OT: Most difficult thing in sports

[jleves]

Only thing to me that comes close is maybe a hockey move. Round puck with a curved flat surface on ice and ice skates. Has to be up there. Baseball is a split second decision.

From what I've heard, if you didn't start skating as a pretty young kid, you have no chance of making the NHL.

 

[Madmannsucks]

From what I've heard, if you didn't start skating as a pretty young kid, you have no chance of making the NHL.

Yeah, when I was a kid, hockey was for Canadiens.

 

[uconnfan68]

MLB players are basically super human. The combo of vision, hand-eye, reaction time, quick twitch. MIND BLOWING. It’s not just hitting a 95 mph fastball. It’s hitting a ball that’s 85 mph and dropping 5 feet in 1/1000 of a second.

Didn’t they mention during the WS that the Average for baseball was 20/10 vision? Seems inhuman, as a former 20/500 geek. Cateract surgery made it a little better.

 

[methodology]

Didn’t they mention during the WS that the Average for baseball was 20/10 vision? Seems inhuman, as a former 20/500 geek. Cateract surgery made it a little better.

In the video i posted they say 20/12 is average vision of an MLBer. It also says it takes 300-400 milliseconds to blink and you only have 125 milliseconds to gauge the pitch

 

[Madmannsucks]

Didn’t they mention during the WS that the Average for baseball was 20/10 vision? Seems inhuman, as a former 20/500 geek. Cateract surgery made it a little better.

I had never heard that. I do remember Ted Williams had 20/10 vision.

 

[Dream Jobbed 2.0]

The video references that avg MLB player has 20/12 vision. Stats on umps unavailable

 

[Madmannsucks]

Why Elite Vision is a Must-Have for MLB Baseball Players

 

[Devland]

In the video i posted they say 20/12 is average vision of an MLBer. It also says it takes 300-400 milliseconds to blink and you only have 125 milliseconds to gauge the pitch

Just this alone would make me want to fact check this video. I highly doubt they compile vision test data. Also isn't pretty much every MLBer on steroids? Steroids are proven to have a negative effect on vision.

 

[whaler11]

Why Elite Vision is a Must-Have for MLB Baseball Players

lot of science there.

 

[intlzncster]

A few years ago I would have been onboard with this, I definitely think that playing QB requires unreal smarts it’s like a high level violent game of chess, but because of the rules changes and the prevalence of the short pass I think it’s become easier to be a serviceable QB than it is to be a serviceable CB. The rules are now so heavily stacked against the DBs it’s become so hard to play the position.

I’m leaning towards playing goalie in Hockey as the second hardest thing to do. It requires a similar skill set as being a good hitter.

Depends what you consider a sport, but driving Formula 1 has gotta be at or near the top.

 

[methodology]

Just this alone would make me want to fact check this video. I highly doubt they compile vision test data. Also isn't pretty much every MLBer on steroids? Steroids are proven to have a negative effect on vision.

Part of scouting is their vision because it's that important. They also have mandatory test by their clubs yearly because it's that important.

2 different sources, the video posted, and during the world series they quoted this data. Some players have such good vision they say they can see the seams on the ball spinning and that signals tothem the type of pitch coming. You've already said you never watch baseball so give the video a view its quite amazing what a hitter processes in the short time needed

 

[Chin Diesel]

I would break down between skill and difficulty.


For example there are less than 64 people in the world capable of playing QB in the NFL. There are many more baseball players capable of playing their positions than there are capable QB's. And an NFL QB pays pretty good money.

That being said, baseball hitters at the MLB level are incredible with their hand/eye coordination, bat speed and balance.

 

[UConnDad]

The most difficult thing in sports is suffering as a fan. It's so depressing when your team isn't doing well.

 

[WhereistheDove?]

Depends what you consider a sport, but driving Formula 1 has gotta be at or near the top.

Not sure I agree with that at this point in the sport’s history. Results are far more dependent on engineering of the car than driver skill at this point. Not that it doesn’t take a lot of skill to drive.

 

[Huskybass]

The thing about hitting a baseball at any advanced level is the movement of the ball in addition to the speed. If a pitcher threw straight 95 mph fastballs in the major leagues he would get crushed. The batters get the timing down and for guys with that eyesight and hand/eye coordination its not too hard to make solid contact. Add to the equation fastballs that tail or cut or dip or rise, and now the batter's job has gotten much more difficult. And that doesn't even address the fact that the pitcher is trying to fool the batter, so curveballs and other offspeed stuff are options as well.

 

[Bezzz]

I played a lot of high level baseball, college and beyond and like Huskybass said hitting a fastball is not that hard as long as the trajectory is straight. Crushing a fastball is one of the most satisfying things in sport.

Hitting a major league curveball or slider is impossible, it can't be done.

 

[djct1999]

Technically, for me and probably most on here, dunking a basketball is harder. It comes in at 0%. I can close my eyes, swing, and maybe get contact. Even if my odds to get a hit are less than 1%, they are certainly not 0.

Point is, whats impossible to compare in any sport is the ability of a good high school athlete versus someone truly elite. In that scenario, in any sport, its almost all impossible. That is the definition of elite and these pros are the best 1% in the world.

 

[polycom]

Technically, for me and probably most on here, dunking a basketball is harder. It comes in at 0%. I can close my eyes, swing, and maybe get contact. Even if my odds to get a hit are less than 1%, they are certainly not 0.

Point is, whats impossible to compare in any sport is the ability of a good high school athlete versus someone truly elite. In that scenario, in any sport, its almost all impossible. That is the definition of elite and these pros are the best 1% in the world.

What?

 

[djct1999]

What?

Can you dunk?

 

[polycom]

Can you dunk?

Yes.

 

[CTBasketball]

Hitting a 95mph fast ball is not hard. Hitting anything off-speed with movement when you’re expecting fastball is hard.

I think Formula 1, golf, playing QB, and boxing are all very difficult though. Each sport has its niche.

 

[mauconnfan]

The whole idea of hitting a ML fastball is not about the speed but whether you "guess" right. I mean 95 is not what it used to be, they all throw near there almost. But if you're geared up to sit back and drive a curve ball to right center and he throws a 95-96 or more best you're doing is fighting it off at that point. The game is a guessers game when you get to higher levels vs big time pitching. That makes it even more tough but guess right you can hit any pitch in the strike zone.

As said above even now at almost 60 I can grab a cage at the beach with the 90MPH and after a couple just time it to line drives but not all that tough if you played and you know what's coming.But bat against a stud, whole new ballgame and one real difficult thing to be great at.

 

[mauconnfan]

Yes.

Are you at the Memphis game? Suit up let's go!

 

[JB75]

Baseball hardest thing. Clearly. Not even close.

 

[dennismenace]

Explains why very late breaking cutter by Rivera when he on was "unhittable" and kept hitters up at night.