most skilled athlete

[Les Paul]

Jim Thorpe - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

[sammyg2]

Bo was the best.

[matt711]

Deon Sanders was actually a pretty good multi-sport athlete. He was a much better baseball player than most people realize. Still, he is no Bo Jackson.

[ODDJOB UNO]

Originally Posted by sammyg2

IMO Motocross requires the most balance, the best coordination, and the most stamina.
I've raced desert enduros, boxed, played football and baseball, wrestled, tennis and golf to varying degrees of success (or failure).

They all seemed easy compared to motocross.

try riding 250/500/1000 + MILES SOLO IRONMAN! and tell me all about it!


football/baseball/swimming all ended after 4 quarters/9 innings/10 laps in the pool.


the best shape i was ever in was from non stop desert racing and enduros. there is NO other sport that compares.


try hefting a 225#+ and more weight motorcycle all damn day long into the night,into the morning. and not hitting a rocks/vehicles/boobie traps/trees/cholla cactus/core-mantle of the earth.

by the wayy..................do any of the other sports involve gasoline spilling onto yer BAWLLZ?

[Slider79SC]

For having to do multiple skills that are not practiced together every day, I would go with a CrossFit Athlete.

Youtube the 2012 Reebok crossfit games and watch what these men and women can do. All of the workouts or disciplines are randomly put together and not something that is always the same skill set for every day of training.

And yes, Trophy truck drivers and MX bikers are punished like no other in their sport. Sadist.....

[sammyg2]

Originally Posted by ODDJOB UNO

try riding 250/500/1000 + MILES SOLO IRONMAN! and tell me all about it!


football/baseball/swimming all ended after 4 quarters/9 innings/10 laps in the pool.


the best shape i was ever in was from non stop desert racing and enduros. there is NO other sport that compares.


try hefting a 225#+ and more weight motorcycle all damn day long into the night,into the morning. and not hitting a rocks/vehicles/boobie traps/trees/cholla cactus/core-mantle of the earth.

by the wayy..................do any of the other sports involve gasoline spilling onto yer BAWLLZ?

Dude.
Prairie dogs, district 37, B-V in 83.
In desert riding you get breaks, times when you can sit down and catch your breath. In motocross you don't. Yes it doesn't last as long but it is way more intense.
Kinda like running the 400 meters vs jogging for 2 hours.


BTW I used to hang with a couple guys who raced speedway. One of em raced in europe half the year and here the other half (Robert Fetzing).
I was at saddleback a go-zillion years ago and one of em had his jawa speedway bike out on the TT track doing some practice. I made some smart alec remark about how it didn't look that hard. Big mistake.

He put me on the bike, gave me some basic instructions, and sent me out.
I looked like a spastic clutz. WAAAAAYYY harder than it looks. I could not even get the bike to powerslide without tank slapping or high siding.

I rode back to his pit and handed the bike over and did NOT make eye contact.
The races only last a few minutes and the physical conditioning may not be that tough, but the balance and coordination required is way beyond imagination. They make it look so easy and they do it with only a few inches between their nose and the rear tire next to them.

[vash]

dont know the answer..but i once had a skilled player serve me a tennis ball..full speed. it was amazing to watch..i swear the ball elongated (like a top fuel dragster's rear tires during burnout) and had a whirling sound..it was awesome. and hell no, i didnt get it back over the net.

[sammyg2]

Oops. His last name is spelled Pfetzing. My bad.
Looks like he was rookie of the year in 81 and finished 2nd in the nation in 86, did not know that. He wasn't the type to brag on his self. We worked at the same millwright company back in the day.

Robert Pfetzing Retired California Speedway Rider - USA Speedway Motorcycle Racing


Them were the good old days. Bruce penhall, bad brad oxley, bobby schwartz, and the best I ever saw as far as smooth, sam ermolenko. That guy could go almost an entire race withoit putting his foot down.
Plus they had fox nights. Good stuff.

[McLovin]

NFL Quarterback.

Look how many people try, and even achieve a very high level of play (HS star, college star, Heisman winner, etc.) but never make it in the NFL.

Even if you make it in the NFL, you're probably still not great, or ever a threat to win a Superbowl. At any given time, there's only 5 or 6 "elite" NFL QBs. The rest are just serviceable fillers, trying to keep a team at .500.

I can't think of any position in any sport that is as difficult, or requires as many skill sets.

A QB is part offensive coordinator, coach, running back, etc. The play calling in the modern NFL is ultra complicated, and the QB is running it. The best ones also have to analyze the defensive setup and make split second changes to try to exploit the defense. He has to be able to run and scramble. He has to be able to throw with incredible accuracy. He has to be smart. He has to have a very uniquely strong arm these days. He has to make countless split second decisions.

It's an impossibly tough position that very, very few ever get really good at.

[DanielDudley]

They say that Jai alai is the hardest sport to master, and that most of the best players are beyond their physical peak, but prevail because of experience.

[sammyg2]

Originally Posted by McLovin

NFL Quarterback.

Look how many people try, and even achieve a very high level of play (HS star, college star, Heisman winner, etc.) but never make it in the NFL.

Even if you make it in the NFL, you're probably still not great, or ever a threat to win a Superbowl. At any given time, there's only 5 or 6 "elite" NFL QBs. The rest are just serviceable fillers, trying to keep a team at .500.

I can't think of any position in any sport that is as difficult, or requires as many skill sets.

A QB is part offensive coordinator, coach, running back, etc. The play calling in the modern NFL is ultra complicated, and the QB is running it. The best ones also have to analyze the defensive setup and make split second changes to try to exploit the defense. He has to be able to run and scramble. He has to be able to throw with incredible accuracy. He has to be smart. He has to have a very uniquely strong arm these days. He has to make countless split second decisions.

It's an impossibly tough position that very, very few ever get really good at.

Being a top baseball player isn't much easier.

My oldest brother was drafted in baseball out of high school and had scholorship offers from USC for quarterback OR pitcher on the baseball team, among other schools.
He decided to play baseball instead of football because he thought it would be easier to have a long career.
He ended op at cal state fullerton and 3 years later they won the college world series. he signed with the braves and in the second season, blew out his shoulder. They didn't do those types of surgeries back then, so it was career over.

For every all star baseball player, there are 100,000 all star little leaguers out there who don't make it. who knows, it could be a million.

[Don Plumley]

F1 Drivers: Pretty impressive in terms of reaction, inner ear balance, peripheral vision (okay, unless you are Grosjean), et al. And the conditioning to do this for an hour+ in heat, rain, etc.

Football (soccer): Huge cardio, eye/foot coordination, constant motion - nothing like American Football where for 60 minutes of game time = 11 minutes of actual playing.

Ice Hockey: From skating, passing, shooting, and raw cojones, it's pretty amazing.

[Tobra]

Best male athlete ever-Jim Thorpe
Best female athlete ever- The Babe, Mildred Didrickson Zaharias

WRT broadest skill set, decathalon seems the obvious answer. MMA guys are amazing, but could they throw a javelin or pole vault? You ever try to pole vault?

[epbrown]

Originally Posted by sammyg2

Being a top baseball player isn't much easier.

John Kruk's autobiography title "I ain't an athlete, lady, I'm a baseball player" would make you think otherwise.

[Shaun @ Tru6]

rowing

[HardDrive]

Lets not forget porn stars. Lots of skill and endurance involved.

[ODDJOB UNO]

Originally Posted by sammyg2

Dude.
Prairie dogs, district 37, B-V in 83.
In desert riding you get breaks, times when you can sit down and catch your breath. In motocross you don't. Yes it doesn't last as long but it is way more intense.
Kinda like running the 400 meters vs jogging for 2 hours.


BTW I used to hang with a couple guys who raced speedway. One of em raced in europe half the year and here the other half (Robert Fetzing).
I was at saddleback a go-zillion years ago and one of em had his jawa speedway bike out on the TT track doing some practice. I made some smart alec remark about how it didn't look that hard. Big mistake.

He put me on the bike, gave me some basic instructions, and sent me out.
I looked like a spastic clutz. WAAAAAYYY harder than it looks. I could not even get the bike to powerslide without tank slapping or high siding.

I rode back to his pit and handed the bike over and did NOT make eye contact.
The races only last a few minutes and the physical conditioning may not be that tough, but the balance and coordination required is way beyond imagination. They make it look so easy and they do it with only a few inches between their nose and the rear tire next to them.

dood, please tell me about a DESERT RACE ANYWHERE that has "BREAKS"??????


250/500/1000 miles.........pit for fuel.........yer gone, until you finish or crash or DIE!


each and every time i pitted for campbell/hengveld they never got off the damn bike unless they crashed until they finished. hell i never got off the damn bike either unless i crashed. by the way have ya ever run 250 miles with PUKE in yer helmet???? just saying.

there may be a rider handoff,thereby splitting rider duties/mileage , but for the most part, its IRON MAN SOLO all da way to either HELL or to the FINISH!


hey , i'd be the 1st to suggest a "break" maybe a pool a spa a few beers a massage maybe get laid.....but the sado/masochistic promoters and course layout guys would frown on that i think.

[wcc]

Hockey, hands down.

They have to have endurance, cardio, hand eye coordination, being able to skate (which isn't natural like running or having your feet on the ground), strength (boxing/fighting/wrestling), smarts for reading plays, etc. I think that hockey is comprised of a lot of different sports all balled up in one.

[sammyg2]

Originally Posted by ODDJOB UNO

dood, please tell me about a DESERT RACE ANYWHERE that has "BREAKS"??????


250/500/1000 miles.........pit for fuel.........yer gone, until you finish or crash or DIE!


each and every time i pitted for campbell/hengveld they never got off the damn bike unless they crashed until they finished. hell i never got off the damn bike either unless i crashed. by the way have ya ever run 250 miles with PUKE in yer helmet???? just saying.

there may be a rider handoff,thereby splitting rider duties/mileage , but for the most part, its IRON MAN SOLO all da way to either HELL or to the FINISH!


hey , i'd be the 1st to suggest a "break" maybe a pool a spa a few beers a massage maybe get laid.....but the sado/masochistic promoters and course layout guys would frown on that i think.

Evidently those videos ya see on TV of straight fire roads, straight dirt roads, and dry lake beds are all Hollywood fakies
I've never done baja but I've seen clips of it on TV.

The barstow to Vegas race was no piece of cake.
I've also did my share of 80 mile hare and hounds back in the 80's.
Plenty of times to catch your breath, plenty of times to ride 80 mph one handed, even reach over cross handed to give the left hand a break.
I was no ashcraft or smith but i was fast for a little while ............

[black73]

I would go with MMA. They have to be in top condition and one split second loss of concentration can result in a serious ass whuppin and humiliating defeat.