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Hands down, cycling. Ive played (on teams) hockey, football, baseball, bowling, swimming, wrestling, and soccer. I picked up road cycling a few years back and can tell you immediately, it is the hardest, most punishing, grueling, painful, and exhausting sport out there, by a long shot. Seeing these guys in the Tour de France, riding at an average speed of 20+ mph, over 60+ miles, then facing hillclimbing at the end... they are machines. I dont think there is a single other sport player that could, even with months of training, handle half of what cyclists put their bodies through.
I was going to say martial arts.
Upper body.
Lower body.
Core.
Stamina.
Balance.
Aim.
Speed.
Jumping.
Rolling/falling/gymnastic moves.
Total control over your body movements.
Yes, Ill give you credit that MMA fighters are generally in great shape and are generally quite strong. But, they just fight. Thats it. Most sports have all the same exact attributes as MMA fighters, but they compete in sports that require sometimes daily games/matches/races, that last hours upon hours, at full speed. MMA is mostly dancing and jabs, with some ground n pound action. They wouldnt last 10 miles on an easy Tour de France stage. Their idea of "stamina" is quite laughable to me. Being confined in a small cage and basically hopping around at slow speeds and taking jabs at one another isnt anything special.
Why motorsports? I'm not saying the car or motorcycle does all the work and I'm not saying that there's no exertion. But I just can't put a Formula 1 driver in the same league as an NFL defensive back, a pro tennis player, or Messi. Just can't.
Are you joking or?
NFL players sit around most of the game. When theyre not on the field theyre on a bench. When theyre on the field they play, then stop. Play then stop. Play then stop. Tennis players? A bit more action, but theyre swinging a 8oz racket at a 5oz ball. Messi? He runs a lot and is very talented, but thats where it stops.
Do you have any idea what F1 racing entails? If you did you wouldnt make such a bizarre statement. F1 drivers have to be extremely fit individuals. I want you to have your friend push hard against your head, while you push back with your head. Do this for 2 straight hours. Do you know F1 drivers have to go through rigorous arm, neck, etc, strength training to deal with the near-constant g-forces that F1 cars produce? These cars are pushing 3-4 gs in corners (of which there are many in F1). On top of that, they are racing open-wheeled cars at 200+ mph, inches from one another, accelerating from 0-150 mph in the time it takes your street car to hit 45mph. The amount of physical and mental strength (not to mention stamina and guts) to pilot a F1 car during a race is MUCH harder than you think.
NFL players sit around most of the game. When theyre not on the field theyre on a bench. When theyre on the field they play, then stop. Play then stop. Play then stop. Tennis players? A bit more action, but theyre swinging a 8oz racket at a 5oz ball. Messi? He runs a lot and is very talented, but thats where it stops.
Do you have any idea what F1 racing entails? If you did you wouldnt make such a bizarre statement. F1 drivers have to be extremely fit individuals. I want you to have your friend push hard against your head, while you push back with your head. Do this for 2 straight hours. Do you know F1 drivers have to go through rigorous arm, neck, etc, strength training to deal with the near-constant g-forces that F1 cars produce? These cars are pushing 3-4 gs in corners (of which there are many in F1). On top of that, they are racing open-wheeled cars at 200+ mph, inches from one another, accelerating from 0-150 mph in the time it takes your street car to hit 45mph. The amount of physical and mental strength (not to mention stamina and guts) to pilot a F1 car during a race is MUCH harder than you think.
Sorry. I do realize that it takes strength and stamina, so quit twisting my words around. But having spent a LOT of time around stock car drivers (For whom the demands are pretty close), you're really overstating matters a great deal.
What's more, I actually anticipated this argument earlier in the thread. What constitutes athleticism? Is it strength? Stamina? Dexterity? Because every sport has unique challenges. But if you're telling me that a Sebastian Vettel is a superior athlete to, say, a Luke Kuechly, then I have to just shake my head.
It's okay to be an advocate for your sport and all, but c'mon.
Hands down, cycling. Ive played (on teams) hockey, football, baseball, bowling, swimming, wrestling, and soccer. I picked up road cycling a few years back and can tell you immediately, it is the hardest, most punishing, grueling, painful, and exhausting sport out there, by a long shot. Seeing these guys in the Tour de France, riding at an average speed of 20+ mph, over 60+ miles, then facing hillclimbing at the end... they are machines. I dont think there is a single other sport player that could, even with months of training, handle half of what cyclists put their bodies through.
This is a pretty good argument.
I would say that another argument on the stamina side of things are the guys who do the transocean sailing races, if for no other reason that sheer endurance.
Motorsport guys are fit, but hardly athletes as such. Stick and ball athletes have too much down time. The big3 in the US have more bench time than playing time - even soccer is mostly walking around. Cyclists, x-cross skiers, triathletes have zero rest breaks. You race for 5 hrs it's 5hrs with no TV breaks, time-outs, and half times. The training is brutal.
Motorsport guys are fit, but hardly athletes as such. Stick and ball athletes have too much down time. The big3 in the US have more bench time than playing time - even soccer is mostly walking around. Cyclists, x-cross skiers, triathletes have zero rest breaks. You race for 5 hrs it's 5hrs with no TV breaks, time-outs, and half times. The training is brutal.
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what about swimming?
