How Do You Define Athleticism and What Sport Do You Feel Players Need It Most?

[Tre74]

Re: How Do You Define Athleticism and What Sport Do You Feel Players Need It Most?

Andre iguodala only measured at a 33 in vertical at the nba predraft camp before he came into the league. But can you really tell me that he doesnt jump high? Its more complicated than ppl think.

[Bornindamecca]

Re: How Do You Define Athleticism and What Sport Do You Feel Players Need It Most?

Athleticism--the ability to use the body to achieve a goal

Athletic abilities
-strength
-speed
-agility
-explosion(the combination of speed and any other athletic ability e.g. first step or multiple changes of direction)
-coordination
-reaction time
-stamina
-endurance

Football requires the most specialized athleticism (raw speed/strength)
Basketball requires the biggest collection of athletic abilities

[DaImmaculateONe]

Re: How Do You Define Athleticism and What Sport Do You Feel Players Need It Most?

Athleticism--the ability to use the body to achieve a goal

Athletic abilities
-strength
-speed
-agility
-explosion(the combination of speed and any other athletic ability e.g. first step or multiple changes of direction)
-coordination
-reaction time
-stamina
-endurance

Football requires the most specialized athleticism (raw speed/strength)
Basketball requires the biggest collection of athletic abilities

By ur standards Tennis players would be the most athletic since the degree of difficulty would be higher in more categories than the other sports.

[e0820]

Re: How Do You Define Athleticism and What Sport Do You Feel Players Need It Most?

Balance, speed, strength

Exactly what I was going to say.

All sports would benefit one way or another. Im guessing

[Brankles]

Re: How Do You Define Athleticism and What Sport Do You Feel Players Need It Most?

Basketball players transition best into other sports, I think. The combination of footwork, hand/eye coordination, strength and run/jump athleticism makes basketball players the best all-around athletes.

Obviously baseball players will have the best hand/eye, and football players weight train non stop, so they will be the strongest and most explosive... but if you take the best NBA athletes and have them train for other sports, it seems as if their transition would be much easier than the best NFL athletes.

I could see LeBron, Wade, young Shaq, Glen Davis, Nate Robinson, etc. playing in the NFL... but I couldn't see TO, LT, Tom Brady, Peyton Manning, or most NFL superstars playing in the NBA. There are also quite a few NBA players that were considered MLB propsects (a ton of NFL players, too), but not many pure MLB players transition over to other sports.

[Cebby]

Re: How Do You Define Athleticism and What Sport Do You Feel Players Need It Most?

I could see LeBron, Wade, young Shaq, Glen Davis, Nate Robinson, etc. playing in the NFL... but I couldn't see TO, LT, Tom Brady, Peyton Manning, or most NFL superstars playing in the NBA. There are also quite a few NBA players that were considered MLB propsects (a ton of NFL players, too), but not many pure MLB players transition over to other sports.

Honestly, there's really no chance that any untrained athlete would be able to switch into any other sport on a professional level.

The only instance I can remotely think of is Antonio Gates, but I think he actually played college ball for a year. Excluding people who played sports above a high school level, there would only be probably 2-3 guys who could actually make the transition, and even then you're talking about roster spots and not star players.

The minor leagues, NBADL, and training camp/practice squads are full of great athletes who lack the skills to play the sport. You can't go 5-15 years without playing a sport competitively and make a professional spot.

If anything though, I would think the NBA would be the most likely to have players make it since basketball is far easier to replicate than the other two. Real football is impossible to play without an organization, and baseball would require an insane situation where you have a professional pitcher on payroll or something.

[Bornindamecca]

Re: How Do You Define Athleticism and What Sport Do You Feel Players Need It Most?

By ur standards Tennis players would be the most athletic since the degree of difficulty would be higher in more categories than the other sports.

Nadal vs Federer was one of the most athletic exhibitions I've ever seen. I'd be willing to wager that most athletes from other sports would have reached their limit. At the peak level, most athletes in any sport are phenomenal, and other athletes from other sports couldn't match those peak performances.

The implication that Tennis players aren't as athletic is kinda crazy though. The fact that tennis players can't usually play into their 30s shows how much of the body's peak faculties are required to play the game.

[auburntigersfan]

Re: How Do You Define Athleticism and What Sport Do You Feel Players Need It Most?

The implication that Tennis players aren't as athletic is kinda crazy though. The fact that tennis players can't usually play into their 30s shows how much of the body's peak faculties are required to play the game.

A tennis player plays many more tennis matches in a year than an football player.

I know people that are really good at tennis and aren't that athletic, but I don't know people who aren't pretty athletic that are really good at football and basketball.

Only a select few pro football players are able to play deep into their 30's anyway, and most peak in their late 20's.



Also, I nominate golf for sport in which a competitor needs the least athleticism.

[J-Unit40]

Re: How Do You Define Athleticism and What Sport Do You Feel Players Need It Most?

LOL, Lebron isn't 270 man...

LOL. Yes he is. And maybe the most athletic human on the planet.

[MassNole]

Re: How Do You Define Athleticism and What Sport Do You Feel Players Need It Most?

I gotta disagree with that. In lacrosse and hockey there is very little explosive athleticism needed in comparison to football and basketball. You're not required to be running full speed, jump 40" into the air while still doing a skillful act like in basketball.

The prep school I was at had a good lax team with several DI players, a couple played basketball as well with me. One played at UMass and he was far from a great athlete. Zero explosive athleticsm, about 6'2 and 190 lbs yet he was honorable mention All-America and All-New England by the time he left. He was crazy and worked his rear end off but he wasn't a great athlete. Another was about 6'4 200 and he played at Loyola in MD I believe, another one who wasn't a great athlete. Pretty quick for his size I guess, but not strong or explosive.

By the way, lineman in football are still athletic, they make up for their lack of speed/quickness (in some cases only) with their strength and almost all lineman are very light on their feet. You'll also find the biggest freaks on the field in the trenches (Kearse, Freeney, Tuck, etc).

One player who goes onto play D1 is hardly the beacon for an entire sport. Take the Powell brothers from Syracuse, they all had explosive athletic ability and agility and moves that would make Barry Sanders' eyes pop out. Then you have players like John Hess from Princeton who had field vision that would rival that of Peyton Manning or Jason Kidd. You also have players with the ability to shoot a ball over 120 MPH and goalies defending a net that is 36 square feet with shots that can come from countless angles with insane spin on them. Lacrosse players are incredibly underrated athletes.

[Brankles]

Re: How Do You Define Athleticism and What Sport Do You Feel Players Need It Most?

Honestly, there's really no chance that any untrained athlete would be able to switch into any other sport on a professional level.

The only instance I can remotely think of is Antonio Gates, but I think he actually played college ball for a year. Excluding people who played sports above a high school level, there would only be probably 2-3 guys who could actually make the transition, and even then you're talking about roster spots and not star players.

The minor leagues, NBADL, and training camp/practice squads are full of great athletes who lack the skills to play the sport. You can't go 5-15 years without playing a sport competitively and make a professional spot.

If anything though, I would think the NBA would be the most likely to have players make it since basketball is far easier to replicate than the other two. Real football is impossible to play without an organization, and baseball would require an insane situation where you have a professional pitcher on payroll or something.

Well, nobody could transfer sports without training, but there are guys in the NBA who were considered great prospects in the NBA and MLB. TMac was clocked throwing in the 90s and was scouted by the Braves. Nate Robinson and Big Baby Davis could have easily played in the NFL.

I don't really see any guys from other sports being able to play in the NBA. Gates was a good player in college, but was 6'4" and played power forward. Tony Gonzalez played in college, too, but couldn't have played in the league.


As far as transferability, I think if basketball was taken away, a lot of NBA players could be playing other sports professionally.

[Cebby]

Re: How Do You Define Athleticism and What Sport Do You Feel Players Need It Most?

As far as transferability, I think if basketball was taken away, a lot of NBA players could be playing other sports professionally.

I just don't see it. There's far too much skill involved on the professional level.

The only position they'd even have a shot at in the NFL is receiver, and most of them are incredibly soft. If these guys get pissy over an elbow to the face, I'd hate to see how they act when Troy or Ed Reed knock them 10 years backwards. Maybe Lebron could get a try as a redzone receiver, but NBA bodies don't translate well to soccer, baseball, or football.

[Brankles]

Re: How Do You Define Athleticism and What Sport Do You Feel Players Need It Most?

I just don't see it. There's far too much skill involved on the professional level.

I agree. No way you could move immediately from one sport to the other.

My point is that if basketball was never, ever a sport, I could see NBA players being successful in other sports. Like if LeBron, Shaq, Wade, Baron Davis, etc, trained their whole lives just to play football, they would be a beasts. If Iverson grew up playing soccer, I could see him being great in that.

The only position they'd even have a shot at in the NFL is receiver, and most of them are incredibly soft. If these guys get pissy over an elbow to the face, I'd hate to see how they act when Troy or Ed Reed knock them 10 years backwards. Maybe Lebron could get a try as a redzone receiver, but NBA bodies don't translate well to soccer, baseball, or football.

If I had to pick an athlete for being the complete package (hands, running, jumping, footwork, balance, coordination, hand-eye, etc), I would look to the NBA before any other pro sport.

Ed Reed could knock LeBron back into the next century the same way LeBron would clown Ed on the court... but take it to tennis, soccer, baseball, etc, I see the guys in the NBA being able to handle that more than lumbering NFL linemen, overweight baseball players, skinny tennis players, midget soccer players or guys in the PGA tour/NASCAR.

[Cebby]

Re: How Do You Define Athleticism and What Sport Do You Feel Players Need It Most?

I agree. No way you could move immediately from one sport to the other.

My point is that if basketball was never, ever a sport, I could see NBA players being successful in other sports. Like if LeBron, Shaq, Wade, Baron Davis, etc, trained their whole lives just to play football, they would be a beasts. If Iverson grew up playing soccer, I could see him being great in that.



If I had to pick an athlete for being the complete package (hands, running, jumping, footwork, balance, coordination, hand-eye, etc), I would look to the NBA before any other pro sport.

Ed Reed could knock LeBron back into the next century the same way LeBron would clown Ed on the court... but take it to tennis, soccer, baseball, etc, I see the guys in the NBA being able to handle that more than lumbering NFL linemen, overweight baseball players, skinny tennis players, midget soccer players or guys in the PGA tour/NASCAR.

Alright, I just wasn't getting what you were saying. I agree that NBA players would probably be the best at the most sports. I was thinking you meant that NBA players could just transition to other pro leagues.

[Bornindamecca]

Re: How Do You Define Athleticism and What Sport Do You Feel Players Need It Most?

A tennis player plays many more tennis matches in a year than an football player.

That's proof of athleticism, not disproof.

I know people that are really good at tennis and aren't that athletic, but I don't know people who aren't pretty athletic that are really good at football and basketball.

Put a lineman or QB in a four hour tennis match with Rafael Nadal and watch how athletic they look. It's just a different set of skills, man. Within football, there are different levels of athleticism by position. With basketball, the level of athleticism is closer from player to player because the roles from 1 to 5 are much more similar per position.

It's also about the level of the sport as well. You can't compare semi-pro tennis to elite tennis. Same as you can't compare fullcourts at the Y to an NBA game. There's a reason NBA players don't play a whole 48 minutes. Just shows how much more is put into each minute of a professional game. Who do you know that could take on Roger Federer that isn't athletic?