Crazy Japanese sport puts a violent twist on ‘capture the flag’

Remember cheese rolling? That wacky sport where a bunch of nutbars tumble down a hill chasing a roll of cheese?

Well, this traditional U.K. sport might have been usurped as the wackiest sport on the planet.

It's not "bog snorkelling", or "tow-in surfing." And believe it or not, "chess boxing" actually looks rather normal in comparison.

The game is called "Boutaoshi", and the rules are pretty simple. Conquer your opponents pole using whatever means necessary. Seriously, check it out!

In what resembles the most violent rugby scrum ever seen, Boutaoshi adopts the basic concept of capture the flag.

But instead of infiltrating your opponents territory and stealing their flag, the goal is to remove the opponent from atop his perch while a team member climbs the pole and claims victory.

Making things even crazier are the obvious "no holds barred" rules and regulations. Players can push, pull, tackle and even punch their opponents - apparently the referee is necessary but you be the judge.

Many of the players on both teams end up in their own mini-wrestling matches while teammates wearing blue use downed opponents as human catapults.

Pretty violent stuff, but just in case you were wondering, chess boxing is no walk in the park either.