Hockey players speed vs. other sports

[The Dangler 0]

Cyclists?

A sport where you sit on your ass and your upper body does practically nothing is a poor assessment of general athletic ability. Long distance cyclists have endurance, but not speed (all slow twitch fibers), strength (maybe in the quads only), or hand eye coordination.

I woudlnt say that is the case at all. Anyone who has done some free riding mountain biking realizes that its a full body work out. You really have to get your entire body pumping to sometimes get up those big hills and of course your legs. You'd get tired awfully fast. Im a hockey player mainly but after a few rounds of boxing i was dead, that takes a lot more energy and endurance then i expected.

[Adam91 0]

Hockey players are the best athletes in the world, they have to be able to do everything athletes in other sports do... on skates.

[porky45 1]

Hockey players are the best athletes in the world, they have to be able to do everything athletes in other sports do... on skates.

when was the last time you saw a hockey player jump 40" to slam a ball in a hoop?

[eric42434224 1]

There was a study done quite a few years ago on ths topic. I cant remember what medical journal or institution published it, but it was a reputable one if memory serves correctly. They trid to determine which professional atheletes were the most "fit". They had several categories including stamina, strength, flexibility, etc...with several sub-categories in each. They determined Hockey players were the most fit atheletes as they did better overall when considering all categories. Obviously other atheletes like weight lifters will have greater strength, and marathon runners will have better stamina, but averaging all catergories, the hockey player averaged better. This is by no means definitive, as the article says, and really cant say which atheletes really are "better". It is an arguement that cant really be decided as the comparisons are just too differing.

[goodguy 7]

Couple criteria for an "athletic" sport.

1) Can really fat guys do it at the pro level (if so, it is not a sport - with two exceptions: american football and sumo wrestling)?

2) Do you sweat and breathe hard while doing it?

I consider golf to be more a "game of skill" than a "sport" (like darts or shooting pool). Hey, any "sport" that someone like John Daly can play half in the tank, is not a "sport" it is just a "game of skill" (like Jarts) regardless of what they call it.

So, I guess by these criteria, sex can be now considered an "athletic sport" - but the vision of John Daly, dressed up like a sumo wrestler, having sex sort of makes me not want to ever tee it up again...

[Jarick 5]

I'm just amazed at how natural athletes take to new sports. I've played against several guys who first put on the skates a year ago and are probably mid-level beer league skating and shooting. One kid I saw skate ice for a couple weeks after roller blading for a couple months and he was flying twice as fast as the rest of us. They just have this ability to feel out the best technique while the rest of us struggle with it. Then they can just keep flying all game long while I'm double over on the bench...

[Adam91 0]

Hockey players are the best athletes in the world, they have to be able to do everything athletes in other sports do... on skates.

when was the last time you saw a hockey player jump 40" to slam a ball in a hoop?

Average NBA player is 6'7 + vertical arm span, what? close to 8 feet? so ya I think most professional hockey players could jump 2 feet to make a dunk.

[porky45 1]

Hockey players are the best athletes in the world, they have to be able to do everything athletes in other sports do... on skates.

when was the last time you saw a hockey player jump 40" to slam a ball in a hoop?

Average NBA player is 6'7 + vertical arm span, what? close to 8 feet? so ya I think most professional hockey players could jump 2 feet to make a dunk.

not on skates. and i can assure you that the average nhl player is not 6'7". I would think just about everyone in the NBA can dunk, this does not hold true for everyone in the nhl.

once again though...we are comparing apples to oranges so it's really a moot point.

[scoops 1]

the important thing is not the dunk itself, it's the 40" vertical. most basketball players have around a 40" vertical, some football players do, i bet exactly 0 hockey players do. but again, comparing athletes of different sports is pretty useless...

but I think if you set up a combine to test the basic athletic abilities like 40 time, vertical, weight lifting, etc., my money would be on NFL players. I know ice skating is way easier for me and on my body than running and jumping, heck half of our beer league is old fat dudes who are awesome skaters, I'd like to see how long they last on a football field, lol

[porky45 1]

thank you. "everyone in the nba can JUMP, not dunk" :)

[chk hrd 164]

the important thing is not the dunk itself, it's the 40" vertical. most basketball players have around a 40" vertical, some football players do, i bet exactly 0 hockey players do. but again, comparing athletes of different sports is pretty useless...

but I think if you set up a combine to test the basic athletic abilities like 40 time, vertical, weight lifting, etc., my money would be on NFL players. I know ice skating is way easier for me and on my body than running and jumping, heck half of our beer league is old fat dudes who are awesome skaters, I'd like to see how long they last on a football field, lol

the difference is you have to jump in basketball, theres not to much jumping involved in hockey, lets see a NBA or NFL make an open ice hit or dangle the D for a goal. Us old sorta fat guys who skate good in beer league usually can because we were good skaters when we were young and in shape. As far as fat football players look at the NFL. Some of those line men are just plain fat, but they need the weight to do thier job. As far as stamina, they don't have much. I'd be willing to say the fat hockey player would do all right.

You can't compare athletes from sport to sport. Each sport requires you to do certain thing requiring specialized skills.

[eric42434224 1]

The definition of "athlete" is:

a person who is trained or skilled in exercises, sports, or games requiring physical strength, agility, or stamina

The definition of "Sport" includes

Physical activity that is governed by a set of rules or customs and often engaged in competitively.

and

An activity involving physical exertion and skill that is governed by a set of rules or customs and often undertaken competitively.

One "Sport" definition does not include the requirement of physical exertion. Billiards is a "Sport", just not an "Athletic Sport". An athletic sport being the second definition and performed by an athelete, like Hockey.

I think showing the difference between the two makes sense.

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

And comparing the skill sets between differing professional sports and their athletes in an attepmt to determine which is "better" is an excercise in futility.

[porky45 1]

The definition of "athlete" is:

a person who is trained or skilled in exercises, sports, or games requiring physical strength, agility, or stamina

The definition of "Sport" includes

Physical activity that is governed by a set of rules or customs and often engaged in competitively.

and

An activity involving physical exertion and skill that is governed by a set of rules or customs and often undertaken competitively.

One "Sport" definition does not include the requirement of physical exertion. Billiards is a "Sport", just not an "Athletic Sport". An athletic sport being the second definition and performed by an athelete, like Hockey.

I think showing the difference between the two makes sense.

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

And comparing the skill sets between differing professional sports and their athletes in an attepmt to determine which is "better" is an excercise in futility.

i refuse to believe that billiards or poker is a sport, regardless of definition. it is a game. I love both though.

[scoops 1]

You can't compare athletes from sport to sport. Each sport requires you to do certain thing requiring specialized skills.

^^^I agree completely with this.

side note: the fat linemen in football are pretty damn fast, and the collisions they put their bodies through on each play is equivalent to a 40mph car wreck. so run, get in a car wreck, run, get in a car wreck, over and over for an hour. seems like that would take some pretty good stamina to me. oh and they're damn strong too, Larry Allen bench pressed 700lbs a few years ago....700!!!

another side note: if the average sports fan saw an NFL player (besides kickers/punters) walking around in the mall their first thought is probably, "huh, that dude looks like a pro athlete", but what if that same average fan saw Mike Ribeiro? "huh, that skinny dude has funny hair" - lol

***the Mike Ribeiro comment was made only to be a joke, not to compare. I fully agree with everyone who has said that comparing athletes of different sports it's a waste of time....as stated in my post above

[eric42434224 1]

The definition of "athlete" is:

a person who is trained or skilled in exercises, sports, or games requiring physical strength, agility, or stamina

The definition of "Sport" includes

Physical activity that is governed by a set of rules or customs and often engaged in competitively.

and

An activity involving physical exertion and skill that is governed by a set of rules or customs and often undertaken competitively.

One "Sport" definition does not include the requirement of physical exertion. Billiards is a "Sport", just not an "Athletic Sport". An athletic sport being the second definition and performed by an athelete, like Hockey.

I think showing the difference between the two makes sense.

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

And comparing the skill sets between differing professional sports and their athletes in an attepmt to determine which is "better" is an excercise in futility.

i refuse to believe that billiards or poker is a sport, regardless of definition. it is a game. I love both though.

I believe that is just the bias one gets when they grow up associating only physical sports with the term. Billiards is by definition a sport.....just not an athletic sport.

Hockey is a game too isnt it? A game is " a physical or mental competition conducted according to rules with the participants in direct opposition to each other"

Hockey and Billiards are both games and sports by definition. The difference is the athletic factor. An athlete is required to participate in Hockey.

I realize that you are entitled to your opinion, and I respect that, but to say Billiards isnt a sport is an opinion with no basis in fact. It is merely a bias you have not wanting to call activities that are not athletic a sport.

No biggie, 95% of people here likely feels the same. Heck, without the definitions, I would probably agree with you, growing up with the term "sports" being associated with only athletic sports. You never hear Billiards or Darts called "sports"....but when someone says sports, you immediately think of athletic sports. It is completely understandable how it is percieved that Sports = Athetic Sports.

[NuggyBuggy 0]

I am willing to wager that the vast majority of the heaviest NFL football players could outrace the vast majority of readers here. Considering the size of NFL linemen, that's pretty damn impressive. No endurance ? These guys are basically engaging in full-on trench warfare with guys equally as big and strong all game long. I find it amazing to watch a 300-lb lineman run across the field to make a tackle, and that happens all the time.

I'd also wager that as a group NFL receivers, running backs, tight ends, and defensive backs probably excelled at different sports at lower levels - say, high school or college - more than athletes in any other pro sport.

[porky45 1]

The definition of "athlete" is:

a person who is trained or skilled in exercises, sports, or games requiring physical strength, agility, or stamina

The definition of "Sport" includes

Physical activity that is governed by a set of rules or customs and often engaged in competitively.

and

An activity involving physical exertion and skill that is governed by a set of rules or customs and often undertaken competitively.

One "Sport" definition does not include the requirement of physical exertion. Billiards is a "Sport", just not an "Athletic Sport". An athletic sport being the second definition and performed by an athelete, like Hockey.

I think showing the difference between the two makes sense.

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

And comparing the skill sets between differing professional sports and their athletes in an attepmt to determine which is "better" is an excercise in futility.

i refuse to believe that billiards or poker is a sport, regardless of definition. it is a game. I love both though.

I believe that is just the bias one gets when they grow up associating only physical sports with the term. Billiards is by definition a sport.....just not an athletic sport.

Hockey is a game too isnt it? A game is " a physical or mental competition conducted according to rules with the participants in direct opposition to each other"

Hockey and Billiards are both games and sports by definition. The difference is the athletic factor. An athlete is required to participate in Hockey.

I realize that you are entitled to your opinion, and I respect that, but to say Billiards isnt a sport is an opinion with no basis in fact. It is merely a bias you have not wanting to call activities that are not athletic a sport.

No biggie, 95% of people here likely feels the same. Heck, without the definitions, I would probably agree with you, growing up with the term "sports" being associated with only athletic sports. You never hear Billiards or Darts called "sports"....but when someone says sports, you immediately think of athletic sports. It is completely understandable how it is percieved that Sports = Athetic Sports.

you're absolutely right when looking at the facts... it's just mind boggling.

Is poker considered a sport?

based on definition there has to be physical exertion. you move when you place your chips to bet or click the mouse (online) for that matter and there are rules....

?????????????????????????????????

[eric42434224 1]

I know. The definition really doesnt put realistic boundry on what is to be considered "physical activity". This seems to be a debate that can have no real or meaningful resolution. Not only that, it really isnt important, is it? LOL. :)

[Adam91 0]

Hockey players are the best athletes in the world, they have to be able to do everything athletes in other sports do... on skates.

when was the last time you saw a hockey player jump 40" to slam a ball in a hoop?

Average NBA player is 6'7 + vertical arm span, what? close to 8 feet? so ya I think most professional hockey players could jump 2 feet to make a dunk.

not on skates. and i can assure you that the average nhl player is not 6'7". I would think just about everyone in the NBA can dunk, this does not hold true for everyone in the nhl.

once again though...we are comparing apples to oranges so it's really a moot point.

I was saying that if every hockey player was required to jump 2 feet (24 inches) (about the amount the average NBA player jumps to make a dunk), I beleive they could do it.

[RecLeagueHero 0]

The average NFL lineman has become a lot like a sumo wrestler. Sumo wrestlers appear "fat" due to an intentional layer of subcutaneous fat brought on by eating habits. The training they undergo prevents the development of visceral fat. While neither is per se ideal, subcutaneous fat is more easily lost and does not affect the organs the way visceral fat does. Just as the subcutaneous fat helps sumo wrestlers absorb the impacts of their sport, it works the same way with NFL lineman, and therefore they have an interest in keeping the build they do. Which leads to a surprising amount of athletic abilities in someone that doesn't appear like someone who would be a high caliber athlete.

[eric42434224 1]

go watch an NFL practice up close. Seeing a 300 pound lineman move like a friggin cat is impressive and scary.

[n3ss 0]

I can skate a ahell of a lot longer and faster than i can run.

then again, i'm fat (226 and dropping!). i can't run at all.

[goodguy 7]

The average NFL lineman has become a lot like a sumo wrestler. Sumo wrestlers appear "fat" due to an intentional layer of subcutaneous fat brought on by eating habits. The training they undergo prevents the development of visceral fat. While neither is per se ideal, subcutaneous fat is more easily lost and does not affect the organs the way visceral fat does. Just as the subcutaneous fat helps sumo wrestlers absorb the impacts of their sport, it works the same way with NFL lineman, and therefore they have an interest in keeping the build they do. Which leads to a surprising amount of athletic abilities in someone that doesn't appear like someone who would be a high caliber athlete.

Obese is still obese regardless of how fast they can run. And it is unhealthy. I always associated "athletics" with a healthy lifestyle.

While I like Football, I cringe at the damage these guys are doing to their bodies in order to keep upping the physical size ante football now demands.

At least hockey is not dominated by a league looking to create ever greater "freaks of nature" in order to sell its sport. Basketball and Football are becoming freak shows that the average guy can never hope to gain entry into. At least Hockey gives us average schmucks hope.

[Trooper 8]

At least hockey is not dominated by a league looking to create ever greater "freaks of nature" in order to sell its sport. Basketball and Football are becoming freak shows that the average guy can never hope to gain entry into. At least Hockey gives us average schmucks hope.

If you believe that I have a bridge to sell you in Brooklyn. Hockey has always been behind the times when it comes to training. They have been adopting newer training methods in the past 10-15 years. Guys like Crosby, Brindamour, and Roberts are all known for their off-ice dedication. "Average schmucks" aren't going anywhere. The freaks are here and there will be more following in their footsteps.

As for speed? Give me a guy who has great acceleration over the course of 5-7 strides and I'll take him over the "fastest" skater any day.

[RecLeagueHero 0]

The average NFL lineman has become a lot like a sumo wrestler. Sumo wrestlers appear "fat" due to an intentional layer of subcutaneous fat brought on by eating habits. The training they undergo prevents the development of visceral fat. While neither is per se ideal, subcutaneous fat is more easily lost and does not affect the organs the way visceral fat does. Just as the subcutaneous fat helps sumo wrestlers absorb the impacts of their sport, it works the same way with NFL lineman, and therefore they have an interest in keeping the build they do. Which leads to a surprising amount of athletic abilities in someone that doesn't appear like someone who would be a high caliber athlete.

Obese is still obese regardless of how fast they can run. And it is unhealthy. I always associated "athletics" with a healthy lifestyle.

While I like Football, I cringe at the damage these guys are doing to their bodies in order to keep upping the physical size ante football now demands.

At least hockey is not dominated by a league looking to create ever greater "freaks of nature" in order to sell its sport. Basketball and Football are becoming freak shows that the average guy can never hope to gain entry into. At least Hockey gives us average schmucks hope.

The damage from fat comes from visceral fat around the organs, subcutaneous fat does not present that issue. Instead, it acts as a shock absorbing material which pads and protects the organs, joints, and bones. In short, given the forces the NFL lineman is being subjected to the protection provided by the subcutaneous fat far outweighs any negative health impact it has. Not to mention when these rather brief football careers are over it can be lost in a few months with normal levels of exercise and simply terminating the diet that keeps it there.

Hockey doesn't have the same level of specialized players you see it football, if it did then you'd see the same thing.