tõstmiste

Tõstmiste is a traditional Estonian sport practiced in the country's rural areas. The name translates to "lifts" or "boosts" in English. Practitioners of this sport push or pull each other to lift their feet off the ground, often for short distances or in various configurations.

Techniques employed in tõstmiste include a variety of pushing and pulling motions, sometimes involving simultaneous actions by multiple individuals. The goal is to create a collective force that allows participants to lift their feet off the ground, sometimes in a shared or alternating manner.

Historically, tõstmiste emerged as a form of social interaction and community building within rural Estonian settlements. The activity was often performed on rural paths, as a preparatory exercise for work or a way to socialize after a day's labor. Individuals or groups would engage in informal competitions, testing their collective strength and technique, while the sport also served as a form of exercise and as a means of applying rural social skills. Today, tõstmiste is largely practiced for recreational purposes, although some efforts have been made to document and preserve this traditional sport.