ABSTRACT
As an extreme sport which integrates survival, adventure, thrill, recreation and education, Outward Bound originated in Britain during the World War II. At that time, many ships had sunk into the Atlantic Ocean due to attacks, and groups of sailors fell into the water. The cold water and far distance from land led to the death of many young seamen. But from the survivors, a shocking phenomenon was found that those people who survived the disasters were not those well-armed men full of energy but those with the firmest belief and the strongest desire to survive. Then Kurt Hahn from Germany proposed that, some activities and programs should be conducted for young mariners with some natural conditions and man-made facilities to cultivate and improve their psychological quality. Later, his friend Lawrence Holt and German educators made in-depth analysis and study on the phenomenon. A survival training school (the first Outward Bound school) was open in Wales in 1941 at Hahn’s proposal, to provide special trainings for people on belief to survive. This was the prototype for Outward Bound.
