Laid-Back or Impossible: Ranking the Hardest Sports

We all love sports for the compassion, excitement, unpredictability, and social aspect of them. But to be honest, some sports are just easier than others. Not to take anything away from professional athletes (because I couldn't be a professional in any sport), but some sports are easier in some aspects than others. This isn't a list about the superstars in the sport because attaining superstar level in any support is a 1 in a million chance, rather I will take a look at difficulty of attaining professional level in that particular sport. The problem with a list like this, however, is that some of these skills are so hard to compare side-by-side, so let's take a look at the hardest sports in each skill-set category and see if we can make sense of any of it. Below is a ranking of some of the major sports that exist in the world (sorry Archery)

High Mental Capacity Required:

1.) Cycling/Track
-Have you ever seen an athlete's eyes when he or she is running the mile? If you are staring into the eyes of one of the best in the world you will get a blank stare back, but not for lack of focus. Actually, it is the complete opposite. Runners are often so in tune with their current race or activity that they are extremely detached from it. Many runners have claimed to feel somewhere else during a race, yet at the same time so in tune with each step, carefully planning the next move. Racing is as much mental as it is physical. Sure, cyclists and runners are some of the most fit athletes in the world, but in order to get a leg up on the competition (legally!) one must be able to ignore the immense pain and discomfort and focus solely on finishing the race. One of the most underrated aspects of racing is the strategic aspect. It isn't just about running or riding in circles or up and down hills, it is about doing it to the best of your ability while minimizing the ability of others. Do you start off fast to wear out other athletes? Do you go on the inside to cut off the angle of those behind you? All of these strategic moves combined with an athlete's unworldly ability to disconnect from the pain make cycling and track the hardest mental sport.

NOTE: The previous also applies to any kind of racing, most notably Swimming and Car racing (yes, it is a real sport, try and do it and you'll see how much you sweat)


2.) Horse Racing
-I am a little bit hesitant to call this a sport because an animal is doing most of the work, but it is widely considered one and it does, in fact require a high mental capacity. Jockeys have to have the whole race planned out beforehand, and then be able to adjust to different circumstances, fitting in tight areas, and making sudden and unanticipated moves. In this sense, it is one of the hardest sports mentally as you always have to be a step ahead of the action and be able to think on your feet in very perilous situations.

Honorable Mention: Swimming, Car Racing, Tennis (go ahead, try being soft)

Toughest Regimental Sports

1.) Boxing/Wrestling
- Every sport has some kind of work-out routine and eating regimen, but these sports are especially difficult. I dare you to try and train like a boxer or wrestler. I'll give you 3 days. You can't make it. They are by far the two hardest sports to prepare for, requiring extreme sacrifices and to-the-limit dedication to make it. Wrestlers and Boxers, constantly trying to stay within a certain weight limit have to constantly check what they are eating, making sure their water weight is at the appropriate level so as to not miss the weigh-in, and thus disqualifying them from the match. On top of all the eating sacrifices, these athletes must undergo some of the toughest training sessions, dealing with speed, agility, and strength. Most sessions are continuous, giving very few opportunities for rest and usually asking for 100% effort at all times. A very tough thing to ask of someone who is also tracking their food intake at all times. You have to be very dedicated or very crazy to be good in the fighting realm, and the best are.

2.) Martial Arts (and MMA)
-This one may be a little off the radar, but in reality, the best of the best Martial Artists have to be extremely dedicated to their work, always working to improve their skills. The amount of time they need to spend improving their core, flexibility, focus, and strength is mind-blowing. Most professional Martial Artists live and breathe their type of fighting; dieting, performing yoga, and working out to become the best Master possible. I am sure that most of us have taken a Martial Arts class at some time in our lives and I know from experience allowing yourself to be thrown is a very difficult thing to overcome, but the best of the best have trained so much it is no longer an issue. Martial Arts, although a bit under the radar in the amount of preparation needed is most definitely a difficult regimental sport. Plus the guys are nuts

Honorable Mention: Gymnastics (very difficult technically and a lot of work before)

Toughest Technical Sports

1.)Soccer
-I'm willing to bet that we have all played Soccer at some point in our lives (ironically, soccer is the number 1 youth sport in the United, but it loses almost all of its participants by high school), but to really PLAY it, you have to have a ridiculous amount of technical skill. Go to Europe, sit in a sea of excited and passionate fans and watch the warm-up. That's it. You don't even need to watch the game to see how skilled these players are (I would highly recommend staying for the game, though). The pace they put on the ball, the way they can control the ball in any situation, and the manipulation they can put on a ball when they shoot is just mind-blowing. Hours and hours of practice on the pitch makes these players some of the most amazing manipulators in sport. Ask them to put the ball through a small opening, they will; tell them to juggle it for 20 minutes, and they will do that too. It is amazing how much technique is involved in such a pure and simple game, but each year more and more technique is added to this already skill-ridden game.

2.) Golf
-This one is pretty obvious, Golf is almost ALL about the technique (you can see this best by watching Charles Barkley swing a golf club. But Golf is built on technique (remember those "these guys are good" commercials?), running on which club to use in which situation and perfectly executing a shot from a spot you may have never been to. Driving, the simplest part of the game is even difficult to do, as you have to manipulate your swing so you hit the ball exactly at the height you wanted to, while still having the ability to aim your swing to a small, thin fairway. All in all, Golf is built on skill and it is one of the most pure forms of skill we can find in the sporting world. It doesn't matter if you are big or small, male or female, it is one of the most universal sports because it is based on skill, something that can be honed by people of all types.

Honorable Mention: Skiing, Snowboarding, Winter X(you need to do it and do it well)

Most Athletic Sports

1.) Water Polo
-Are you kidding me? Have you ever seen a Water Polo player? They have a stronger core than any other athletes I have ever seen. The ability to swim, WHILE being kicked, punched, spit at, etc. AND have to be able to pass, shoot, and catch a ball? That is insane! And yet, some people in this world are exceptional at it. The mostly Californian-based sport is a mix between swimming and handball with the goal of getting a volleyball-type ball into a net that is based in the water. The idea that the game is played in a deep pool makes it even worse. The competitors have to tread water the entire time they are not swimming, then swim, oh yeah, and then fend off defenders trying to rip their heads off. Sounds fun.

2.) Basketball
-The ultimate "athlete" sport. You want an athlete? Go get a basketball player. In my opinion if you wanted to start a team in any sport, but you couldn't use athletes who already played that sport, the first place I would look would be in the NBA. These athletes are amazing. They can jump higher than most, they can run faster than a lot of athletes, and although overlooked they have a lot of stamina (they run up to 5 miles during a game... most of it sprinting or fighting for positioning). They are also ridiculously good at reproducing the same mechanic over and over again in free throw shooting and shooting in general. These guys are absolute freaks and if basketball were played in water, basketball would be the most athletic sport.

Honorable Mention: Poorball (please click to learn more about this great sport)

Toughest Sport

1.) Football
-You are either really dumb or really good if you play football. The wear and tear on these players is absolutely ridiculous. Just look at how the game is played. It can be argued that more people have more injuries because of playing football than any other sport (both during and after their careers). Think about it, in a game that revolves around hitting people, and hitting them HARD, it would be very naive to think that injuries don't and won't happen. And what is crazier, is that a lot of the players LOVE that kind of hard-hitting contact, thriving under the adrenaline that comes in with a big hit. These athletes are crazy, but people sure do like it (surpassed baseball as America's number 1 sport), so as long as there are fans, people will continue to get hit.

2.) Rugby
-If football players are dumb, Rugby players are INSANE. They are basically hitting each other with no pads. Now that sounds fun. Not to mention having to scrum before every new possession, oh, and you also have to be a really fast athlete with good stamina. Sounds like a man's sport. But in all seriousness, these guys will go head-into anything without any reservation. They are one of the most fearless group of men that you can find in sports. It's almost like they look for the contact, wanting to be the bruiser, the one initiating the hit so their skill players can score the points. This is not a sport for the faint of heart.

Honorable Mention: Surfing (Those people are absolutely nuts)

Single Hardest Event in Sports

1.) Hitting a baseball.
-The single-hardest thing is sports. Hitting a baseball is difficult not only in the amount of time you have to hit it, but also because of all of the different pitches a pitcher can throw, hitting one is almost impossible. Think of it this way, you have about a half a second to hit a 90 mile per hour fastball. That isn't even close to the 103 mile per hour fastballs than some pitchers can throw, giving you around .3 or .2 seconds to react to it. So in order to hit a fastball, you must make up your mind before the pitch. You have to be able to read what pitch the pitcher will throw and you have to start your string the second you see the ball released from the pitcher's hand. Seems pretty simple right? Wrong. The pitcher never throws it in the same spot and you have to guess a location when you swing. Now take into account an off-speed pitch. So let's say you decide the pitch will be a fastball and you make your mind to swing when the pitcher makes his pitch. Now let's say the pitcher throws a 70 mile per hour change-up. Well, you have just swung before the ball reached home plate! But who can blame you? You had to guess because there is a very low chance of you making contact with a 90+ mph pitch when you don't decide until after he throws it. But to the best of the best, the time slows down and they see the ball like no one else. But those are the select few. Hitting a baseball, is by far, the hardest thing in sports.

2.) The Sport of Hockey

-Baseball may be contain the hardest even in sports, but Hockey as a whole is the hardest sport. Think of it this way. Try ice skating. Pretty tough right? Ok so now ice skate, but this time put a stick in your hand. Ok that's easy enough. Now trying passing or shooting a puck while on ice skates. That's a little tough right? Ok, sorry, one more thing. Try shooting a puck at a goalie with 5 guys coming to slam you into the boards. Yeah, just got a little bit harder. It is amazing how good these guys really are. They have to be able to be world class skaters, they have to be able to shoot (some up to 105 miles per hour), they have to be able to pass, hit, maneuver, stop, start, sprint, all on SKATES!!! It is absolutely insane to think that someone can be so good at doing all of these things at once, but they start at such a young age and just grow and grow as skilled players. This may come as a surprise to some people, but the game of hockey is the single hardest sport.

Honorable Mention: Staying on a bull for 8 seconds (go ahead, try it).

Agree? Disagree? Anything that I left out?

Get at me.

Scott