The Most Impressive, Well-Rounded Athletes?

Brett620 · March 13, 2014, 7:35pm

[quote]Brett620 wrote:
I admit I don’t follow rugby. I have a hard time believing that these guys are more athletic then NBA and NFL players. I will take a sample of 10 guys from each league of current and former players:

NBA:

MJ: The ideal athlete. There really is no argument.
Nate Robinson: Could have been a pro in multiple sports
Vince Carter: Watch the vid of him dunking OVER people. Solid player, incredible athlete.
Lebron James: Unbelievable combo of size/speed/power.
Blake Griffin: Explosiveness personified.
Darrell Griffith. Insane old school athlete.
D Wade. Quick as a cat.
Gerald Green. Pure athlete.
Shawn Kemp. Close to 40" vert at 6’10"??? Unreal.
Allen Iverson. Tough as nails. Multisport star that would have been a Michael Vick type if he wanted to.

NFL:

Randy Moss: So much talent he had to be given a mercurial attitude to make it fair for his opponents.
Jim Brown: Multi-sport star who was basically The Boss at everything he did.
Bo Jackson. Bo knows…
Calvin Johnson. Possesses every athletic quality in spades. 10/10. (4.3 40, 10.23 100, 11’ broad jump, 43" vert @ 6’5" 235 lbs)
Hershal Walker. In HS ran near Olympic number in the 100m (10.22) and won state shot put title. Pursued MMA at age 48.
Deion Sanders. Football, baseball and track star. Ran a DAMN 4.1 in the 40 at the NFL combine!!! sick.
Vernon Davis. Crazy strength- 460 bench/685 squat/355 power clean/ 4.44 40, 40" vert
JJ Watt. Refer to previous posts on JJ.
Julius Peppers. 3 sport star in HS, played Basketball at NorthCarolina. 6’7", 290 ran the 40 in 4.5 @ 4% body fat. 425 bench.
Tony Gonzalez. Future Hall of Famer that MAY have made a NBA practice squad. Solid power forward at Cal.

So rubgy fans, do these guys match up? Name some of your top players as a reference point. Again, I’m not too familiar with the players.[/quote]

Walker is a stud no doubt. Doing MMA now at age 48.

super_saiyan · March 13, 2014, 7:42pm

[quote]silverblood wrote:
I’ve been totally wrong about all athletes in these sports discussed so far.

power-check
speed-check
agility-check
endurance-check

must be Parkour![/quote]

Obviously.

Der_Steppenwolfe · March 13, 2014, 7:50pm

I can’t help but feel that’s a bit of a cheat. I mean, when you define your sport as ‘the art of moving around shit’, the only athletic quality that one might ever be dubious of is your ability to move shit around. Does anybody know how parkour people generally fare when they’re asked to lift weights?

silverblood · March 13, 2014, 8:02pm

[quote]Der_Steppenwolfe wrote:
I can’t help but feel that’s a bit of a cheat. I mean, when you define your sport as ‘the art of moving around shit’, the only athletic quality that one might ever be dubious of is your ability to move shit around. Does anybody know how parkour people generally fare when they’re asked to lift weights?[/quote]
probably better than soccer players.
says top 5 weightlifting exercises for Parkour are overhead press, weighted dips, weighted pull-ups, back squat, and deadlift.

“Some people are afraid to get into weight training because they think it will make them slow, heavy, and inflexible. On the contrary, olympic lifters are some of the most explosive, mobile, and fastest athletes on the planet. If you focus on the correct exercises, weights will enhance your athletic ability. As an athlete, you are generally wasting your time if you do isolation exercises (exercises that isolate a single muscle) like biceps curls, leg extensions, and chest flies. Stick to the compound exercises (exercises that work many muscle groups together) and reap the benefits that weightlifting can offer.”

ziah · March 13, 2014, 8:41pm

[quote]super saiyan wrote:

[quote]ziah wrote:
Here’s why NFL players are NOT on top: they lack endurance. They’re better than baseball players when it comes to endurance, but name any other sport out there and NFL players would be unable to compete when it comes to endurance.

Power, speed, agility - YES, but endurance, not really.

When has an NFL play lasted more than 30 seconds? [/quote]

You can’t make assumptions on endurance based on average play time alone. The players train endurance beyond what is typically required in a game. That’s the point. They don’t want to be completely gassed in the 4th quarter or overtime.

http://www.49ers.com/video/videos/NFLN-Jerry-Rices-Hill-Workout/41f9cc1b-7800-44c7-937c-026b55c94ebc[/quote]

That’s an awesome video, but I’m sure that Jerry Rice was more of the exception and not the rule when it comes to endurance.

Also, to the guy who said that endurance doesn’t really matter - really? Endurance is the ONLY area in which our species has the leg up on all other animals on this planet.

Speed, agility, power - I’m sure lions and other large cats would beat the shit out of the human race in every way. Endurance on the other hand? Humans are on top of that ONE area when comparing species to species.

FYI - my favorite type of exercising is lifting things up and putting them down first for strength, second for hypertrophy, and then third I enjoy a balls-out endurance run [but never train aerobically or “easy” or in the “fat-burning zone”]. Not that it matters - but I’m not just a typical “cardiobunny”.

puglet · March 13, 2014, 8:11pm

Here’s another thought: MMA has blown-up in terms of popularity and participants and great marketing by the UFC over the past 7-8 years in North America… Fantastic fighters and sometimes highly entertaining, brutal combat. Here’s the rub… The reason for this is the EXACT OPPPOSITE of the reason this thread was started.

Posters have chimed in and suggested on many occasions that MMA fighters are the best athletes in having world class “transferable qualities”… Power, speed, strength, endurance, etc. I’d suggest it’s the opposite MMA participants can be world class fighters and perhaps even champions. Without POSESSING ANY elite/world class athletic qualities.

Thus the popularity… Matt Hughes, Cain Velazquez, Forrest Griffin etc. Skills, guts, heart, determination… Boatloads!!! World class or elite level physical traits/gifts/capabilities… Not a chance. You’d be hard pressed to look into any D1-D3 college football roster (let alone an NFL lockeroom) without finding some truly “gifted” athletes, if not several. Thus the popularity of MMA the skillset and “grind” of it makes it an EVERYMAN type of endeavor. Much like soccer.

bdocksaints75 · March 13, 2014, 8:16pm

Its not impressive if just about anyone can do it.

LankyMofo · March 13, 2014, 8:43pm

[quote]ziah wrote:

[quote]super saiyan wrote:

[quote]ziah wrote:
Here’s why NFL players are NOT on top: they lack endurance. They’re better than baseball players when it comes to endurance, but name any other sport out there and NFL players would be unable to compete when it comes to endurance.

Power, speed, agility - YES, but endurance, not really.

When has an NFL play lasted more than 30 seconds? [/quote]

You can’t make assumptions on endurance based on average play time alone. The players train endurance beyond what is typically required in a game. That’s the point. They don’t want to be completely gassed in the 4th quarter or overtime.

http://www.49ers.com/video/videos/NFLN-Jerry-Rices-Hill-Workout/41f9cc1b-7800-44c7-937c-026b55c94ebc[/quote]

That’s an awesome video, but I’m sure that Jerry Rice was more of the exception and not the rule when it comes to endurance.

Also, to the guy who said that endurance doesn’t really matter - really? Endurance is the ONLY area in which our species has the leg up on all other animals.

Speed, agility, power - I’m sure lions and other large cats would beat the shit out of the human race in every way. Endurance on the other hand? Humans are on top of that ONE area when comparing species to species.

I know I’m going to get flack for this since there are a lot of meatheads up in here - but really? Endurance isn’t impressive?

FYI - my favorite type of exercising is lifting things up and putting them down first for strength, second for hypertrophy, and then third I enjoy a balls-out endurance run [but never train aerobically]. Not that it matters - but I’m not just a typical “cardiobunny”. [/quote]

This is getting ridiculous. We are not top of the food chain because of our endurance.

And I believe endurance is impressive, but you’re acting like it’s the only mark of an athlete when it’s one of many - 3 others of which you’ve already named and admitted that the NFL has the best of.

anon50325502 · March 13, 2014, 8:58pm

[quote]ziah wrote:
Also, to the guy who said that endurance doesn’t really matter - really? Endurance is the ONLY area in which our species has the leg up on all other animals.
[/quote]

I seriously doubt this is true. How would you even prove it?

Brett620 · March 13, 2014, 8:58pm

[quote]puglet wrote:
Here’s another thought: MMA has blown-up in terms of popularity and participants and great marketing by the UFC over the past 7-8 years in North America… Fantastic fighters and sometimes highly entertaining, brutal combat. Here’s the rub… The reason for this is the EXACT OPPPOSITE of the reason this thread was started.

Posters have chimed in and suggested on many occasions that MMA fighters are the best athletes in having world class “transferable qualities”… Power, speed, strength, endurance, etc. I’d suggest it’s the opposite MMA participants can be world class fighters and perhaps even champions. Without POSESSING ANY elite/world class athletic qualities.

Thus the popularity… Matt Hughes, Cain Velazquez, Forrest Griffin etc. Skills, guts, heart, determination… Boatloads!!! World class or elite level physical traits/gifts/capabilities… Not a chance. You’d be hard pressed to look into any D1-D3 college football roster (let alone an NFL lockeroom) without finding some truly “gifted” athletes, if not several. Thus the popularity of MMA the skillset and “grind” of it makes it an EVERYMAN type of endeavor. Much like soccer. [/quote]

True, true. Think Royce Gracie was (is) a great athlete? Hell no.

meyer23 · March 13, 2014, 9:01pm

Decathletes…trey hardee and Ashton eaton are two of the most athletic specimen in the world

ziah · March 13, 2014, 9:03pm

[quote]LankyMofo wrote:

[quote]ziah wrote:

[quote]super saiyan wrote:

[quote]ziah wrote:
Here’s why NFL players are NOT on top: they lack endurance. They’re better than baseball players when it comes to endurance, but name any other sport out there and NFL players would be unable to compete when it comes to endurance.

Power, speed, agility - YES, but endurance, not really.

When has an NFL play lasted more than 30 seconds? [/quote]

You can’t make assumptions on endurance based on average play time alone. The players train endurance beyond what is typically required in a game. That’s the point. They don’t want to be completely gassed in the 4th quarter or overtime.

http://www.49ers.com/video/videos/NFLN-Jerry-Rices-Hill-Workout/41f9cc1b-7800-44c7-937c-026b55c94ebc[/quote]

That’s an awesome video, but I’m sure that Jerry Rice was more of the exception and not the rule when it comes to endurance.

Also, to the guy who said that endurance doesn’t really matter - really? Endurance is the ONLY area in which our species has the leg up on all other animals.

Speed, agility, power - I’m sure lions and other large cats would beat the shit out of the human race in every way. Endurance on the other hand? Humans are on top of that ONE area when comparing species to species.

I know I’m going to get flack for this since there are a lot of meatheads up in here - but really? Endurance isn’t impressive?

FYI - my favorite type of exercising is lifting things up and putting them down first for strength, second for hypertrophy, and then third I enjoy a balls-out endurance run [but never train aerobically]. Not that it matters - but I’m not just a typical “cardiobunny”. [/quote]

This is getting ridiculous. We are not top of the food chain because of our endurance.

And I believe endurance is impressive, but you’re acting like it’s the only mark of an athlete when it’s one of many - 3 others of which you’ve already named and admitted that the NFL has the best of. [/quote]

Funny you should say that we’re not on top of the food chain because of our endurance - I think our superior endurance has a lot to do with why our brains got bigger/more effective and I doubt anyone would argue with me that the MAIN reason we’re on top is because of our brains.

The problem is, NFL players, in COMPARISON with just about every other athlete would pale when it comes to their endurance.

Here’s my own rough estimate that I’m “pulling out of no where” - just observation [/10]:
Football
Endurance: 4
Power: 10
Speed: 10
Agility: 9

Basketball:
Endurance: 7
Power: 9
Speed: 9
Agility: 10
Weakness: Strength isn’t very important - at least it can be easily compensated for with skill

Soccer:
Endurance: 8
Power: 8
Speed: 9
Agility: 10
Weakness: Little to no upper body involvement

BradTGIF · March 13, 2014, 9:04pm

[quote]puglet wrote:
Here’s another thought: MMA has blown-up in terms of popularity and participants and great marketing by the UFC over the past 7-8 years in North America… Fantastic fighters and sometimes highly entertaining, brutal combat. Here’s the rub… The reason for this is the EXACT OPPPOSITE of the reason this thread was started.

Posters have chimed in and suggested on many occasions that MMA fighters are the best athletes in having world class “transferable qualities”… Power, speed, strength, endurance, etc. I’d suggest it’s the opposite MMA participants can be world class fighters and perhaps even champions. Without POSESSING ANY elite/world class athletic qualities.

Thus the popularity… Matt Hughes, Cain Velazquez, Forrest Griffin etc. Skills, guts, heart, determination… Boatloads!!! World class or elite level physical traits/gifts/capabilities… Not a chance. You’d be hard pressed to look into any D1-D3 college football roster (let alone an NFL lockeroom) without finding some truly “gifted” athletes, if not several. Thus the popularity of MMA the skillset and “grind” of it makes it an EVERYMAN type of endeavor. Much like soccer. [/quote]

Yeah man, not entirely agreeing with you. GSP, Nick Diaz, Spider. Pretty solid athletes in their own right. Granted these are antiquated examples, but in their hey-day I found them to be ultra-athletic and far above their competition who, in my mind, would have assuredly excelled in whichever discipline is out there.

ziah · March 13, 2014, 9:08pm

[quote]usmccds423 wrote:

[quote]ziah wrote:
Also, to the guy who said that endurance doesn’t really matter - really? Endurance is the ONLY area in which our species has the leg up on all other animals.
[/quote]

I seriously doubt this is true. How would you even prove it?[/quote]

Huh, funny I thought that was the case, but I guess not. There are a few animals out there than can out run humans for endurance:

I’ll admit it, my argument of humans being “top-dog” when it comes to endurance is invalid.

bdocksaints75 · March 13, 2014, 9:08pm

[quote]usmccds423 wrote:

[quote]ziah wrote:
Also, to the guy who said that endurance doesn’t really matter - really? Endurance is the ONLY area in which our species has the leg up on all other animals.
[/quote]

I seriously doubt this is true. How would you even prove it?[/quote]

I don’t know the exact % but if a bison or moose is being attacked by wolves it has somewhat around a 70% chance if survival if it stands still and it significantly drops if it runs. Also Endurance is fine and great but any average person can train to slow jog a marathon.

red04 · March 13, 2014, 9:12pm

[quote]ziah wrote:
That’s an awesome video, but I’m sure that Jerry Rice was more of the exception and not the rule when it comes to endurance. [/quote]

Not really. I mean he may have been at the top of the endurance ladder, but he’s not an exception in the way you think(as in, nobody else trains for endurance in football). Just because they get tired at the end of a 100 yard sprint doesn’t mean they lack endurance, it means they ran a 100 yard sprint. Even your heralded soccer stars can be seen dogging it and regaining some energy after a particularly up tempo moment of play, it’s how the human body works when you tax the alactic/anaerobic system.

Brett620 · March 13, 2014, 9:18pm