Pro football and basketball players (no, not all of them).
Pro football and basketball players (no, not all of them).
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My argument for football. you can take the players in the NFL and if there was never an NFL, the players would be competing at a high level in a variety of other sports. For instance:
WR & CB's & safety's - if the fast WR/CB/S of the NFL had spent their teen yrs and adult life training for track there would be NFL players competing at the top level at virtually every distance on at least a national level. from the sprints to the decathalon.
Linemen & LB's - would certainly be competing in the field events at a high level.
NFL players certainly have the athleticism to play in the NBA, MLB, and Soccer.
You can't say this about any other sport, none have the cross section of body builds and physical abilities to place athletes in the mulptiple sports that the NFL could in the numbers the NFL could, hence NFL players as a whole are the most athletic people in the world.
joho wrote:
How long do their fights last?
Championships matches can last 29 minutes. Five 5-minute rounds, with 1-minute breaks between each round. But they can be over in as little as 15 seconds. Imagine a 10K steeplechase where the race can end at any point where the leader establishes a 50m lead. That's about as close as running could get to matching the demands of MMA.
Regular matches can last 17 minutes. Three 5-minute rounds, with 1-minute breaks. Closer to the endurance demand of a 5K.
So, yeah, endurance is a huge part of MMA. But if you don't have all the other skills (speed, power, coordination, balance, etc), you'll get knocked out and your endurance will never become a factor.
Top All-Around Athlete when comparing best to the best:
Basketball, Gymnastics, and decathletes
Top Endurance Athletes:
Cross Country Skiers
I'll go with gymnasts. Their body control is simply amazing to watch.
poker players, the world series of poker is a grueling multi-day event. You have to have endurance to make it throught.
END OF DISCUSSION!
filthy fifty wrote:
joho wrote:How long do their fights last?
Championships matches can last 29 minutes. Five 5-minute rounds, with 1-minute breaks between each round. But they can be over in as little as 15 seconds. Imagine a 10K steeplechase where the race can end at any point where the leader establishes a 50m lead. That's about as close as running could get to matching the demands of MMA.
Regular matches can last 17 minutes. Three 5-minute rounds, with 1-minute breaks. Closer to the endurance demand of a 5K.
So, yeah, endurance is a huge part of MMA. But if you don't have all the other skills (speed, power, coordination, balance, etc), you'll get knocked out and your endurance will never become a factor.
You can't say that 3 5 minute rounds is equal to a 5K. In a match, MMA or boxing, how much of that is spent standing and squaring off and waiting for an opening to strike. I agree that the grappling/wrestling part of MMA is draining and is certainly requires strength and endurance but they don't do that for a full 5 minutes in a round.
Top decathaletes MUST HAVE strength, AND, ccoordination, AND endurance, AND speed.
Top MMA fighters COULD succeed with an extremely high ability in one aspect while lacking in others.
Of the four "major" sports, I'd put hockey at the top. Basketball looses out since someone like Manute Bol had a (very minorly) successfull career, and football had William "The refrigerator" Perry. Baseball, well ... nevermind.
Gymnasts don't really NEED to have endurance - the longest routines are what, 2 minutes? But, I think most do, from all their training, so they are near the top.
Soccer is questionable since there is no inherent need for strength.
Decathaletes it is!
Stout wrote:
When I think of a great athlete I think of someone who has the physical tools to be successful in many sports.
I tend to think that NFL quality Wide Receivers are the best athletes. They need to have fairly elite speed, exceptional agility, fantastic body control and timing, as well great coordination. I think most WRs could be successful in a variety of other sports. Male Gymnasts could obviously do well in other sports, although I think they benefit significantly from small talent pools in most countries. Decathletes would be high up on the list also.
At least gymnastics is practised in more than one country, which rules out American football.
you could say the same for decathaletes, they could be elite participants in any sport really.
Haji wrote:
You can't say that 3 5 minute rounds is equal to a 5K. In a match, MMA or boxing, how much of that is spent standing and squaring off and waiting for an opening to strike.
You're right. It isn't equal to a 5K-- it's actually much more difficult. None of the match is spent standing & waiting for an opening to strike. You are either actively trying to create an opening to strike/grapple, or you are actively defending against a strike. Try standing around to catch your breath, and you immediately create an opening for your opponent.
Go find a beginner's boxing class, or muay thai, or wrestling. MMA combines all those disciplines & more. Try it for yourself. You will quickly find that relaxation = danger.