ESPN has come up with a ranking of "toughest" sports and swimming seems, at least to me, to come up a bit short.
sports.espn.go.com/.../sportSkills
Of course, since it ranks Badminton as equal with Nordic Skiing, it MUST be right. ;)
-LBJ
Parents
Former Member
Originally posted by emmett
Badminton, as it is played throughout Asia, is a serious kick-yer-ass sport (as opposed to the "backyard diversion" type play you are most likely to encounter here in the US). A bit like the difference between Ping Pong and Table Tennis. It is EXTREMELY physical, very fast and requires very high levels of skill. Playing it well requires easily as much in preparation (technique, conditioning and experience) as nordic skiing or swimming.
There is no question that badminton at the top level is difficult. The same with table tennis. However, I have yet to see a badminton player at any level need to be carried off by medics due to exertion - something I have seen with nordic skiiers and biathletes. One of the things missing from the study is a "pain tolerance" index.
Besides, the TRUE scale of comparing sports is the Fenton-Surina-Jansen Scale, A.K.A. the PPD index (Pain/Puke/Death index) Each category gets 10 points (1 min - 10 max). It measures how much you can take before your brain melts and leaks out your ears. ;)
Boxing is the champ here as well.
-LBJ
Originally posted by emmett
Badminton, as it is played throughout Asia, is a serious kick-yer-ass sport (as opposed to the "backyard diversion" type play you are most likely to encounter here in the US). A bit like the difference between Ping Pong and Table Tennis. It is EXTREMELY physical, very fast and requires very high levels of skill. Playing it well requires easily as much in preparation (technique, conditioning and experience) as nordic skiing or swimming.
There is no question that badminton at the top level is difficult. The same with table tennis. However, I have yet to see a badminton player at any level need to be carried off by medics due to exertion - something I have seen with nordic skiiers and biathletes. One of the things missing from the study is a "pain tolerance" index.
Besides, the TRUE scale of comparing sports is the Fenton-Surina-Jansen Scale, A.K.A. the PPD index (Pain/Puke/Death index) Each category gets 10 points (1 min - 10 max). It measures how much you can take before your brain melts and leaks out your ears. ;)
Boxing is the champ here as well.
-LBJ
