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At the start level, each sports requires a person who succeeds to be very good on an individual level.  Which game, played at it's highest level, requires the most individual skill?

I voted Baseball, because hitting a ball coming at you at 95 miles per hour, not in a straight line, requires ridiculous hand-eye coordination.  I guess I believe that athletic ability (to run a sub-10 second 100 meters, or to have a 40 inch vertical jump, or to have the stamina to race bicycles) is more plentiful than is the hand-eye coordination needed to hit a curve ball.

If I read your post correctly we are looking for the most individual skill at the early levels of competition. Is that correct? I chose baseball because some children still do not have the hand-eye coordination developed when they first start.

out of the things on this list, i'd have to say NASCAR....all the other sports you can pretty much be trained and work towards getting better at.  the ability to concentrate and take in your surroundings at 200+ MPH in tigh quarters and making split second decisions, thats just something you're plain born with.

honorable mention to any of the "speed" sports such as extreme downhill skiing, cuz it requires the same split second brainspeed

Kind of, not really.  I meant that in order to become a professional baseball team is made up of a group of very good players.  In order to get to that level that person needed to be amazing on an individual basis.  In other words - look at all sports listed as individual and not team.

What sport requires the highest talent level on an individual level?

Every sport, there can be a big and well thought out argument for it being the toughest sport.

Any sport at the highest level of competition is ridiculously tough.  

I voted Golf as the toughest sport, with baseball getting my 2nd place vote.  

Golf is the toughest sport because:

1. It's it ridiculously tough to EARN and KEEP your PGA Tour Card.  If you do not perform well every year, you are off the tour
2. It requires incredible concentration and reptition of making shots / delivery.  You can't just wing it, you must be "mechanically fluid"
3. You need tremendous hand-eye coordination to hit the ball with a golf club, accurately and distance wise
4.  Your playing surfaces, bunker locations, and pin locations change every week, and sometimes more then once a week on the PGA tour.  Other sports, the fields of play are meticulously tended to.
5. You play outdoors, so you have to deal with the wind and other elements
6. You get drawn at random for your starting times on the 1st round of the tourney, so you will have to wake up at 5 AM to play golf at 6:30 AM
7. The PGA tour enforces by far the strictest media handling and dress code regulations in all of sports, BY FAR.  You can get fined for everything, whether or not it's televised or not.

And if that wasn't enough,

8. When you do by some miracle make the PGA tour, there's one small problem.  Tiger Woods.

Wow. It's almost impossible to judge that way (at least for me). With clarification I am going to stick with baseball, but change my reasoning. I would dare venture to say there are more, or as many, people trying to play baseball at a professional level than any other sport. Given that I would imagine you would need more individual talent in order to showcase yourself.

I'm not even a baseball fan and voted it twice.

JTEX, I would put the NFL's dress policy against the PGA's in terms of strictness

Dude man, believe me when I say that the PGA's dress code is stricter.  I think Vijay Sihgn got fined $1,000 because he missed a belt loop on his pants.  It's rough.

I'm the lone football vote at this point. I think that it takes all the skill of the other sports, but is performed while other people are trying to kill you. That last part makes it the hardest, imo.

What?? You mean when Corey Pavin stares you down at the 15th tee...if that doesn't put the fear of GOD in you, then I don't know what will.

I'd like the change the pace here and say amateur wrestling. When I wrestled in high school, I have to say that it was the most intense experience, day in and day out, that I've ever had in my life. It requires just as much coordination as baseball does (over the entire body) though maybe not quite as much hand-eye coordination. It is also the most supremely painful thing anyone has ever thought up. I know it may not look too painful for someone who is just watching, but it is. The tension that your body must sustain for an extended period of time is incredible.

Dress code and weight limits aside, wrestling gets my vote. Boxing would probably be second, and then baseball, golf, and football.

I almost chose wrestling also. I can't tell you how many times I walked off a mat with my forearms so cramped I could not straighten my fingers.

Well,I've got a history with alot of these...
Wrestled for 1 year,Hated it...
Diver on the swim team 2 years
Played 3 years of College football (1 1/2 years total playing time)
Little league baseball 1 year
Boxed for about 3 years
Plays golf on an occasion
done a little truck and tractor pulling...

Boxing taught me to control my anger,discipline,how to take a beating...Boxing was hinderance to trying to get me to Block in football,In football some guy charges me,my tendancy pounded into my brain in boxing...MOVE,DODGE,SLIp the Punch...Stick and move...not good thing when You see someone blitzing.

I got the most out of boxing...

Diving was the second hardest sport for me,I didn't even know how to do a forward dive.It takes Strength,Balance,Concentration,Discipline,Endurance,and Grace. The worst part,It's all subjective. You could feel like that was the best dive you've ever thrown,and the judges thought it was ok,not even good....

Golf,to me is the hardest sport...some of the best athletes in the world,look horrendous playing Golf.It requires just about everything.You don't have to be a good athlete to play it,just about anyone can play...The idea is simple...Put the little white ball in the hole...It's the most frustrating thing to do....

You sure listed a lot of team sports for a question of individual skill. As it has been stated many times, one individual can't carry a team all the way without help.

Man I cant believe so many of you voted baseball. With all due respect, what other sport lets a fat man do nothing but stand on a mound & hurl a ball as fast as he can & get paid for it? All these team sports have a specialty a person can specialize in. For example the kicker is the wimpiest guy on a football team, but who better than to kick that last second FG? And GOLF what the hell is it doing on the list? --- its not even a sport its a hobby. An activity that requires no physical prowess just swing a golf club well. You might as well call playing Madden a sport. And NO thats not a sport either.

I am going to say bodybuilding. Why? Because you cannot specialize. You cannot have great arms with a pot belly & expect to succeed at bodybuilding. You have to train & eat religiously. Its about when, how, where, & how much. And its not just about who's biggest. True bodybuilding is about shape, definition, & then size. Sure you can knock it & bring steroids up. But I am referring to TRUE bodybuilding. Some guys can train more without proper form to never look as good as the guy who trains less with excellent form. Let the flames begin.

Am I the only one who thinks its hard enough to ice skate, let alone skate backwards while controlling a puck, or to skate while someone fires a small piece of galvanized rubber at you at 100+ MPH?

Yeah, Golf isn't a sport.  There's not defense.

I voted baseball, because I've heard that hitting a baseball consistancy is the hardest thing to do.  ...it makes sense to me.

I'm with ya there Brian, you just beat me to it!   ;D 


...and do this on ice.

P.S.  I know I'm gonna get it,  but here goes. 

Golf, Horse racing,  NASCAR,  bike racing = Games,  not sports.   >:D

I'd honestly have to give it to wrestling, and not the WWE kind.  More like the kind you see at the Olympics.  Not only does this sport require a ton of individual skill (you have to know how to counter your opponents moves and you don't know what your opponent will do until you lock up), but it is also one of the most, if not THE most physically demanding sports.  Most people run a mile, and that's a cardio workout for them.  Wrestlers run 3-4 miles and that's only the beginning of a workout for them. 

You're not gonna get it, Dave has a often-published rant on the subject.

WORD (of the century)

Nobody in here even mentioned soccer.

That is one of the most physically demanding sports there is. The sheer amount of running at top speed is more than any other sport I can think of.

I'd venture to say it is one of the hardest sports.

That's an issue of stamina, though.  Just like some sports are about speed or strength, these skills can be developed (well, perhaps not sheer speed).  In terms of natural born skill, I think you either have a mind capable of seeing the spin on a slider or curve ball or you don't.  Sure, the ability can be developed to a point, but it's just a skill that most people don't have and never will.  This is why I chose baseball.  I know I looked like an ass every time someone threw me a curve ball, yet my height, strength, and marginal speed (physical attributes, not skills) made me an effective basketball and football player.  Not so for baseball.  Can't hit, can't play.

I'd say that soccer is the easiet sport.  The rules are simple, and kids learn to play very early.  It may be physically demanding, but anyone can do it (maybe not well). 

I see a distinction between skill and athletic ability.

I also see a distinction between competition, sport and recreational activities. 

Tiddly winks is a competition that requires a fair amount of skill.  A spelling bee is a competition that requires knowledge.  Fishing and hunting are recreational activities that can also be competitions.  When you're bear hunting and you miss, and the bear comes running after you - and you're running for your life - now it meets the physical requirements to become a sport.

Anything that elite participants can still do at an elite level after age 40 is not a sport.  Golf may require the most skill of anything on the list, but if any elite 25 year old can't whip an elite 50 year old 9 times out of 10, it's not a sport. 

I have to agree.  Also, mind you, football is one of the few sports with intentional, brutal contact as part of the game.  Hockey would be right up there too.  Boxing has to be mentioned with brutal contact, but you're not focusing on something else like in football and hockey.  Combine boxing and juggling (or something) to get the same degree of difficulty.

For example, imagine trying to hit a golf ball while another golfer was trying to tackle you, while another golfer was defending the cup.

In college I knew a member of the rifle team who was trying to make the Olympics.  He worked out like an animal.  I never understood.  He said that staring at a target the size of the head of a pin 300 yards away is the most physically demanding thing in the world.   I didn't, and still don't, agree and out of respect I didn't laugh.   Just goes to show that everyone thinks "their" sport is the most difficult.

I feel that hockey goalies have to have the best individual skill when it comes to sports.
What they have to deal with:

1.  Facing 100+ MPH slapshots
2.  Having to see plays through human traffic
3.  Players crashing into the net/goalie (most of the time its both)
4.  Having to deal with people slapping the helmet "accidently" with their stick.
5.  No breaks until intermission or time-outs.
6.  MUST ALWAYS BE DEPENDED ON
7.  No matter what the rest of the team does they are responsible for winning and losing games.

I could think of others and i know it is somewhat off topic because I was supposed to pick a sport not an individual within the sport.  (I am partial towards this because I have and still play net)

Or until play goes to the far side of the ice.

What I consider a break is when you can sit down with your team. I don't see myself usually sitting down when the play is in on the other end.

What sports don't kids learn how to play early? That didn't even make sense, they are kids.

It makes sense if you think of examples like t-ball.  Pitching and hitting a baseball are too difficult for youngsters.  After t-ball the coach pitches for a couple years.

Except for the size of the field, soccer is soccer from the beginning.  Except for the goalie, it's just running and kicking.

Only at an elementary level. I think you guys don't understand the sport much. The notion that a kid plays the same style game as an international player is laughable. If that's the case you can say football is just throwing, running, catching, and tackling.

We're talking about entry level kids, remember?


Okay, what physical aspects of the sport in addition to running and kicking are involved in international soccer?  I've seen the video of young kids playing soccer in the streets all over the world.... it looked pretty much the same.

Except for ass-slapping you pretty much nailed it.  What makes it difficult is that most of it is done while another player or two is physically, and sometimes violently, trying to impede you.

Actually we are talking about what it takes to become a professional, not entry level at all.

I will restate my position that you apparently do not know the game if you think kicking a ball is all there is to it. A group of young children do kick the ball around the field with no control, no direction, no purpose. Once you understand the game you understand that ball control is the name of the game. The ability to control the ball is much more than kicking it. You have to have the ability to put the ball where you want it, know how to create space, know where to make runs, etc. If you don't believe me try playing the game sometime. You get a group of guys to just kick and run as you say and I will grab guys who understand the sport. I guarantee that we would have you running much more than you would be kicking.

I would also add that football is much more than that. I would give you the same challenge there. Grab a group of guys to just play a fundamental game and then give me a group who understand blitzes, stunts, zone coverages, play action, etc and we would again win easily.

To put you back towards the original topic, we are not talking basic fundamentals of sports. We are talking about what it takes to become a professional.

It is, for the most part.  That's why I didn't pick it.

Why do people get so defensive when they find out that their beloved sport isn't so esteemed by others? 

ball control <= kicking precisely, but still kicking
put the ball where you want it <= more kicking
know how to create space <= running
know where to make runs <= running

We forgot heading the ball.  *GASP*  So now, with the exception of the goalie, it's kicking, running, and NOT ducking. 

Physically, it boils down to running and kicking.  Sure, pros do it better ... which is why they're pros.

Physically, kids play the same game as pros, the pros just play it better. 

Well then I nominate rugby and Aussie rules football. Just a violent as our football with no pads. How can you be considered an elite athelete when your belly hangs waaay over your pants?  I woud love to see offensive lineman try and play rugby, they would have heartfailure before halftime.

America rugby - no doubt. It's played with a football mentality - which explains why we usually don't fair to well in internation competition. 

While overseas a few years back I was fortunate enough to watch the British championship on the telly.  I was impressed with the grace and fluidity of the game.  Players almost always pitched the ball before getting hit.  Except for the scrums, most of the contact was incidental - more like soccer than football.  Yes, incidental contact at full speed without pads can be brutal.  In American hockey teams sometimes have an "enforcer" - someone who's main purpose is to intimidate/hurt opponents.  I didn't see that aspect.

Linemen running around the rugby field is just as ridiculous as 150-200 lb rugby backs and flankers battling in the trenches against 300-350 pounders.  I'd imagine that, once they learned the game, the most athletic DBs, LBs, RBs, and WRs would fair pretty well.

Football was not a game invented for "fat" athletes.  Football, as well as baseball's DH, caused the evolution of the "fat" athlete.

Trust me, you haven't seen the defensive side of me. I have seen what you offer to this board though. You like to chime in without any original content on almost every thread. I noticed while you seem to have several ideas of what is not the hardest sport, you have not given any insight into what you do consider the hardest sport to be.

 ::)

Well  have watched and played Aussie rules, and there is a significant amount of contact. Also I haven't seen a 300+ person playing rugby here, but have seen a lot in the 230-240 range.

Aussie rules is awesome to watch and looks like a blast to play.  Isn't the contact incidental - meaning that it's okay to crash into someone while going for the ball, but not to intentionally do so?

Just for clarification... maybe accidental/unintended contact would be a more accurate description.  A head on collision on the freeway is accidental, but usually not incidental.

While they don't tackle like we do, they do have a lot of incidental contact, and if you get the ball, look out. With so many people running back and forth it is easy to get blindsided. Aerobically it kicks you in the balls, but was one of the funnest sports I ever got to play. Yes our football team got our ass handed to us by a group of traveling Aussie's in high school, and they were on average smaller than us. After about ten minutes we couldn't run with them anymore.