So My Fiancee Asked Me...

JackWESQ

So my fiancee asked me (while we watched the NBA All-Star for all of 5 minutes before it got boring), "what sport is the hardest to play?" I gave the question some thought and said, "probably hockey." Here's my reasoning. Take any guy (or gal) off the street, and they could probably throw a baseball, swing a bat, shoot a basketball, throw a football and run and catch a ball. But ice hockey? I think it would be difficult to pull someone off the street who can ice skate. Now, I can ice skate (which is say that I can move on ice without falling over), but actually PLAY hockey. No way. It one thing to move on skates, another thing to move on ice skates, cut, handle a stick and puck, etc.

Then she asked me, "well, what players are in the best/worst shape?" I said, "worst is easy, baseball." Hitting a baseball thrown at 100 mph or throwing one is very difficult, but no specific body type is required/identified. Best? Tough call. The skill positions in football are generally in phenomenal shape, e.g., running back, wide receiver, cornerback (I'm sure I'm missing some). Basketball players are also generally in pretty good shape, but logic seems to dictate that it is more difficult to maintain a muscular ~ 7 foot body as opposed to a ~ 6 foot body. As such, I would probably go with hockey as I see it is practically impossible to be in bad shape and play professional hockey. That and I think hockey is the most skill intensive sport out there, which lends itself to what I believe is its difficult nature.

Your comments are welcomed and appreciated. Thanks.

/s/ JackWESQ

stevek

I've played a lot of baseball and football, a little basketball, and very little ice hockey...but the hardest sporting activity I ever tried, by far, was pole vaulting.

80sToyguy

I agree Jack about the hardest sport. I play hockey (not very good though), and to try to skate, avoid getting hit (or hitting someone), and then to shoot while staying on your skates takes years and years of practice. I play beer league though so we certainly aren't atheletes but the pros have exceptional strength and stamina. That being said, I'd say a running back or a wide-out/corner would be in equally good shape, to have to run up and down the field or to drive forward (like a RB), against everyone would take unbelievable strenghth. NBA players would probably be third as they are as well running back and forth over and over, although not at full speed. So that would definitely put baseball players last (mind you I'm just using the 4 major sports--in Canada anyways), so I'm not including soccer. But there've been guys in baseball that couldn't do anything else but play ball.
Jay

edmundfitzgerald

Street hockey would be just as easy as baseball, so the ice skating puts it over the edge.
I guess figure skating could be as difficult as ice hockey.


Soccer and hockey are the most intense sports physically. Running at top speed is more intense
then skating at top speed, and striking a ball with your foot at top speed is more difficult
then striking a puck with a stick at top speed. Just think about the area of your foot compared
to a soccer ball, and the area of a stick to a puck. The hockey stick is more suited to control a puck
then a foot is to control a soccer ball. So I think soccer is the most skill intensive sport out there.

DeutscherGeist

If you are talking about the most physically demanding sport, I say it would be distance running.

As far as sport requiring a skill, I would say Ice Hockey, Tennis or figure skating would be on top. Soccer, Basketball and even football can be played by anyone even if they are no good. Hand a tennis racket and most people can't enjoy playing because they cannot do much with it. They will swing and miss most of the time.

estang

I put a good deal of thought into this subject a while back, noting the difference between a sport and a game, and then whether the sport was one of athleticism or skill. I don't believe you can compare all sports like apples to apples. Below is my take on the subject.

Athletic Sport. One uses their body to perform athletic movement that requires muscular or cardiovascular conditioning. Generally one reacts to the action around you. Winning occurs through clearly defined rules that track individual or team results by a score or time.

Skill Sport. One uses their body to perform movements that are generally repetitive in nature, requiring good hand-eye coordination. Generally one initiates the action, as opposed to reacting to the action around you. Winning occurs through clearly defined rules that track individual or team results by a score or time.

Judged Sport. One uses their body to perform athletic movements that require a combination of athleticism, conditioning or repetitive motions to win. Winning is not determined by structured score keeping, but of the opinion of judges as to who wins and loses.

Games of Skill. One uses their mind instead of body to strategize winning. Can sit on one's ass to win.

Games of Chance. Random acts that result in winning and losing, with very little to no regard to strategy.

Athletic Sports:

1. Basketball
2. Football
3. Hockey
4. Tennis
5. Baseball
6. Wrestling
7. Cricket
8. Lacrosse
9. Soccer
10. Boxing
11. Bicycling
12. Badminton
13. Running
14. Swimming
15. Speed Skating
16. Table Tennis
17. Weightlifting

Skill Sports:

1. Golf
2. Formula 1 Racing
3. NASCAR Racing
4. Snooker
5. Billiards
6. Bowling
6. Croquet
7. Darts
8. Skeet Shooting
9. Horseshoes
10. Horse Jockey

Skill (Olympic) Sports: Javelin Throw, Shot put, High Jump, Long Jump, Bobsled, etc..

Judged Sports:

1. Gymnastics
2. Figure Skating
3. Diving
4. Cheer-leading
5. Dance

Games of Skill:

1. Chess
2. Poker
3. Backgammon
4. Monopoly
5. Gin Rummy
6. Blackjack

Games of Chance:

1. Craps
2. Roulette
3. Bingo
4. Lottery
Athletic SportSkill SportJudged Sport

perkdog

I believe I read a blog in Mens Health magazine some time ago about something called extreme sports, about people running across the sahara desert, or swimming in the artic ocean and another story about a man swimming the length of the amazon river, I tried to google it but came up with nothing however I do remember reading this stuff somewhere. There are some nuts out there that have accomplished this so this type of sport would have my vote!

Publius

<< <i>.

Athletic Sports:

1. Basketball
2. Football
3. Hockey
4. Tennis
5. Baseball

>>




I would agree with this order.

Basketball, running hard to the other end, getting pushed and shoved in the post, then running to the other end.

Football. 20 seconds of running, pushing, then a 45 second rest.

Has anyone ever tivo'd a football game? If you fast forward huddles, etc, a full game takes you about 40 minutes.

I had never thought about hockey as being that tough, but after reading some posts here Im a believer. Skating while trying not to get knocked on your ass, skating backwards, etc. seems tough

joe

bigfische

<< <i>I believe I read a blog in Mens Health magazine some time ago about something called extreme sports, about people running across the sahara desert, or swimming in the artic ocean and another story about a man swimming the length of the amazon river, I tried to google it but came up with nothing however I do remember reading this stuff somewhere. There are some nuts out there that have accomplished this so this type of sport would have my vote! >>




I think that guy that swam the Amazon swam a bunch of other major rivers as well. Just that he made it down alive amazes me.

hobart4281

<< <i>Street hockey would be just as easy as baseball, so the ice skating puts it over the edge.
I guess figure skating could be as difficult as ice hockey.


Soccer and hockey are the most intense sports physically. Running at top speed is more intense
then skating at top speed, and striking a ball with your foot at top speed is more difficult
then striking a puck with a stick at top speed. Just think about the area of your foot compared
to a soccer ball, and the area of a stick to a puck. The hockey stick is more suited to control a puck
then a foot is to control a soccer ball. So I think soccer is the most skill intensive sport out there. >>



Gotta go with soccer. I would never have made this statement 10-15 years ago but now that I have a son who plays HS and Club soccer I have learned to appreciate the the extreme demands that the game places on it's players. Watching the pros do what they do is truly amazing.

markj111

Football is the easiest, baseball is the hardest.

In games of skill, bridge is probably 2nd behind chess. They require different skill sets though. I have a friend who was the U.S. chess champion a few years ago, but he has played bridge for years and is just not very good.

Time flies-he was the U. S. champion (it was a three way tie) nearly 20 years ago

WinPitcher

WWE

You think anyone can just jump into the squared circle?

MMA ditto


Steve

Morgoth

I think Hockey hands down because you have to learn to skate while in soccer you don't have to learn to run. Now the ball skills are much higher than the puck handling skills in soccer vs. hockey but the skating element gives hockey the edge overall.

I used to play polo, the kind on a horse, indoors for Cornell University. That game is like a combination of equestrian, hockey and golf. Just hitting the ball, while traveling 30mph on horseback( and horses don't ride smooth) is just flat out the hardest thing to do ever. Your mallet has to strike the ball almost perfectly to make it go forward and some players can hit it so well they can actually make it move and bend in the air just like a golf ball. Also you have to have timing, think hitting a golf ball is hard, try doing it while you are bouncing around, someone is banging into your horse, the ball is moving and you have to time it all perfectly while standing up (you don't hit sitting down) and oh yeah don't hit the horses!!!!

I have seen some of the most gruesome injuries as well in that sport, split groins (yes complete tears), mallets through the upper pallet of the mouth into the brain cavety, missing teeth, broken legs, crushed bodies from accidents. I got hit so hard one time in a game by a players horse (it's called bumping and it's legal) I actually hit the end wall face first and broke my elbow. I played football and wrestled in HS but never got injured like I did in Polo.

TomGshotput

Hitting 60 homeruns is equally as hard as running a 9.8 100m

Valuting 19' is harder than dunking from the foul line. But dunking from the fould line and being able to shoot three pointers and stop Kobe Bryant from scoring at will is just as difficult as a Gold Medal in pole vaulting. But how can pole vaulting be harder than a decathlon where it only represents 10% of the event? But then again even as Division III athlete I was better than some elite level decathletes at two of the events

MMA may or may not represtent the pinnacle in athleticism, but if I were in a fight I would last a few seconds maybe break a bone and tap out, something even the very best do a lot. But it would not be possible for me to take 25 handoffs against an NFL defense, I would be unable to walk correctly after two or three.

I guess an arguement could be made that the sports that give the highest rewards might be the toughest because it attracts the greatest level of competition. Extreme endurance are pretty insane. But if you practice those events for hours every day for many years you will be among the best in the world at running across death valley in summer or 150 miles in the Saraha (for perk). Remember, to reach the NFL you only need to be among the top 1000 football players in the world. Being the 1000th best adventure racer in the world puts you on the same pedestal as a Wal-Mart cashier. Still, the guy who wins those races by running 100 miles through mountain ranges in 15 hours as achieved as much phyiscal success as Micheal Jordan

Reaching the highest level in one sport is no easier or harder than reaching the highest level in another sport. Any other answer is wrong

TomGshotput

Six-year-olds can skate so how hard can it be? It may not take much to learn how to run, but a soccer player can run up to seven miles in series of sprints every game. To be able to do that requires a near lifetime of practice

As far as baseball players being in shape, a t-ball player learns that the faster the bat moves the further a batted ball will travel. A baseball bat weighs as much as a discus and more than a javelin. To be able to accelerate a bat fast enough for the ball to travel 400' in the air requires a good deal of physical ability, both in muscle strength and flexibility. Also consider that the Olympics are every four years, professional baseball is 162 times a year. To be able to simply survive that schedule requires a good deal of conditioning

For best and worst shape, it would come down to how you define being in shape. Most definitions would lead to MMA/decathlete/heptathlete as the two at the very top.

For worst, some people might thinkg the 380-pound heavyweight weightlifter unable to walk up a flight of stairs likely to die of a heart attack at age 45. But the marathon runner who has virtually zero muscle mass would seem to have a lot of limits. And then you remember that top athletes in every sport from baseball/basketball/football to MMA to cycling to every track-and-field event have been major drug abusers and you might think that it is easier for a non athlete to be in great shape than it is for an elite athlete

hobart4281

I think it's great that soccer is getting some love from the group. It may not be "America's game" but perhaps the curtain is starting to rise.........

Morgoth

Your reference to a six year old can skate so how hard could it be to skate in the NHL? Is pretty silly that's like saying a 6 yr old boy can throw a baseball so how hard is it to throw like Roger Clemens? That level of skating is light years beyond what normal people would call "ice skating". Not saying the amount of running in soccer is not hard but there isn't exactly someone trying to level you every time you turn around either, that requires stamina as well.

stown

Sumo wrestling.

Think how much you have to eat just to get that big?!?

TomGshotput

<< <i>Is pretty silly that's like saying a 6 yr old boy can throw a baseball so how hard is it to throw like Roger Clemens? >>



Exactly. If skating at the NHL level is like pitching at the Major League level, what reason do you have to claim with such certainty that one is harder than the other? Being leveled around every turn doesn't make much sense since there are hundreds of people in the world who can handle such rigors. In fact the only reasonable arguement I could see is that being the best hockey player in the world is probably easier than being the best baseball player or best soccer player since far fewer people are introduced to that sport and the rewards for making the highest level are far less -- at least financially

goose3

What? No love for Texas Hold 'em Poker or Nascar?

Morgoth

That isn't a very good argument, using money as a determing factor on how hard a sport is. The amount of money is largely based on popularity of a sport not how tough it is. These two arguments are almost mutually exclusive maybe a 10% meet in the middle area.

What criteria do I have on what makes one harder than the other, biggest factor is to me is the amount of training, athletic talent and skill combined it would take to perform at the given sport. That is why I picked hockey, as an earlier poster stated, you couldn't pick 5 random people off the street and have a pick up ice hockey game with any success but you sure could take some BP, throw the pigskin, play some hoops, play some soccer.

Hockey almost qualifies for the "needs a large wallet to play" sport like people who race cars, race horses, etc. But up north people play in their backyards on homemade rinks using hand me down equipment etc. So it may be regional but it is a sport that many youths play as soon as they can lace on their skates just like basketball, soccer and baseball. Football needs about as much equipment to play it properly.

TomGshotput

Since most any sport requires a virtual lifetime of practice to reach elite status along with the very best innate talent in the entire world population it is near impossible to see your reasoning why hockey stands above any other

And since we already agreed typical people ice skating or throwing a baseball is light years removed from the professional level, why even use that as a source of comparison?

Could you pick five random people off the street that would have any success at bobsled, hammer throw or parallel bars?

Morgoth

Bobsled, heck yeah especially the two guys in the middle, hammer throw, I did it and picked it up in like a week with no coaching to be able to compete at the HS level, parallel bars don't know much about it but I know if you strap ice skates on 5 people who never skated and give them a hockey uniform you won't get anything close to hockey in a week, I gurantee you I could at least make into the bobsled or throw the hammer in bounds with about a days practice.

And you were the one comparing a 6 year old ice skating to a NHL players ability not me I was just pointing out that is like saying throwing a baseball is comparable to throwing like Roger Clemens. You were trying to argue that soccer was harder because you run alot, I was arguing that skating is much harder to learn and be good at then running so Ice Hockey players have to have more skills just to be able to move up and down their field of play than a soccer player does. That skill set along with the physical play, puck handling skills and shooting techniques make hockey IMO the hardest sport out there.

80sToyguy

Morgoth it's very easy to see that TomG is a hockey hater, it's really no use argueing with someone like that.
I think you've made some excellent points, I'm Canadian and I wasn't 100% into hockey as the hardest but after reading your posts I'm pretty convinced.
I see alot of guys on this post that simply hate hockey that won't give it any credit which is really too bad.
Jay

BobaFett72

hockey takes great skill and stamina, but like soccer i find it pretty damn boring; but Im a baseball fan, what do i know

p.s. hockey is WAY more exciting ths soccer though; seriously.
no one ever gets their throat slashed playing soccer.

sideordertodd

I totally agree with you 100%. Hockey in general has gotten very little respect in the sports world the last 10 years or so. The players are in tremendous shape and have to give 100% of their energy on every shift and log close to half a game in minutes of ice time. I listen to ESPN radio on my commute home from work every night and they never even mention hockey scores or news any more and it is very sad to see that especially with a sport that has so many young Super star players. I myself have always been a Penguins and Lemieux fan so i am a little Bias about my feelings with hockey. Check SMR next month and you'll see a nice article about my collection of Lemieux memorabillia and I'm hoping maybe even if only a little, it exposes hockey a bit more to the sports collecting world. Nice article by the way and very true. TB

softparade

NO SPORT on this earth is more tough then ping pong after downing a twelve pack !

TomGshotput

You threw a 16-pound hammer 230' in high school?

Or were you throwing a 12-pound hammer a far shorter distance?

If it was easy you should have done the former

And if hockey really is so difficult, why were Gretzky, Lemieux, Orr, Howe, Jagr, Messier, Bourque, Yzerman all able to do the things they did. If it was as hard as you seem to make it out it be it seems they shouldn't have been able to do so well

KalineFan

I can't talk from experience, and I wouldn't say (IMHO) that it is thee toughest sports, but,

I have heard and read many times that holding a car on the track in Nascar at over 100 miles
an hour for several hours is not exactly the easiest thing in the world either.

What do you all think/believe about that?

Tony
KalineFan

GOODNIGHT!