What are the easiest Sports?

Cee-Jay-Cee · 18-02-2014 06:27PM

Have to say I enjoy 'watersports'

Rhys Essien · 18-02-2014 06:28PM

castletownman wrote: »

If you're using that statement as a parameter, then you might as well include rugby into the mix. There's fellas on every professional rugby team on the planet that wouldn't last till half time in other team sports that require superior fitness levels, such as football, hurling, soccer etc.

Rugby has a lot going for it in terms of being an all-inclusive sport (a role for every body type and size) but maybe that's to it's detriment slightly, given some people see top level team sport as reserved for the physically fittest.

Agreed.What Im trying to say is that I class a sport where a decent bit of exercise is involved.You are not getting much of that throwing darts,playing snooker,bowling,throwing rings,archery,playing golf to an extent etc.

I would consider them to be games.

ScumLord · 18-02-2014 06:29PM

check_six wrote: »

At the last summer Olympics two lady rowers won gold for Britain. I should look up some of the precise facts, but essentially they had answered an ad looking for tall athletic women to compete in rowing. They were picked from the applicants and only started rowing in 2009, or 2010. So they went from ad in a paper to picking up a gold medal in two years.

Tall people have a natural advantage in many sports. In boxing they have a longer reach, so with the right technique they can land punches without getting hit, which can be enough to win a fight on points.

In running and rowing they have more leverage and stride because of their longer limbs. It's getting to the stage that a professional athlete needs to have a particular body shape just to be able to compete.

The guys training for years could just be at a disadvantage mechanically that they can never overcome.

eyescreamcone wrote: »

Olympic boxing is a good one as the really top boxers do not compete at this level

I wouldn't say that, there's plenty of excellent amature boxers, I would guess the majority of boxers are amature as it's difficult to break into professional boxing and make good money at it.

LoganRice · 18-02-2014 06:30PM

ea sports - it's in the game

check_six · 18-02-2014 06:31PM

CrabRevolution wrote: »

I thought Germany came third in 2010? Luis Suarez came back for the 3rd place playoff after being sent off for the second most controversial goalmouth incident of 2010.

RoboRat wrote: »

They did.

Curses! Must send minion to ninja edit my previous posts...!

I am pie · 18-02-2014 06:33PM

That aul curling doesn't look to be the most demanding sport in the world. Not much exertion, slipping a big stone down some ice more or less. That and bowling, the lawn variety rather than ice doesnt look overly tricky.

In these sports which have a fairly limited amount of people playing and not so physical demands you'd at least have to have a better chance of becoming very good as compared to GAA or soccer.

Shanotheslayer · 18-02-2014 06:34PM

I'd of thought Poker. Seeing as it's now a strategic sport

Techniques07 · 18-02-2014 06:35PM

Rhys Essien wrote: »

When the hell was golf,snooker and darts a sport?.Shur some of those lads are nearly obese.

Same as rugby and american football then.

castletownman · 18-02-2014 06:36PM

Rhys Essien wrote: »

Agreed.What Im trying to say is that I class a sport where a decent bit of exercise is involved.You are not getting much of that throwing darts,playing snooker,bowling,throwing rings,archery,playing golf to an extent etc.

I would consider them to be games.

I have many heated debates with my friends about the merits of darts as a sport, but I will have no-one slate golf. There is more gym work, personal training and diet control in the game now than there ever has been. Hell even Darren Clarke has shed the pounds in an effort to keep competitive. He won the British Open in 2011, and could have lived off that for the rest of his life.

oak5548 · 18-02-2014 06:46PM

pickarooney wrote: »

Tae Kwon do. Everyone I know who has ever tried it has a black belt. And some of them are extremely unfit.

You should go watch the professionals do it. I've been to a few of their matches and they absolutely kick the **** out of each other!

18-02-2014 06:50PM

morninwood wrote: »

E-sports

Reasonable shout due to the lack of numbers who actually take it seriously on some games.

Golf is a really really stupid call

Guy:Incognito · 18-02-2014 07:33PM

castletownman wrote: »

I

Rugby has a lot going for it in terms of being an all-inclusive sport (a role for every body type and size) but maybe that's to it's detriment slightly, given some people see top level team sport as reserved for the physically fittest.

Assume we're talking about props here? Similar to the "football is just kicking a ball around " post, if its that easy throw a bit of weight on and go to the next world cup.

Cian Healy is hardly your average fat ass that just plays rugby because theres room for him. http://imageshack.com/a/img198/1889/9f4q.jpg

Guy:Incognito · 18-02-2014 07:38PM

CrabRevolution wrote: »

Luis Suarez came back for the 3rd place playoff after being sent off for the second most controversial goalmouth incident of 2010.

Yep and theres no way in hell they'd have had a chance of winning the semi with him that they only lost 3-2 without him.:rolleyes:

MadsL · 18-02-2014 07:47PM

Numberwang

RainMaker · 18-02-2014 07:48PM

Rhys Essien wrote: »

Agreed.What Im trying to say is that I class a sport where a decent bit of exercise is involved.You are not getting much of that throwing darts,playing snooker,bowling,throwing rings,archery,playing golf to an extent etc.

I would consider them to be games.

Just because they don't involve a lot of exercise, doesn't mean they don't involve a lot of skill though.

I mean it depends on whether you are being dismissive of the "games" or not...

Take chess, probably by everybody's definition, it would be a game not a sport, but it's probably one of the hardest games possible! Nobody could take up chess tomorrow and realistically ever expect to challenge for a world title!

On the other hand you have the rowers mentioned earlier, it requires a lot of exercise obviously, but how muck skill is involved if you can become gold medalists in the space of 2 years?

arybvtcw0eolkf · 18-02-2014 07:56PM

ScumLord wrote: »

Motorsport is deceptive, there's a hell of a lot more to it than just driving the car.

Esp if you're a motorbike racer.

Duck's hoop · 18-02-2014 08:27PM

check_six wrote: »

At the last summer Olympics two lady rowers won gold for Britain. I should look up some of the precise facts, but essentially they had answered an ad looking for tall athletic women to compete in rowing. They were picked from the applicants and only started rowing in 2009, or 2010. So they went from ad in a paper to picking up a gold medal in two years.
I would have thought it would have taken a bit longer than that to become world beaters, but I suppose Britain are a dominant nation in rowing, so I suppose they had all the coaches and facilities ready to go from the start. This would make it a good bit easier for the individuals chosen. Also, they were picked for their very high athletic capacity to begin with.

GB selected a few sports and decided they'd concentrate on those for medals. Cycling was another one.

Some of the best GB track guys crossed over from BMX.

I'm not sure which 2 women you're referring to but you can be pretty certain they were beasts in another endurance sport. Possibly even cycling.

As a closed chain activity/exercise it's relatively less difficult to become proficient, while still requiring great skill at elite level.

Duck's hoop · 18-02-2014 08:41PM

RainMaker wrote: »

On the other hand you have the rowers mentioned earlier, it requires a lot of exercise obviously, but how muck skill is involved if you can become gold medalists in the space of 2 years?

Again, their success is the result of a massively proactive approach to sport, and particularly elite women's sport, in the UK.

Another example is Lizzy Yarnold, the gold medallist in the skeleton. She only started in 2008, never saw an ice run in her life. But she had huge potential as an athlete from her track and field background.

Several of the current curling team were similarly recruited by a specific campaign.

We see it here in triathlon. But many many of our prospective medallists in a huge array of sports are lost to the GAA, Rugby, Soccer triumvirate.

We just don't expose our kids to a wide enough variety of sports.

Fox_In_Socks · 18-02-2014 08:41PM

MadsL wrote: »

Numberwang

Tsk, that's not even a game never mind a sport.:rolleyes:

Now, Wordwang, that's a fecking sport that will get your blood racing!

You could take up something like quarterstaff sparring? Not many in it...you would be an expert after a couple of months.

rustedtrumpet · 18-02-2014 09:01PM

Probably professional WWE style wrestling. Its just scripted to begin with, not like theyre up against much of a challenge at all still they win proper gold belts over it.

That and that curling job as someone said. Watchin it there on the olympics, just a bunch a lad havin the sheer craic around the rock after they launch it down the ice. Like a game a bowlin, not far from crackin a can or two while they stood there havin a buzz over which stone theyd mill out of it next

GenieOz · 18-02-2014 09:30PM

The people mentioning rowing has to be some of the most blatant ignorance I've ever seen. Not a clue.

sock puppet · 18-02-2014 09:33PM

Things kind of level out between sports. You might be more likely to get 50 caps for the England rugby team over the soccer team but you'll still be earning less than a championship player

Rough Sleeper · 18-02-2014 09:39PM

rustedtrumpet wrote: »

Probably professional WWE style wrestling. Its just scripted to begin with, not like theyre up against much of a challenge at all still they win proper gold belts over it.

Getting slammed onto hard canvas mutiple times per week by 250lb+ men, to the extent that you need to be doped on on painkillers to maintain your job? Not easy by any metric I'd consider reasonable.

sawdoubters · 18-02-2014 09:40PM

darts-pool-beer pong

Rough Sleeper · 18-02-2014 09:47PM

seamus wrote: »

Motorsport is a funny one. I've no doubt that those at the elite level are bloody good at what they do, but the financial barriers to access motorsport are so huge that most likely there are people out there who would absolutely destroy the top drivers, if they had the same opportunities.

The same is true of course of other sports such as golfing or cycling, but the barriers to these sports are typically cultural rather than financial - you can still play golf or cycle with €50 of equipment, but you can't get involved in motorsport without thousands of euro of investment at a minimum.

The fact that so many celebrities go on top gear and put in serious times on the track goes to show the untapped talent that's available which can only be realised with the cash to back it up.

Of course, "excelling" at a sport is a relative matter. How good you are at a sport is relative to the elites. So someone who "excels" at a sport is by definition not far off the elites. And since elites by definition are a small group in a tough to achieve position, then "excelling" in any sport is inherently difficult.

Which means that as mentioned above, your ability to become one of the top sportspeople in a particular field is more down to numbers than the sport itself. The less popular the sport, the easier it is to be one of the best.

Some people might knock soccer, but above all sports, it's one that we know is being played at near the highest level possible. It's a game that transcends class and all you really need to get something close to the full experience is a few friends and a ball. There are scouts the length and breadth of the globe looking few new talent and players make it into elite academies based on merit rather than their relatives' bank balance. The only barrier to making it is ability.

While i do appreciate the skill of top-level players in sports associated with wealthier classes, I'd love to see what the game would look like if American ghettos had golf courses or tennis courts instead of basketball hoops. Something tells me you wouldn't see so many middle-aged white dudes strolling around the greens, and I doubt many people would know who the hell Tim Henman is.

oldyouth · 18-02-2014 09:52PM

Every sport is very easy to play. Most sports are extremely difficult to play well

CrabRevolution · 18-02-2014 09:58PM

Duck's hoop wrote: »

Again, their success is the result of a massively proactive approach to sport, and particularly elite women's sport, in the UK.

Another example is Lizzy Yarnold, the gold medallist in the skeleton. She only started in 2008, never saw an ice run in her life. But she had huge potential as an athlete from her track and field background.

Several of the current curling team were similarly recruited by a specific campaign.

We see it here in triathlon. But many many of our prospective medallists in a huge array of sports are lost to the GAA, Rugby, Soccer triumvirate.

We just don't expose our kids to a wide enough variety of sports.

How are they "lost" to team sports? You make it out as though those sports are pointless and people shouldnt be playing them. The players play them because they enjoy them.

I dont reckon its a cause for concern, as long as the person is active, whether playing pub soccer, intercounty hurling or medalling at some other sport.

eyescreamcone · 18-02-2014 09:59PM

Every sport has a pyramid of participants. With the best player at the very top of pyramid.

The soccer pyramid is the biggest of all sports, with Messi sitting on top of it.

To get to the top of any sporting pyramid requires plenty of hard work, but there are plenty of sports with only a few participants making it easier to get to the top.

Much easier to get a winter Olympics gold then an athletics gold in the summer games for instance.

Duck's hoop · 18-02-2014 10:03PM

Rough Sleeper wrote: »

While i do appreciate the skill of top-level players in sports associated with wealthier classes, I'd love to see what the game would look like if American ghettos had golf courses or tennis courts instead of basketball hoops. Something tells me you wouldn't see so many middle-aged white dudes strolling around the greens, and I doubt many people would know who the hell Tim Henman is.

America, has in fact, hundreds and possibly thousands of public golf courses. It doesn't have the same 'class' thing it did here up to recently.

And even here, it's a very accessible game. I can't abide it but it's played by plumbers and dentists, dole artists and accountants.

Duck's hoop · 18-02-2014 10:08PM

CrabRevolution wrote: »

How are they "lost" to team sports? You make it out as though those sports are pointless and people shouldnt be playing them. The players play them because they enjoy them.

I dont reckon its a cause for concern, as long as the person is active, whether playing pub soccer, intercounty hurling or medalling at some other sport.

You read whatever you like into what I said. But it's not what I meant.

My point is our kids are not exposed to a wide variety of sports. Even in PE.

It's the 3 already mentioned, a bit of basketball and maybe some table tennis.

What are the easiest Sports?

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