# What is the toughest sport to compete in?



## ChrisPcritter (Jun 25, 2008)

Ok, I've actually read a lot on the subject for some stupid reason. There are sports that take a lot of edurance like indy car, or a lot of physical conditioning like soccer (fubol) or tremendous hand eye coordination like baseball. They say hitting a 95 mile an hour fastball with less than half a second from the time the ball leaves the pitchers hand till it crosses the plate is the hardest thing. 

I think Supercross/motocross is pretty freakin tough. Too fast over a triple and you miss the landing or worse you end up like Doug Henry and go off like a hundred foot drop and break your back. Too slow and you case it and break something. Or a guy ahead of you wrecks and they don't have time to get the caution flags out before you can hit him. 

Also Bull riding, I mean you can do everything right and you still have to get off the bull at some point and hope you can get to a fence before he realizes you were the one on him.. 

Boxing.. Anyone that has boxed can tell you it's extremely demanding. I boxed quite a few years ago and got an opportunity to spar with a USA bronze medalist. That was fun.. (for him)


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## NewArmyGuitar (Jun 25, 2008)

I'd say MMA would be pretty close to the top (if not THE top) of the list. You have to be good at so many things like boxing, kickboxing, muay thai, wrestling, jiu-jitsu (or something similar like sambo or catch-wrestling). You also have to have incredible endurance, conditioning and the ability to deal with a lot of pain.

And I definitely agree with you about bull riding. That can still end badly no matter how well you do everything, if you even make it out of the gate. They've been showing commercials lately (on VS. I think) of a guy getting his head split open while he's still in the chute waiting to make his ride. He's trying to get settled on the bull and when it bucks, his head smashes into the metal surrounding them. Then they show him being carried away with a lump on his head the size of a baseball. Of course, that's probably still better than the clips that they show of guys getting stomped on by the bulls.


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## Thrashmanzac (Jun 25, 2008)

AFL.
midfeilders in the afl run and average of about 16kms in one game, with some clocking up 19km. 
as well as this they wear no padding (apart from a mouth guard), and hit fucking hard.
and they do it every week.


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## K7_Munky (Jun 25, 2008)

I would have to agree that MMA would be tough so would motorcross just seeing some of those guys fall off their bikes in mid air.


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## -K4G- (Jun 25, 2008)

Thrashmanzac said:


> AFL.
> midfeilders in the afl run and average of about 16kms in one game, with some clocking up 19km.
> as well as this they wear no padding (apart from a mouth guard), and hit fucking hard.
> and they do it every week.



same as rugby.


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## Thrashmanzac (Jun 25, 2008)

KillForGod said:


> same as rugby league.






yeah good point, but i cant stand union


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## -K4G- (Jun 25, 2008)

Thrashmanzac said:


> yeah good point, but i cant stand union



WAT? 
I cant stand rugby league. Its annoying. No ruck and maul.


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## Thrashmanzac (Jun 25, 2008)

i just hate the five tackles bullshit


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## ChrisPcritter (Jun 25, 2008)

Yes I forgot about Rugby, I used to play that in high school. Our team went to nationals the year after I graduated... I always got a little nevous when they said "balls out". A little to close to SanFran to be saying shit like that...


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## dpm (Jun 25, 2008)

I think participating at the highest level of human capability in pretty much any activity is equally difficult


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## Makelele (Jun 25, 2008)

dpm said:


> I think participating at the highest level of human capability in pretty much any activity is equally difficult



+1

I don't think you really can compare, either. Getting to the top in almost all sports requires both extreme talent and extreme training, and also a really good attitude.


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## Nick (Jun 25, 2008)

Makelele said:


> +1
> 
> I don't think you really can compare, either. Getting to the top in almost all sports requires both extreme talent and extreme training, and also a really good attitude.




i fully agree


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## darren (Jun 25, 2008)

Ironman Triathlon is pretty much the ultimate test of human endurance and "toughness" i'd say. It doesn't require a high degree of skill, but just the mental challenge alone would be incredible.


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## ChrisPcritter (Jun 25, 2008)

While I understand that all sports are very demanding at the highest level, the risk involved in making a mistake isn't the same. You strike out in baseball your team could still win, miss a layup in basket ball and it doesn't cost the game unless it just happens at the wrong time.. Mess up on a bull or a bike and you're screwed..
YouTube - Gone Bad-The best Motocross crashes 2


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## 7 Strings of Hate (Jun 25, 2008)

if thats what your classifying it as, it has to be mma, it has a huge devistating effect if you lose


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## The Dark Wolf (Jun 25, 2008)

dpm said:


> I think participating at the highest level of human capability in pretty much any activity is equally difficult



Yeah. I can see arguments how certain sports are tough, but there's many types of toughness.

Even though golf isn't anywhere near as demanding physically as rugby or MMA, imagine the mental toughness to play at say, Tiger Woods' level.


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## 7 Strings of Hate (Jun 25, 2008)

i agree, but the was the op was saying that in most sports you pay if you lose, thats why i said mma


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## The Dark Wolf (Jun 25, 2008)

In terms of most pain, then?

Hmm. MMA... maybe. Bullriding, motocross, sure contenders. American football, in terms of injuries. Powerlifting is pretty rough.


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## stuh84 (Jun 25, 2008)

Russian Roulette


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## ChrisPcritter (Jun 25, 2008)

I wasn't trying to imply that other sports were easy or not demanding. I understand the mental aspect of golf, I've stood over a putt that would give me my best game ever and it's pretty rattling to say the least, and that's without millions of dollars involved. I've also gone over a double jump on my bike that could kill me if I make a mistake.. All that being said, I would also have to say that MMA is extreme in conditioning, mental and physical aspects. Bikes can mess you up but you have control so it's your fault if you screw up, bulls are dumb and the clowns are there to help. In MMA someone across from you that has trained with one goal in mind (taking you out). I'd have to say that MMA is #1 at this point (imo).. 

I'm not trying to put down other sports as I know that competing at the pro level of any sport is physically and mentally demanding, some more mental and some more physical but some have high amounts of both with extreme risks if you make a mistake..


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## dpm (Jun 26, 2008)

Yeah, I suppose you're talking risk level rather than difficulty, or better yet the most extreme combinations of risk and skill. Even there it's a difficult one. It's hard to get a good picture of exactly what's involved in a lot of cases.

Regardless, I'll put some out there for discussion....

How about cycling? You have to be a tough bastard to compete in the Tour de France. 23 days, 3500km (2200 miles), over 80km/h (50mph) down the alps on a bike weighing well under 20 pounds while wearing a thin layer of lycra.... and it's extremely tactical.

Then you've got motorcycles, the on-road type. Not as tough as motocross? Recently in World Superbikes a guy named Nori Haga shattered his collarbone in three places. The next day he rode 2 extremely demanding races and placed 6th in the second of them. He then had surgery to insert a metal plate and 8 screws to hold the bones together, and won the next pair of races 2 weeks later. In MotoGP a young Spanish guy by the name of Jorge Lorenzo is currently racing with 2 fractured ankles and fresh skin grafts on his fingers. 2 days after breaking the ankles in practice he placed 4th in the race. And then you've got Mick Doohan....

Lorenzo's crash in China


Longer article about Doohan, also gives insight into the physical requirements of racing


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## msherman (Jun 26, 2008)

Mick is one tough bastard 
Randy Renfro here in the states went through something similar to what Mick did. He had a crash at 150mph where his hand was trapped between the bike, and the pavement, grinding off his thumb and the tips of other fingers.

He had his big toe amputated, and grafted onto his hand, replacing the thumb he had lost, so he could continue racing.


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## Makelele (Jun 27, 2008)

I'd say skydiving is kind of bad if you screw up.


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## El Caco (Jun 28, 2008)

Free climbing is pretty bad ass as well as those guys who jump off cliffs with a rope tied to them. 

Top of my list would be big wave surfing, those guys put their lives on the line with every wave, train incredibly hard and have peak endurance.


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## Jason (Jun 28, 2008)

Define tough? As in skill or physical toughness?


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## B Lopez (Jun 28, 2008)

s7eve said:


> Free climbing is pretty bad ass as well as those guys who jump off cliffs with a rope tied to them.
> 
> Top of my list would be big wave surfing, those guys put their lives on the line with every wave, train incredibly hard and have peak endurance.




Big wave paddle-in surfing would be it for me.

More sense of accomplishment.


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## El Caco (Jun 28, 2008)

In the 90's a massive cyclone generated groundswell hit the Gold coast, I went out at Kirra and dislocated my shoulder twice in one day, the second time I was held under the longest I have ever been and thought that my time was up. I finally got out of the water about 1 km up north Kirra and my arm was too weak to go out again so I decided to go to Currumbin alley and watch some big wave action.

Mark Foo was out in the biggest waves I have seen in person, easy 15+. One of the first waves I saw him paddle into, he was way too deep and tried to backdoor it, he did not make it and I witnessed along with everyone else watching the worst wipeout I have seen, we all doubted that he will come up and he was down for a long time but when he finally came up we all witnessed something even more incredible. After he surfaced he immediately paddled into a wave bigger than the other, deeper than he was the first time, I could not comprehend his commitment. As the wave pitched he pulled into the back of the tube and disappeared from our sight, the wave continued to churn away and we thought there is no way he is still riding he was way to deep, then as we stood heart in mouth we saw his shadow and then he finally emerged. As you can imagine the crowd watching erupted, it felt like I had witnessed one of those magic moments in time, it sure put my abilities in perspective.

RIP Mark Foo.


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## B Lopez (Jun 30, 2008)

Damn, _that's_ a story.


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## ChrisPcritter (Jul 3, 2008)

Yes that's pretty wild. 
And yes I guess I was talking about skill, conditioning required, and risk involved

I have a brother that had a fall of 40 feet while free climbing. He was in extremely good shape but hurt his neck and has to be on pain killers all the time. He had a great job in electronic design/engineering and is now on perminent disability and could still become paralized at any time. The doctors want to put steel rods in his neck to help prevent this but he doesn't want them to "fuse" his neck...


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## nocturnous (Jul 18, 2008)

Basketball hands down


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## auxioluck (Jul 18, 2008)

Doing Muay Thai (Not MMA Muay Thai, actual ring fighting Thai boxing) was/is tough. My shins had to be conditioned to have no feeling in them, my legs were conditioned to take an insane amount of abuse. You have to wear steel cups because of knees, the cardio training and burst training is intense. I can't count how many bloody noses, bloody shins, and bruised bones I've had. I've taken 2 chips out of each shin, torn 2 tendons in one ankle, tore a ligament in the other, cracked a rib, several temple cuts (that's where elbows go)....I dunno. Taking nothing but elbows, knees, and shins to the head has messed my brain up. I'm not discounting other sports, but I have never taken more abuse than in Muay Thai. I'm slow now, though.


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## 777timesgod (Jul 20, 2008)

The bad thing with this thai boxing is that there are no good blocks unlike Karate Shotokan and some other martial arts. And the injuries sustained prevent you from reaching the top of your abilities.


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## Oogadee Boogadee (Jul 20, 2008)

Wrestling.

It requires a crazy combination of elite-level attributes:
Strength
Endurance
Speed (in thought processing as well)
Flexibility
Balance
Determination

And that's just the competition itself - not even getting into the training and the crazy things that go on there, like in weight cutting, for example.

Wrestling is one of those physically demanding sports that when you have an equal opponent, it's guaranteed to be a grueling match. The skill-set of your opponent will dictate the match as much as yours... so you have to be 'on' the whole time.... all the time when battling it out - b/c everything is so directly pro-active/reactive. The first to take a breather could be the first to lose, right there!

I'd say a marathon can also be up there. it's all self-will and ignoring the pain.

sports such as bull-riding, stunt-jumping, etc.... when things go smoothly and there aren't any falls, then it wasn't so physically killer. risky yes.... but not a gaurenteed grueling event like a competitive wrestling match, muy thai, or a marathon, etc.


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## JJ Rodriguez (Jul 21, 2008)




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## Scali (Jul 21, 2008)

Well, watching the Tour de France... I think there's no sport event in the world that is more intense than this. These guys have to perform for 4-5 hours every day, for 3 solid weeks. Beat that.


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## Makelele (Jul 22, 2008)

Scali said:


> Well, watching the Tour de France... I think there's no sport event in the world that is more intense than this. These guys have to perform for 4-5 hours every day, for 3 solid weeks. Beat that.



Yeah, but they all seem to be using doping. It's actually getting ridiculous cause they're just ruining the credibility of their sport.


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## jim777 (Jul 23, 2008)

In a sport called Eventing, which is basically show horses going around courses jumping over things, there have been 14 rider fatalities and over 40 horse fatalities in the last year alone. Most of these are of the 'rotational' type of accident, where the horse jumps, fails to go over the rigid (bolted down so as not to give at all) target, and falls forward ass over head, throwing the rider off, and then falling on top of the rider. So, while it may not take the most stamina or endurance to do, show jumping on horses is by far the most dangerous to the humans involved in the 'sport'. Nothing comes remotely close in terms of critical injuries and fatalities.

Most look a lot like this, which wasn't fatal, but you get an idea.

(And yeah, I did see this on TV last night or wouldn't have known about it  )


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## Sentient (Jul 29, 2008)

Scali said:


> Well, watching the Tour de France... I think there's no sport event in the world that is more intense than this. These guys have to perform for 4-5 hours every day, for 3 solid weeks. Beat that.


 Absolutely. How anyone could watch those guys pedal through the French Alps and not feel the same way is beyond me. Stage 17 alone was ungodly, with two beyond-category monstrous climbs, and THEN climb the legendary Alpe d'Huez. Plus, Over two thousand miles in 23 days? Holy fuck, indeed. 



Makelele said:


> Yeah, but they all seem to be using doping. It's actually getting ridiculous cause they're just ruining the credibility of their sport.



It's very true that the sport has nearly been devastated by doping over the past 3 years. And as a result, it's very difficult to really get behind any pro cyclist nowadays. Sometimes heroes break your heart in a really big way. But just like any sport, I do not believe that the ones caught truly represent the entire majority. I don't think all pro cyclists are doping. I just think the ones that are, ruin the sport for those who don't.


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## Scali (Jul 29, 2008)

Sentient said:


> Absolutely. How anyone could watch those guys pedal through the French Alps and not feel the same way is beyond me. Stage 17 alone was ungodly, with two beyond-category monstrous climbs, and THEN climb the legendary Alpe d'Huez. Plus, Over two thousand miles in 23 days? Holy fuck, indeed.


 
Yea, the only other thing I can think of that comes close is the Elfstedentocht we have here in Holland.
It's a long ice skating tour through Friesland. It's only a one-day event though, but that single day is intense (the sub-zero temperatures and wind make the conditions really harsh).
It's not held every year because we don't always have ice of sufficient quality every winter. I think the last time was about 10 years ago.


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## Kevan (Jul 29, 2008)

I thought Lawn Dart Catching was the toughest sport out there.


Golf?!?!? Well, there are some pretty serious badasses on the croquet circuit lately.


JJ- here's one just for you:


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## alecisonfire (Jul 29, 2008)

i've been doing brazilian jiu jitsu for about 2 years and have always wrestled. both are very demanding


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## OzzyC (Jul 29, 2008)

Maybe this?


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## rufeo (Aug 8, 2008)

I think I read through all posts and didn't see hockey? I've played my whole life at an extremely competitive level and would say that its one of the toughest sports mentally and physically in the world. I can't say the most.. well because I haven't really done anything else, but it has to be up there.


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