach and review the various types of sports. Have a look right here for some of the best ideas:
Odd One Out
This is a simple review or warmer activity. It works really well for sports names. List 3 or 4 things. For example:
- Golf, wrestling, soccer, tennis.
Students have to say which one doesn’t fit and why. There can be various answers but one from the example above would be wrestling because it doesn’t use a ball.
Learn more about odd one out right here:
ESL Surveys
Just ask my students and they’ll tell you that I love using surveys and questionairres in my class! For sports, there are so many yes/no questions students could ask. For example:
- Do you exercise every day?
- Do you prefer team sports?
- Are you athletic?
Find out all the details you need to know about making your own surveys right here:
Man/Woman on the Street Interview
Use this simple TEFL activity to make something old (talking to a partner), new again. It’s a fun way to elicit some opinions. For sports, you could use questions like the following:
- Do you think our country should host the Olympics in the future?
- Do you have a favourite sports star?
- What’s your favourite sport?
Check it out:
Man/Woman on the Street Interview Activity
Types of sports
List of Sports: Join the Conversation
Do you have anything to add to our list of sports? Or, a nice activity for teaching sports names to students? Leave a comment below and let us know. We’d love to hear from you.
