In your opinion, Which sport..

[Grigollif1]

Requires the Most overall Athleticism?

Alright, we are all Tenns fans in here. So, let's try to be as honest as possible and By overall Athleticism I mean Fine Coordination Skills, Stamina, endurance and competition toughness.....

 

[bb47]

Check which of these sports has the highest injury rate and this will give you a hint.

 

[Max G.]

No way to tell, as far as I know. How can you compare different types of athleticism?

Actually, I suppose bb47's way is best - check which sport has the most injuries and say that it requires the greatest athleticism...

 

[35ft6]

Requires the Most overall Athleticism?

Alright, we are all Tenns fans in here. So, let's try to be as honest as possible and By overall Athleticism I mean Fine Coordination Skills, Stamina, endurance and competition toughness.....

I don't know how to go about answering this. Tennis requires the most skill, but the other three have leagues filled with athletes with way more raw athletic ability than we see in the ATP. My semantic answer would be that tennis players are the most skilled sportsman, and the NFL and NBA may have the best athletes. I don't follow soccer closely enough to comment.

 

[crazylevity]

I've played all of those sports except American Football. It is indeed true that tennis requires the most ball skills and hand eye coordination, although a certain measure is required to succeed and be a flashy basketballer or soccer player. That said, soccer requires the most stamina, basketball perhaps the most explosive power for sprinting and jumping. Also consider that in basketball and soccer there is an element of teamwork involved-a good athlete in those sports would need to be able to use his teammates well.

 

[DashaandSafin]

Swimming. If any of you are elite swimmers you know what i am talking about. The top guys in swimming such as Phelps, Perisol, Thorpe and others can probably play just about whatever sport they want with thier 6'4 frames and 7 ft wingspans. They are fast and i think a test has been conducted that they are better overall athletes. Read it somewhere in a magazine. ESPN or Sports Illustrated.

 

[Ripper]

American Football??? What about all those fat whales playing that???

Btw, I'm just joking...

 

[dmastous]

I would suggest that basketball requires by far the most overall athletisism than any sport.
Soccer players have to be very fit, but they only use the lower half of the body (I know they use the chest and head, but it's the feet that do most of the work).
Football takes strength and balance, some stamina, but only for short bursts.
Tennis takes a certain amount of endurance, but like football only in short spurts.
Basketball takes strength, stamina, quickness and hand-eye coordination. You are running up and down the court from the tip. You have to have hand-eye coordination for dribbling, passing and shooting. You must have the strength to fight for rebounds and loose balls.
Basketball players are the best athletes.
Unfortnunatly due to the conditions some pro basketball players grow up in they don't always make the best citizens.

 

[andfor]

I voted for football. But, having attended many NBA games can only imagine what some of those guys could do on the tennis court if they had dedicated their life in sport to tennis. Athletes in tennis have improved over the years and will continue to do so, thus the game will continue to evolve. Off subject a bit, but to to my point, at some time in the near future I believe we will see a resugence of Serve and Volley tennis as the better athletes adapt to todays pace of shot.

 

[akj27]

People that voted for american football have never played football before

 

[andfor]

People that voted for american football have never played football before

I find your observation odd. If your only experience is on the play ground or backyard maybe. If you played organized football then how could you say that?

Aside from the Punter and Kicker functions a high level of athletic ability is needed to play the game of Football well. Even the fat linemen have plays that call for athleticism such as pull blocking for offensive linemen and pass rushing and run defense for the defensive linemen. I am not even going to discuss how athletic the skill position players have to be.

 

[Shyyre]

i think that there is a difference between athleticism and natural ability... a basketball player i think has morenatural ability than a soccer player (althoughno matter what sport, the best players are all naturally talented ie roger) but let's face it, short guys are giong to have a much harder time succeeding in basketball than taller guys... as a result you see that every "short" basketball player is undeniable fitter than *most* of his taller counterparts. same holds true for size in football... i'm from indy so i suggest you loko at the defense of the colts... bigger is apparently not always better (although they looked like crap against the bengals... i can't wait for monday and the steelers)

all that said, i agree that tennis played at a high level probably takes the most skill but soccer is far and away the most athletically demanding (especially at a high level) imo. some of those guys can run for days!

also, some may be interested by this, but i read a report years ago that soccer was #3 most demanding behind gymnastics (#2)... anyone care to guess what #1 was? equestrain, specifically horse racing... you have to be naturally very small (and therefore light) but you have to be strong enough to control a horse! yuo you have to have both the natural ability (and build) as well as a surprising amount of athleticism so control a massive racing forse for the better part of a mile!

 

[srv vlly]

football the american one

 

[Galactus]

BOXING: but only the lower weights from 115lb up to 190lb. (Heavyweights are just out-of-shape more often than not).

However, nearly everything physical is needed in abundance to be successful: power, speed, strength, balance, reflexes, stamina, conditioning...

 

[NalboRulz]

Chess.

Have you seen Bobby Fischer's abs? Some muscle!

 

[Mr.Federer]

Basketball all the way....

 

[Shyyre]

BOXING: but only the lower weights from 115lb up to 190lb. (Heavyweights are just out-of-shape more often than not).

However, nearly everything physical is needed in abundance to be successful: power, speed, strength, balance, reflexes, stamina, conditioning...

that's true as well, have you seen ricky hatton? i hope he fights mayweather next year, i'd pay the ppv fees to watch that one! they'll beat the snot out of each oher.

 

[arosen]

Pentathlon, and ultimately, eco-challenge. Its insane.

 

[pistol]

I would have to go for international Rugby Union. A Great game that requires everything.

 

[Matthew]

The least you could have done was include more than four sports!

I don't think you can look at the amount of injuries as an indicator of how athletic a sport is. Lots of baseball players are injured, and thats one of the least athletic sports. Lots of football players are injured, and many of them are out of shape.

In tennis, soccer, and basketball, most of the players are in shape and not overweight. Constant action and moving. In soccer and basketball however, there are substitutions and one player physically is usually not on the field or court the whole game. Tennis you are out there the whole time and there is no one that can help you. Ditto for boxing.

 

[NoBadMojo]

I'm very surprised nobody has mentioned ice hockey. To fly up the ice at 30mph on 4" of steel, knock a hard pass down out of the air with your stick to the ice, kick the puck with a foot to the right position and take a slap shot or pass it off with accuracy all in one move, all the while being mindful of some 6'4 240 guy wielding a stick and wanting to splat you into the boards...that's what i would call athletisism. tennis 'used' to have a lot of really good athletes back in the day of all court play..in recent years it's turned (in large part) into a fitness grind. almost anyone can be taught to hit forehands and backhands.

 

[Mr.Federer]

yeah, I have to agree with NoBadMojo......ice hockey should get more recognition...Go Habs Go!!!!

 

[nuskool]

How about rugby that takes the most athletic people.

 

[Dilettante]

Among the sports in the poll, footb... I mean "soccer".



PS: We football fans will miss you, Georgie.

 

[Aykhan Mammadov]

I don't know why there is more voices for soccer ? There are 2 teams. I understand they are running from 1 end to another, BUT: every football-player mostly secures his zone on the square, and in the second, there are 2 teams running while in tennis every player is running permanently.

 

[Spencer]

I think it would be cool if they had a WORLD'S Greatest Athlete competition. Each sport would choose their top athlete to represent them to compete. Then they would be tested in other sports to see how they naturally fared.

1. Track/Field (Running & jumping timed for speed and endurance)
2. Throwing/catching footballs
3. Dribbling/shooting basketballs
4. Hitting/catching baseballs
5. Playing tennis match
6. Striking/putting golf
7. Swimming
8. Striking soccer balls
9. Skating and striking puck in hockey
10. PingPong (to test pure reflexes) :mrgreen:

Alot of these tests would be set up or defended by a top athlete of that sport. To prevent favoritism athletes would only be tested in sports that they do not play professionally.

I think tennis players should excel at the striking sports, such as golf, baseball, pingpong, and soccer.

 

[Grigollif1]

Interesting comments

I would just like to add that Soccer has the bigger field by far to be covered then any of the sports mention it on the poll. Altough in soccer you have a total of 22 player in the field and 90% of the time you are mainly using your lower body.
I realize the poll was very genereal. I mean there are problably 10 different categories that Athleticism that can be measured. Without mentioning it, the difficulty of being a professional itself. The Sports Baketball , Soccer, NFL. You have a whole organization Structure supporting you , while in tennis you are on your lonesome self literally on the court as well as outside of it. Doing all the traveling , playing, Organizing your schedule, paying for your expenses etc.... by yourself.

Here is an interesting article written by Justin Gimelstob of why he Thinks tennis is the Toughest Sport : http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/2005/writers/justin_gimelstob/08/26/tennis.sport/index.html

 

[35ft6]

As I pointed out in a different board, Tim Duncan didn't start playing basketball until he was about 14, and by his early 20's he was arguably the best player in the league. Dennis Rodman didn't start playing until HE WAS 20 YEARS OLD, after a late growth spurt. A few years later he was on his way to becoming the one of the NBA's top rebounders and defenders. Being tall, and especially being tall and athletic, helps a lot in the NBA. Comparing the hand eye coordination required for dribbling a basketball to that required for tennis is insane.

The other analogy I used was if you put Kobe, Iverson, and/or Lebron James on the tennis court, and they've never played before, with a national level 65 year old, the older man would win easily. But flip the script and put Nadal, Safin, and/or Berdych, or anybody in the top 20, up against a competitive 65 year old basketball player, and they'd probably keep it close if not win simply by running circles around the guy. No comparison.

 

[Grigollif1]

As I pointed out in a different board, Tim Duncan didn't start playing basketball until he was about 14, and by his early 20's he was arguably the best player in the league. Dennis Rodman didn't start playing until HE WAS 20 YEARS OLD, after a late growth spurt. A few years later he was on his way to becoming the one of the NBA's top rebounders and defenders. Being tall, and especially being tall and athletic, helps a lot in the NBA. Comparing the hand eye coordination required for dribbling a basketball to that required for tennis is insane.

The other analogy I used was if you put Kobe, Iverson, and/or Lebron James on the tennis court, and they've never played before, with a national level 65 year old, the older man would win easily. But flip the script and put Nadal, Safin, and/or Berdych, or anybody in the top 20, up against a competitive 65 year old basketball player, and they'd probably keep it close if not win simply by running circles around the guy. No comparison.

Yes, and I have seen footage of Michael Jordan (considered by many as one of the best athlete ever) playing tennis, which he has in and out since high school and he looks as Clumsy as they come...

 

[FedererUberAlles]

Swimming. If any of you are elite swimmers you know what i am talking about. The top guys in swimming such as Phelps, Perisol, Thorpe and others can probably play just about whatever sport they want with thier 6'4 frames and 7 ft wingspans. They are fast and i think a test has been conducted that they are better overall athletes. Read it somewhere in a magazine. ESPN or Sports Illustrated.

Yes, swimmers are always in amazing shape, and very flexible.

 

[jhhachamp]

I don't know why there is more voices for soccer ? There are 2 teams. I understand they are running from 1 end to another, BUT: every football-player mostly secures his zone on the square, and in the second, there are 2 teams running while in tennis every player is running permanently.

Come again?

 

[jhhachamp]

The other analogy I used was if you put Kobe, Iverson, and/or Lebron James on the tennis court, and they've never played before, with a national level 65 year old, the older man would win easily. But flip the script and put Nadal, Safin, and/or Berdych, or anybody in the top 20, up against a competitive 65 year old basketball player, and they'd probably keep it close if not win simply by running circles around the guy. No comparison.

I agree this is probably so, but what exactly does it mean? I am guessing it means tennis is a more skill oriented sport while basketball is a more athleticism oriented sport. As one ages, athleticism goes down much quicker than acquired skill. Your post seems to support basketball requiring much more athleticism than tennis while tennis requires much more acquired skill. This skill takes time which also accounts for the fact that pretty much every pro tennis player started from a young age, while there are examples of basketball players who started later and still made it due to their natural athleticism.

 

[bb47]

OK guys. Check where the prize money are biggest and this will give you another hint )

But, to be serious - IMHO different sports have slightly different mental and physical demands, but if we speak about the elite level - in all of these sports athletes are stretched to their current limits.

So there is another hint: which sport's technology and training methods currently allow coaches to stretch athletes more than other sports?

 

[35ft6]

OK guys. Check where the prize money are biggest and this will give you another hint )

Prize money: Golfers make more prize money than just about anybody. Does that mean they're among the greatest athletes in the world? WTA players make way more than pro female soccer and basketball players. So what?

But, to be serious - IMHO different sports have slightly different mental and physical demands, but if we speak about the elite level - in all of these sports athletes are stretched to their current limits.

So you think a right fielder in baseball feels the same pressure as a tennis player? What about a kicker in football?

So there is another hint: which sport's technology and training methods currently allow coaches to stretch athletes more than other sports?

I give up. What are you getting at?

 

[Docalex007]

As a previous soccer player here in germany (thought tennis is number one), I know that soccer requires extremely good fitness. Skill? You bet ya. Hand-eye coordination? Of course not, its soccer. Athleticism...ahhh, THAT word we all use. What does it mean? Where does its properties begin and where do they end?

In my opinion and on what I think the word athleticism is, I believe the most athletic human on the planet right now is Michael Vick. I think if you take a general viewpoint and do not specialize the word "athleticism" to things such as skills, movement, quickness, power, endurance, strength, and brain calculation ability and just take a general view of all those things in one picture...I see him as the ultimate machine.

For the most athletic sport? I think its

 

[35ft6]

I agree this is probably so, but what exactly does it mean? I am guessing it means tennis is a more skill oriented sport while basketball is a more athleticism oriented sport. As one ages, athleticism goes down much quicker than acquired skill. Your post seems to support basketball requiring much more athleticism than tennis while tennis requires much more acquired skill.

I don't know about "requiring." It's just that the quality of athletes that the NBA attracts and is comprised of are of a much higher caliber than those of the ATP. Actually, maybe basketball does require more athletic ability. I think for social-economic reasons, the best athletes don't make it to the ATP. But if that changes, tennis could certainly make use of their athletic abilities.

But I guess what you posted is basically right, that's what I was saying. Just wondering about the "requiring" part.

 

[35ft6]

In my opinion and on what I think the word athleticism is, I believe the most athletic human on the planet right now is Michael Vick. I think if you take a general viewpoint and do not specialize the word "athleticism" to things such as skills, movement, quickness, power, endurance, strength, and brain calculation ability and just take a general view of all those things in one picture...I see him as the ultimate machine.

You're probably right. Golfing requires a lot of skill and hand-eye coordination and "brain calculation," but they're still some of the worst athletes in the world.

Again, in terms of sheer athletic ability, you've gotta go with the NBA and NFL. All else being equal, put a racket into the hands of some of those athletes in an early age and develop them correctly, and you would probably see some amazing things.

 

[Docalex007]

I don't know why there is more voices for soccer ? There are 2 teams. I understand they are running from 1 end to another, BUT: every football-player mostly secures his zone on the square, and in the second, there are 2 teams running while in tennis every player is running permanently.

Yeah right, i'm not sure what you mean by that but we all know that in tennis, between all kinds of points and set breaks and etc, etc....a nice percentage of total match time was spent doing nothing.

Tennis deals with short battles. You have to win very many small battles to come out as the victor. After each small battle you re-group and plan your attacks. This process over and over again.

I gotta say though, your post is hilarious ...."football-player mostly secures his zone on the square...".

 

[doriancito]

tennis...you need, good legs, good arms, good abs...good joints..good flex...as in soccer you only need a hard head and good legs

 

[Docalex007]

tennis...you need, good legs, good arms, good abs...good joints..good flex...as in soccer you only need a hard head and good legs

ONLY need a hard head and good legs? What about good abs, good joints, and good flex???? Last time I checked they take a good beating out there as well. Much more than a tennis player. Tennis players though should have more flex than a soccer player.

 

[doriancito]

abs...what for? no need...abd work with the movement of legs and arms together and they are located between them so they act as a hard base/balance for the body but since you dont use arms in soccer..unless you are goal keeper

 

[Rickson]

Basketball because there's a lot of jumping involved. You run a lot in tennis and soccer, but in basketball, a good vertical leap is more important than in the other 2 sports. I've played basketball, football, baseball, and of course, tennis, and there's no doubt to me that basketball requires the most athletic ability.

 

[sureshs]

What about badminton? I used to play it when I was younger, don't do it any more now. I think tennis requires more strength, but badminton requires faster reflexes. It also requires more jumping. What do you guys think?

 

[joesixtoe]

well espn did a thing on what sport requires the most athletism, and boxing was number 1. tennis i believe was 7th.

 

[rafael]

I would say sports like mma and boxing require most athletism and skill, at least to be successful.

 

[Rickson]

well espn did a thing on what sport requires the most athletism, and boxing was number 1. tennis i believe was 7th.

In that case, mixed martial arts would be the winner.

 

[joesixtoe]

In that case, mixed martial arts would be the winner.

ur prob right,, but thats what they had,, just try and look it up on espn.com,, and see why they put it.

 

[35ft6]

I would say sports like mma and boxing require most athletism and skill, at least to be successful.

I don't know about skill. Just think of Bob Sapp. Not to mention Tank Abbot and a young Vitor Belfort, not to mention the other bulls that simply plow through people. And it's a very specific type of athleticism they possess.

 

[ProStaffTour90]

I seriously think tennis, out of them 4.

I don'y know enough about Baseball and Am. Football to comment but Football is very stop start, you can have periods where you can disapear for a bit and cruise, you just can't do that in tennis, it's more intense.

 

[FiveO]

The skill sets vary so much from sport to sport it's nearly impossible to say. Further, the different requirements from position to position are incredibly varied in team sports. Take American football and the cornerback position. The requirements are the speed, quickness, intricate footwork, required to cover the fastest wide receivers on the field while backpedalling, crossing over and the running with them, the hand-eye to play the ball, combined with the strength requirements to take on interior offensive linemen who outweigh them by 100 lbs. or more when coming up to force a running play is an incredible skill set. I marvel at those that don't recognize the athletic requirements of baseball. Hitting one round object with another is tough but more than that how about playing third base where you must stay mentally in the game for possibly 8 innings before getting your do or don't "chance" at a blistered ball down the line, stab it and make an accurate throw across the diamond, in a crucial spot. Basketball, every position has it's skill sets, hand-eye, speed, stamina, footwork, some emphasizing the ability to play with your back to the basket and others straight on, and realizing that the smallest, quickest, highest skilled ballhandlers are now 6'6" and taller. Soccer I don't know well enough to comment specifically, but I'm sure the required skills are just as varied minus the hand-eye.

If the point is that tennis requires a tremendously varied set of skills, and many baseline athletic abilities, no one can argue that. You are charged with being responsible for the gameplan and adjustments made to it throughout a match. But realize too, that those kinds of adjustments are made by the individual athletes in team sports as well, when going head to head with their individual opponent, batter v. pitcher, receiver v. defensive back, basketball players v. their defenders, who are playing their own "game within the game".

Unless isolating the specific athletic components you want to compare, endurance, speed, strength, hand-eye, etc., I don't think a valid comparison can be made sport to sport.