Best athletes in the world - which sport.

If you're talking power-to-weight ratios and control of the body, I'd suggest gymnasts. Always impresses the hell out of me.

I think some hockey players would make great wrestlers and boxers too.

But am I sick for admitting I prefer to watch female Ice skaters in their colorful skimpy costumes twirling on the ice getting all jiggy with it? 😳

Originally posted by mtthw
You'll get different answers depending on whether you're interested in endurance, speed, power, control, technique, and combinations of the above.

Australian Rules Football (AFL) has all of the above.

Alot of the players are well over 6 foot and 80-100kg and can run in Olympic times. The midfielders run up to 20km in a game.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Australian_rules_football
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Australian_Football_League

YouTube
YouTube
YouTube

Originally posted by Esoteric
Australian Rules Football (AFL) has all of the above.

Alot of the players are well over 6 foot and 80-100kg and can run in Olympic times. The midfielders run up to 20km in a game.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Australian_rules_football
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Australian_Football_League

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=65NdEJDNNfE
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=R4IYK8dNzIQ
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TiGoqObb0YQ

I could get into watching that. Different rules than I am used to seeing but it would be worth an evening.

Originally posted by Esoteric
Australian Rules Football (AFL) has all of the above.

So do various other sports.

But for endurance they won't match triathletes. For pure power they won't match weightlifters. For power endurance they won't match rowers. They don't have the level of reactions and technique of a table-tennis player. As I said - it's all about which factors you value, and how much you value each one.

Originally posted by mtthw
So do various other sports.

But for endurance they won't match triathletes. For pure power they won't match weightlifters. For power endurance they won't match rowers. They don't have the level of reactions and technique of a table-tennis player. As I said - it's all about which factors you value, and how much you value each one.

Yeah i think you are spot on. But i think AFL has a good balance of all of the above traits.

Originally posted by cashthetrash
I could get into watching that. Different rules than I am used to seeing but it would be worth an evening.

Yeah it's a pretty exciting game. The league is fantastic and extremely well set up. Each club has a salary cap, and the lower the clubs finish on the ladder, the higher the draft picks they get. So it is virtually impossible for a team or a group of teams to dominate each season (such as Football (soccer) etc). The game is so incredibly fast and brutal at times but still has a large amount of silky skills. The ball is pretty much contested all the time so you have the rugged small players that get in and under the packs to fish the ball out, then you have the strong, quick and very skilful midfielders who run the ball out of traffic and pass it to the big 6’6 100kg forwards who try to catch the ball (called a mark) all the while being harassed by a 6’6 defender trying to stop the forward marking (catching the ball). Plus you have to kick with pinpoint accuracy during play and the ball is an oval shape that you have to bounce every 15 steps while sprinting. It really is an amazing game.

As a professional sport I think it has the second highest average attendance in the whole world.