The World's Toughest Sport- where do we rank?

[flipper's fan]

What Is the Toughest Sport in the World? | Bleacher Report

I expected gymnastics to be ignored, or to be close to the top.

 

[GymSurvivor]

Glad to see it in the top ten. It deserves a spot there.
But it really should be 'Elite Gymnastics' as that is what is tough. Big difference between Elite and level 4's as we all know.

Also, they gave endurance a 2. Guess they don't know how much endurance it takes for elites to get through their floor routines.

 

[Deleted member D3987]

balderdash!! gymnastics is #1!!

 

[Iwannabemargo]

lol had to laugh - picked up numbe one son from Rugby practice this evening - covered head to toe in mud and briuses from rucking, he is literally half the size of the other boys on the team but from 3 years of gym has made his stronge and fitter than them

 

[rd7]

Made me laugh too ..

Gymnastics Speed - 3? Seriously?

Football, boxing and rugby all given an equal 10 for physicality - since when did boxers and rugby players start wearing padding and head guards? (sorry football fans )

Still cool that gymnastics made the list though.

 

[CoachTodd]

That is so off. Cheer is more demanding than football and cheer isn't even a sport.
From what I've seen, gymnastics is 2nd only to wrestling. Not the fake stuff on T.V.

 

[CoachGoofy]

Speed at 3? Rated by someone who's never tried to vault.

Though I don't think that it's just elite/high level that's reallyreallyhard.

Think about it...one of the first things we ask kids to do when they come into a gym is do a chin up, then flip themselves upside down & over the bar they are chinning on. Really think about it. That's...kind of insane.

Or a handstand. Yep. One of the first things the teeny beginners (or not teeny beginners, for those of you adults & teens out there) learn to do is put their WHOLE BODY upside down on their hands...and then squeeze every muscle they have to try to stay there.

That's not even getting into the ridiculousness that's competitive level--all competitive levels! Gymnastics is pretty nuts (and that's part of why I love it).

3 on speed, psht.

 

[Kiwi]

I was trying to figure out what 'physicality' meant, finally figured out it's a euphemism for 'violence'.

 

[Iwannabemargo]

I was trying to figure out what 'physicality' meant, finally figured out it's a euphemism for 'violence'.

Nicki - I cannot beleive a Kiwi has to ask what physicality means - lol - I bet you can't escape rugby at the moment ! ( although I still think we was robbed - soory Bog)

 

[Canadian_gym_mom]

Glad to see it in the top ten. It deserves a spot there.
But it really should be 'Elite Gymnastics' as that is what is tough. Big difference between Elite and level 4's as we all know.

Also, they gave endurance a 2. Guess they don't know how much endurance it takes for elites to get through their floor routines.

I was surprised at the endurance score too.

 

[Kiwi]

Nicki - I cannot beleive a Kiwi has to ask what physicality means - lol - I bet you can't escape rugby at the moment ! ( although I still think we was robbed - soory Bog)

Yes, I'm relieved the RWC is finally over, fairly sick of hearing about it. I guess 'physicality' just seems like a silly word to me - I mean all sports are 'physical' aren't they! But I can understand their reasoning that contact sports are tougher because of that aspect. I mean it does say 'toughest' sports, not 'most difficult' sports. I think I prefer non-contact sports precisely because they do depend on the skill of the athletes rather than all the argy-bargy stuff!

 

[Iwannabemargo]

I agree - also I think they are only considering the "performance" aspect of the sport - not the totality - for example, hubbie was an England level rugby player, still has ties with a premiership club and those boys train for a maximum of 1 1/2 hours 4 times a week - plus matches, contrast that with the full time hours that a gymnast at world level puts in ?

 

[Iwannabemargo]

Oh and anyone who says gymnastics is not a contact sport has never seen the number of "contacts" a gymnast makes with the floor, walls and othe large stationary objects during training

 

[cher062]

seriously water polo being # 1 !! Over gymnastics!!
Basket ball over gymnastics

I think we should have been at least in the top 5 if not the top 3.

 

[txgymfan]

Water polo I understand, those athletes are in superb shape. I am so glad football did not rank #1. They definately underestimated the speed, endurance and physicality of gymnastics.

 

[Kiwi]

hubbie was an England level rugby player, still has ties with a premiership club and those boys train for a maximum of 1 1/2 hours 4 times a week

My 8 year-old DD, who is only at step 4, trains more hours per week than that.

 

[Iwannabemargo]

mine too !

Thing about gym is its a progressive sport with each skill requiring many hours to train plus the base skill to be in place, then each new skill builds on the base already learned. Other sports aren't like that - to quote a top level rugby coach - if I have to teach them how to play at this level they don't deserve to be here ! Its all about fitness, team tactics and skills refining.

 

[Coach.Simon]

I got to "Speed - 3" on the gymnastics page and then the author lost all credibility in my eyes and I stopped caring about his article....