toughest sport?

[Chopper]

i was watching some tube the other day, and i saw something i havent seen in a loooong time. and it is, bar none, the toughest sport i can think of. here are some choices, tell me if you think like i do.

i really wanted to put down "sex" as one of the choices, but refrained because that would take away from other sports...lol.

[UG]

baseball

[jyms]

You actually forgot the toughest sport.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mQ1Rm...elated&search=

The NLL is the pro league for indoor box lacrosse. I ahve season tickets to the Rock. Here's some great clips.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DvMiM...elated&search=

[gabe]

WHERE IS HOCKEY??

those fuckers have to skate around on ice and try to do fancy stuff with a stick and try to hit eachother and try to not get hit

[jyms]

I decided agains t mentioning hockey since most "mericans" Don't watch it. Lacrosse is tougher than hockey as far as total sport go but they are close to the same since hockey is faster and the hits hurt as much.

[Knytestorme]

poll is missing cricket, therefore there is no correct answer to this poll ldo

but yeah, I'm going to guess you were watching womens water polo

[Disco]

boxing/mma, it's the only sport where the main objective is to hurt your opponent

[jyms]

boxing/mma, it's the only sport where the main objective is to hurt your opponent

You missed my first link then.

[grnydrowave2]

If Soccer gets even one vote, I may have to derail this thread with Soccer smack.

Edit: My vote goes to Boxing. Nothing compares to being repeatedly punched in the head. It's pretty barbaric, really.

Physical challenge: Boxing
Combined mental and physical challenge: Running

[Zee Devee]

Physical challenge: Boxing
Combined mental and physical challenge: Running

qft

it was a close debate between the two, but I chose boxing because they have a shit ton of mental challenge too.

The Iron Man challenge is probably the most intense thing I have seen though. For those who don't know, it is a 2.4 mile swim, 112 mile bike ride, then a marathon on top of that.

Anyone who does that is tough.

[bigred]

wrestling, you're pinning a sweaty dude down wearing practically nothing all while starving yourself

[BoondockSaint]

Those sports are tough but none of them are that scary, as in, I wouldnt be worried to be permanently mangled or paralyzed. Now bull riding, shit, those things are always stompin on you and your gettin your leg stuck in the harness thing getting dragged all over the place, get stomped on some more. My vote would be bullriding if it was up there. Since it isnt I voted MMA. In the long run I think bull riders are more beat up and have more long lasting painful injuries than any of the others.

[vqc]

hockey or MMA

[grnydrowave2]

Those sports are tough but none of them are that scary, as in, I wouldnt be worried to be permanently mangled or paralyzed. Now bull riding, shit, those things are always stompin on you and your gettin your leg stuck in the harness thing getting dragged all over the place, get stomped on some more. My vote would be bullriding if it was up there. Since it isnt I voted MMA. In the long run I think bull riders are more beat up and have more long lasting painful injuries than any of the others.

If it's likelihood of injury we're looking for, perhaps these are your "toughest" sports:

Fatalities per 100,000 participants:

1. Horse racing: 128
2. Sky diving: 123
3. Hang gliding: 56
4. Mountaineering: 51
5. Scuba Diving: 11
6. Motorcycle racing: 7
7. College Football: 3
8. Professional Boxing: 1.3

[blackatom]

WHERE IS HOCKEY??

those fuckers have to skate around on ice and try to do fancy stuff with a stick and try to hit eachother and try to not get hit

\

Thank you.

[PapalRage]

no love for ultimate? its kinda like soccer only much more boc.

[Chopper]

cannot believe i forgot hockey. obv, that wasnt what i saw on tv, but its up there.

bullriding is another goodun. so is lacrosse.

gabe, is there any way to add these three? i'm such a dipshit. those were obvious.

and, fwiw, i played a lot of water polo (not to sway the vote), but its by far mentionable as a tough ass sport. your feet dont touch the bottom, and referees cannot see through all the splashing. lots of dirty play. we had to wear 3 suits because one always got torn. punches got thrown routinely. many attempted drownings. and the conditioning required would rival that of soccer and marathon running.

and who the hell voted for golf? spenda? another i've played a lot of, competitively, and the walking in heat and humidity, as well as mental aspects, are tough, but nothing compared to the others.

[JL]

Motocross racing

[JL]

If Soccer gets even one vote, I may have to derail this thread with Soccer smack.

Soccer is a pussy sport, but I am pretty sure that it is ranked one of the toughest sports for endurance.

[Chopper]

If Soccer gets even one vote, I may have to derail this thread with Soccer smack.

Soccer is a pussy sport, but I am pretty sure that it is ranked one of the toughest sports for endurance.

you must be a football player? i used to think the same thing, but i've actually grown an appreciation for it. the coordination is almost unparalleled...and endurance wise? its up there.

i just cant watch the friggin' sport. its too boring on TV. product doesnt translate well, imo.

[Jack Sawyer]

Icehockey. Its not even close.

[grnydrowave2]

Can I change my vote to genocide?

[bode]

BoondockSaint[/size]]Those sports are tough but none of them are that scary, as in, I wouldnt be worried to be permanently mangled or paralyzed. Now bull riding, shit, those things are always stompin on you and your gettin your leg stuck in the harness thing getting dragged all over the place, get stomped on some more. My vote would be bullriding if it was up there. Since it isnt I voted MMA. In the long run I think bull riders are more beat up and have more long lasting painful injuries than any of the others.

If it's likelihood of injury we're looking for, perhaps these are your "toughest" sports:

Fatalities per 100,000 participants:

1. Horse racing: 128
2. Sky diving: 123
3. Hang gliding: 56
4. Mountaineering: 51
5. Scuba Diving: 11
6. Motorcycle racing: 7
7. College Football: 3
8. Professional Boxing: 1.3

who knew?

[bigspenda73]

Golf...ld0

I guarantee it's the toughest sport to learn

[UG]

baseball

Nobody said anything about this, but I was serious when I said this. The single hardest thing to do in sports is hit a baseball.

Probably doesn't deserve a vote, football/hockey/MMA/boxing etc are all harder most def

[grnydrowave2]

I thought this thread was about physical toughness, not difficulty or the required conditioning.

Define "tough" for us, Chopper.

[flomo]

Motocross racing

there was a study to figure out what was the most punishing sport on the body and motorcross was determined the worst for the body

i voted for hockey/lacrosse

if i could

[JL]

baseball

Nobody said anything about this, but I was serious when I said this. The single hardest thing to do in sports is hit a baseball.

Seriously? try hitting a golf ball 300 yards straight down the fairway.

After learning golf, I went to the batting cages and I never missed a 70mph baseball again.

[UG]

baseball

Nobody said anything about this, but I was serious when I said this. The single hardest thing to do in sports is hit a baseball.

Seriously? try hitting a golf ball 300 yards straight down the fairway.

After learning golf, I went to the batting cages and I never missed a 70mph baseball again.

I understand it's a hard thing to master (and agree that it is difficult thing to do) as I suck at golf myself. That said, I know plenty of people that can hit the ball hard and straight. They've been taught the right technique, and after hours and hours of practice anyone can become decent at golf. Why do I say that? The ball *does not move*, so it's just you swinging a club to try to hit a *stationary* object.

Now try to hit something that is moving, where you only have half of a second to react to the ball *and* take a good hack at it. During the first half of that half second you have to figure out what the pitch is, whether the pitch is something you can hit or not with authority (a strike or a ball), where the ball will be when it crosses the plate. Second half of that half second you need to swing and hit a round moving target (sphere) with a round bat (cylinder). Not only do you need to make contact with the ball, but you you need to hit the ball in a way where it avoids nine defenders in such a way that they can't get you out.

Add the fact that pitchers throw hard (avg. MLB fastball is 90mph), pitchers throw pitches with movement, etc, making the ball even more difficult to hit....and you have the toughest/hardest thing to do in sports.

In baseball if you FAIL seven out of ten times throughout your career you go down as a LEGEND. Give me another sport where this is possible and you might be onto something.

Also: MLB baseball players don't throw 70mph, unless it's some sort of off-speed pitch with hella movement on it.


P.S. You brought out the batting cages argument too.....I'm sure you had no trouble hitting the ball, you made *contact*......but I could argue too that I could at least make *contact* with a stationary golf ball just the same. They're both hard, but with reaction time, movement of the baseball, trying to hit a round object with a round bat squarely, and trying to get it past nine defenders to avoid an out......I'd say baseball is harder.

[Knytestorme]

baseball

Nobody said anything about this, but I was serious when I said this. The single hardest thing to do in sports is hit a baseball.

Probably doesn't deserve a vote, football/hockey/MMA/boxing etc are all harder most def

Actually, according to computer simulations, hitting a cricket ball at the speeds most fast bowlers deliver is supposed to be an impossibility...will try to find the link when I get a chance but the speed, given with the fact the ball bounces on the way to the batsman of an uneven grass pitch makes it a challenge.

[Chopper]

in golf.......THE FOULS COUNT!! and you dont get 3 chances to hit the ball.

but as for a definition....i meant pure physical brutality. but, included some of the others to get conversations stirring.

there really is no definitive answer. thats what makes the debate fun.

i voted rugby, btw. you can argue lots of sports, but rugby requires physical stamina, brute force, constant battering, no pads for protection, and a humongous tolerance for pain.

playing with a separated shoulder is nothing for those guys. pop it back in and get back out there. football pales in comparison.

MMA gets stopped rather quickly to get really, really hurt. not that these guys want to stop.

boxing has pads. but, anything that makes you stupid after years of doing it, gets consideration, imo.

soccer has endurance going for it....but those guys do get opportunities to loaf a little.

hockey is crazy tough, but again they wear pads.

dont know enough about cricket to comment, but i dont remember there being any contact.

lacrosse is nuts. somebody tell me whats the deal with whacking someone with a stick in the back not being a penalty, but hitting them while they face you, like a man, is one?

bullriding is just dangerous, period.

the extreme sports....skateboarding, skydiving, motocross, etc, just arent sports, imo. i think you need a ball, which disqualifies half of the others i just commented about. oh, and it cant be "judged." thats a competition, not a sport.

not that extreme athletes arent athletic, i just cant get on board, yet.

and i dont think poker is sport, either, fwiw. its a game...recreation.

[Chopper]

george, i'd be interested to hear your thoughts on steriods.

if its so tough to hit a round ball with a round object, how do steroids help. they dont help coordination. they dont help your eyes react, right?

so, all the home runs are coming from somewhere else...since its the toughest, right?

btw, i agree with your post. i just want to hear your thoughts on 'roids.

[blackatom]

my pops always said hitting a baseball is the hardest thing to do... think about it... taking a round ball and a round bat and trying to hit it square.

[blackatom]

but... in terms of toughest physically... def hockey

[Miffed22001]

hockey or maybe aussie rules football.

From what ive played, rugby requires you to be much fitter than anything else on that list. Im not convinced you have to be as fit to box as you do some other stuff.

[sauce123]

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cave_diving

[UG]

george, i'd be interested to hear your thoughts on steriods.

if its so tough to hit a round ball with a round object, how do steroids help. they dont help coordination. they dont help your eyes react, right?

so, all the home runs are coming from somewhere else...since its the toughest, right?

btw, i agree with your post. i just want to hear your thoughts on 'roids.

Steroids help with everything.

1) They give you more size. If you have more mass there'll be more "behind" the swing that you take. Picture yourself in a car. Would you rather get hit by a VW Bug going 55mph or a huge dump truck traveling at the same speed?

2) They increase your quickness. Muscle training, if done right, will do this by itself. Add steroids to the mix and your fast twitch muscles will be even faster. Hitting a baseball hard is all about bat speed, so if your bat is quicker through the zone you'll hit the ball harder. If you're quicker *and* bigger, the ball will travel further. If you're bat speed increases it gives you more time to see the pitch, recognize what pitch has been thrown, it's trajectory, etc......so it gives you a little more time to make a better swing at the ball...so now you're getting to see the ball for a longer period of time, which leads to my next point.......

3) They make your eyesight better. That's right, your eyesight gets better with 'roids. Studies have shown that steroids dilate the pupils of the eyes, which will cause a player to be able to focus that much better. More focus allows you to recognize the pitch sooner, know the trajectory sooner, know whether and where to swing sooner, etc.....More time and more focus allows for hitters to put a better swing on the ball.


Add those three things up and you've created a monster at the plate, one that will hit the ball 10-15% farther. 10-15% may not be a huge number, but now deep pop-ups to the warning track are making it over the wall, ground balls that infielders used to get to are now base hits, etc...

That said......It helps hitters but it also helps pitchers just the same. There are freaks of nature out there that can huck a ball 94-102mph, but there have been more of those guys during the steroid era than ever before. I think there have actually been more pitchers busted for the juice than hitters, or it may be roughly the same. I don't want to get too off course here, but that's why I don't have a big problem with Bonds breaking the record. Yeah, he juiced, but everyone else was on it too so he was playing on a level playing field during his era...

[Chopper]

some of your points, i expected, but i think one is flawed.

everything i've read states that 'roids dont help fast twitch muscles.

i've never heard the eyesight thing before. but, wouldnt dilating them make your vision worse? like opening the fstop on a camera lens. if its wide open, sure, it lets in all the light, but it cant focus and its depth of field is shit. if by dilating you meant they actually reduce, then, i'm with ya. but, have you ever been to the eye doc? when he puts those eyedrops in, he gives you sunglasses because you wont be seeing much for the next couple hours.

i waver back and forth on 'roids. sure, everyone was/is on them. the HRs were/are flying out like crazy. yeah, its unethical/illegal, but i just dont know. its hard for me to denounce anything i would do if i were in the same position. we are talking about crazy wealth here in these contracts...based on power...and, i would like to think i would draw the line somewhere, but i just dont know. if it gave me an outstanding chance to get through the minors faster and sign a bigger deal, setting my family up for generations, i may sell out.

the biggest thing steroids do for you, i think, is help you recover faster. and thats not just injury, but in the weight room, too. meaning, you can go on a "bulk binge" and hit the weights all the faster....by far speeding up the weight/strength gained. **maybe TJ can comment here, if he's seen the thread this far.**

as for pitchers, it helps that arm recover faster after an ordinary start. that has to help.

bonds? yeah, i dont like the guy at all. surly with the media, unappreciative, phony of a guy. but, i dont mind the record so much...i just wish a better person broke it. maybe Arod can get it in a few years. not that he's the best person, but he has bonds beat in my book. i doubt craig biggio has much of a chance...lol.

i will prolly remain of the fence/indifferent forever. i just dont care that much about these guys' integrity. i watch the game because i like the game. they could be cavemen for all i care. i would pick a team and follow them through a season.

meh.

[blackatom]

I don't think the Bonds stuff will matter for too long... Arod is going to hit 800.

[Miffed22001]

how is golf a 'sport' ?

[UG]

some of your points, i expected, but i think one is flawed.

everything i've read states that 'roids dont help fast twitch muscles.

i've never heard the eyesight thing before. but, wouldnt dilating them make your vision worse? like opening the fstop on a camera lens. if its wide open, sure, it lets in all the light, but it cant focus and its depth of field is shit. if by dilating you meant they actually reduce, then, i'm with ya. but, have you ever been to the eye doc? when he puts those eyedrops in, he gives you sunglasses because you wont be seeing much for the next couple hours.

i waver back and forth on 'roids. sure, everyone was/is on them. the HRs were/are flying out like crazy. yeah, its unethical/illegal, but i just dont know. its hard for me to denounce anything i would do if i were in the same position. we are talking about crazy wealth here in these contracts...based on power...and, i would like to think i would draw the line somewhere, but i just dont know. if it gave me an outstanding chance to get through the minors faster and sign a bigger deal, setting my family up for generations, i may sell out.

the biggest thing steroids do for you, i think, is help you recover faster. and thats not just injury, but in the weight room, too. meaning, you can go on a "bulk binge" and hit the weights all the faster....by far speeding up the weight/strength gained. **maybe TJ can comment here, if he's seen the thread this far.**

as for pitchers, it helps that arm recover faster after an ordinary start. that has to help.

bonds? yeah, i dont like the guy at all. surly with the media, unappreciative, phony of a guy. but, i dont mind the record so much...i just wish a better person broke it. maybe Arod can get it in a few years. not that he's the best person, but he has bonds beat in my book. i doubt craig biggio has much of a chance...lol.

i will prolly remain of the fence/indifferent forever. i just dont care that much about these guys' integrity. i watch the game because i like the game. they could be cavemen for all i care. i would pick a team and follow them through a season.

meh.

I could be wrong about the fast-twitch muscles.

As for eyesight goes, maybe I said the wrong word. Your pupils actually get *smaller*, so they actually do the opposite of dilation (constriction?), causing excess light to be blocked out and your eyes (at least as I understand it) are more focused on whatever you're looking at.

Back when I used to play I would kick back a six pack or so the night before games. My pupils are *really* small the day after I drink, and if I drink a lot my eyes can be freaky looking with a really constricted pupil. Anyway, I wouldn't be hungover at all because I had the tolerance of a 600-pound alcoholic in those days, but everything would be sharper, more clear...I dunno, worked for me.

I know for a fact steroids build mass and give you better eyesight, the fast-twitch muscles you may be correct on.....but if you've got them already, being stronger (and bigger) will allow you to hit the ball harder, and being able to see pitches sooner/better will allow you to hit better as well.

[Jack Sawyer]

how is golf a 'sport' ?

is golf a sport?

[Miffed22001]

how is golf a 'sport' ?

is golf a sport?

poll.

[BoondockSaint]

BoondockSaint[/size]]Those sports are tough but none of them are that scary, as in, I wouldnt be worried to be permanently mangled or paralyzed. Now bull riding, shit, those things are always stompin on you and your gettin your leg stuck in the harness thing getting dragged all over the place, get stomped on some more. My vote would be bullriding if it was up there. Since it isnt I voted MMA. In the long run I think bull riders are more beat up and have more long lasting painful injuries than any of the others.

If it's likelihood of injury we're looking for, perhaps these are your "toughest" sports:

Fatalities per 100,000 participants:

1. Horse racing: 128
2. Sky diving: 123
3. Hang gliding: 56
4. Mountaineering: 51
5. Scuba Diving: 11
6. Motorcycle racing: 7
7. College Football: 3
8. Professional Boxing: 1.3

who knew?

lol hmmmmm. Well those figures are a little messed up cause a skydiver may make 1000 jumps in a year. No one is racing horses 1000 times or going on 1000 hang glinds or climbing 1000 mountains or boxing 1000 people, in a year. The measurement just isnt valid. I cant remember how many jumps are made a year but I think its somewhere around 10 million world wide(printed it in parachutist magazine awhile back) and I believe less than 100 die every year. So overall its pretty safe if you dont get too wild. Lots of broken bones though. 242 people have died skydiving in the last 4 years according to dropzone.com. 20 of those were no pulls which coulda been suicide and they just chose skydiving to do it.

[givememyleg]

OK WHO ELSE VOTED WATER POLO

[bigspenda73]

how is golf a 'sport' ?

is the Pope Catholic?

[Chopper]

golf isnt a sport. all you do is hit a little ball with a crooked stick as hard as you can.....and walk after it. and, hit it again.

-George Carlin

anyone remember the bit from Robin Williams? also, funny shit with his horrible Scottish accent.

FUUUUUCH NO, we do it 18 FUUUUCHING TIMES!!

[Miffed22001]

how is golf a 'sport' ?

is the Pope Catholic?

no he was a nazi right? (or in the hitler-youth)

[bigspenda73]

Football is teh easy, just run like this guy:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TO3Q2...elated&search=

[Chopper]

i like the run up the ass of my blockers, juke my own blockers (while yelling "you fokkers are so slow"), then juke some opponents, and then turn on the jets to the house the best. seemed like every play.

the tackling and angles looked really bad, though. not that i could bring him down, either.

lol. good clip.

[bigred]

Football is teh easy, just run like this guy:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TO3Q2...elated&search=

can'ttacklements

[bigspenda73]

seriosuly how sick is that first run?

[bigred]

I thought there were a couple at the end that were just as impressive

[jyms]

Defence needs to learn how toi hit and stop trying to grab. He was too big and to strong to hold and pull down. They should do more gangtakledoodles

[bigred]

Defence needs to learn how toi hit and stop trying to grab. He was too big and to strong to hold and pull down. They should do more gangtakledoodles

Cana-DUH

[a500lbgorilla]

WHERE IS HOCKEY??

those fuckers have to skate around on ice and try to do fancy stuff with a stick and try to hit eachother and try to not get hit

90 second shifts disqualifies Hockey.

[Chopper]

WHERE IS HOCKEY??

those fuckers have to skate around on ice and try to do fancy stuff with a stick and try to hit eachother and try to not get hit

90 second shifts disqualifies Hockey.

amen. rugby gets no rest....compared to hockey/football.

and for that sick reel of #5, i liked the muffed kick.