most skilled athlete
 

I have been having an ongoing argument in my office about which sport requires the most skilled athlete. Or more accurately what sport requires the highest number of skill sets.

What do you guys think? I believe that Tennis requires the most, high levels of cardio and hand eye coordination. I read an article about a study done for the Olympic Comittee that stated that during a 5 set tennis match each player would burn the same number of calories as a runner completing a marathon.

I'd have to go with boxing....you have to have it all or you will "sleeping" on the canvas.

I think wrestlers are in incredible shape and quite often overlooked. My boys started wrestling last year and it has helped them become better athletes in football, racing, etc. I didn't know much about the sport beforehand but I am really impressed by the strength and conditioning as well as the discipline that accompanies the sport.

WRONG ! OFF-ROAD DEZERT RACING and AMA MX!


hands down the worlds MOST PHYSICALLY DEMANDING SPORTS!



riding shotgun in a freeking TROPHY TRUCK would be a damn close 3rd place.


there aint NO "LOVE SET MATCH" racing off road.


ask me how i know?

Amateur wrestlers (age-group, high school, college and olympic) and MMA athletes. They have all the skills and must overcome their opponent doing same to them. They also do this while cutting weight.

Im not just talking about conditioning here. Think about how difficult it is to hit a 90 mph fast ball, most would agree that this is indeed a very difficult task. Well John Kruck hit plenty and he was definitely not in great physical condition.

The example I use is this: Throwing a 90 mph fastball is difficult, how much more difficult would it be it instead of throwing the ball you had to strike the ball with an implement and make it do the same thing as you did by throwing it. Now do it running, jumping, or sliding.

Agreed Matt. I wrestled in HS. Our coach told us we expended more energy in a 6 minute wrestling match than a football player does in a whole game. I actually lost a match 1-0 in double overtime. Talk about exhausted and bummed :(

Buckterrier, I agree, wrestling is a lot like the form of MMA we learn in the Army. It only takes a couple of minutes rolling around on the mat to completely smoke yourself. One of the best work-outs I have ever had.

Tennis, like Baseball and Golf, is a game, not a sport. MMA athletes require the greatest skillset, followed closely by football players.

Since this is for most skilled, I'd throw out gymnastics, pentathlon, decathlon.

I was in gymnastics, tennis and wrestling in high school. IMO, gymnastics requires more skill than the other two.

No experience with pentathlon or decathlon, and might be not in the scope of what you were looking for, but definitely require a broad range of skills.

I could see MMA as well. But remember, "Auto racing, bull fighting, and mountain climbing are the only real sports ... all others are games.”

Tennis? Pick a sport with hand eye co-ordination where people hit you. Box lacrosse maybe. Or hockey.

Water polo.

Non-particle sports need not apply. If you're not bringing eye-hand coordination to the party, you're leaving a whole set of skills off the table.

That's a good choice also Todd. Watched a lot of water polo during the Olympics. Dang that is a tough physical sport. Those guys, (and gals), were trying to drown each other!

And you have to be able to catch/throw with both hands, run plays, etc. It is a brutal sport. And no pads - just a speedo and cap with ear guards.

Thanks Mark. The Navy Seals recruit heavily in amatuer wrestling periodicals and at the NCAA wrestling championships. One active Seal stated to me that they can't teach the mental toughness and the specific physical attributes that wrestlers bring to the party.

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.

I can see lacrosse and hockey. I guess my main contention is that any sport that requires an implement (bat, raquete, hockey stick) requires more skill than one without. The more implements the more skill required. More moving parts...

I would classify golf as a game. Not much cardio, lots of concentration though. Tennis requires the same level of concentration but for a more constant and prolonged period of time in addition to a high degree of cardio.

The hand-eye coordination that tennis requires is very high. Not only are you trying to hit a ball hard but also in a controlled manner. The ball has to land inside the line and it is never sitting still when you hit it. The ball is usually hit with a lot of spin as well which affects not only the flight of the ball but how it reacts when landing in the court.

I am not trying to bad mouth anyones favorite sport. Many of the ones listed above I have never played.

Actually the thread is called "Most Skilled Athlete" so I'll go with Bo Jackson hehe.

Man, I really miss Bo...

I was at the game in Seattle when he ran out the tunnel enroute to Tacoma... Never been an athlete like that before or since.

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Got me there.. I guess Bo does Know