What is the hardest thing to do in sports?

[Donoghus]

The debate in the "Hardest sport to go pro in" has brought up the hardest thing to do in professional sports. 

I just threw a few options up from that thread but please make suggestions and i will amend the poll options.  Its still early and my mind isn't clicking on all cylinders for ideas.

PLEASE NOTE:

Also, my one criteria is that the act be a regular occurence in the sport.  So no unassisted triple plays or 65 yard soccer goals or things of that nature.  Things than can happen but are not regularly inherent in the game.

[Redz]

I voted for making the save on a penalty kick. It's not that hard if you guess right I suppose, but I'm not sure that you can acquire an actual skill to cover that much space in so little time.

[wiley]

We need a stat guru on this thread.  For example, what percentage of penalty kicks are stopped, verses what percentage of baseballs hit no higher than 1 foot over the wall are caught?

What percentage of pitched baseballs are hit fair?

Etc...

[Chris]

Hmmm, this is tough.  I think all of them, except the Alley-oop can be done (at least in low frequency, but it could be done) by anyone reasonably coordinated, who practices a lot, while an Alley-oop you need more physical talent to be able to pull it off even once...but you wouldn't necessarily need as much practice.  

So really, this all really depends on your definition of "hard".  

Anyways, if I had to choose, I would go with hitting a baseball.  I think that takes the most work and skill to actually be able to do, since even an incredibly athletic person could not just step up to the plate without ever holding a bat before and do it, while I think someone who is athletic could do most of those other things without a ton of training (OK, the ice skates add a bit of a twist, but I still take baseball).

BTW, I think a much more telling question would be which is the most difficult thing to do CONSISTENTLY.  In which case, I would also add in hitting a 15 foot putt.

[nickagneta]

As I said in the other thread, I don't think it's right to compare a skill you have to have to play a game with individual plays. You HAVE to be able to hit a ball to make it in the pros in baseball. All the rest of those things you listed are individual plays. Hitting a baseball is a skill.

How about you change it to hitting a knuckleball.

[Chris]

As I said in the other thread, I don't think it's right to compare a skill you have to have to play a game with individual plays. You HAVE to be able to hit a ball to make it in the pros in baseball. All the rest of those things you listed are individual plays. Hitting a baseball is a skill.

How about you change it to hitting a knuckleball.

I think returning a serve is a skill.  While you may get lucky more than you would in baseball, it is very difficult to consistently return a serve, and get it in (and ideally in a good position, so you don't just lose the point on the next shot).

[Donoghus]

Added the putt option, Chris.

As someone who love golf, I can't believe I forgot to throw out a golf option. 

[nickagneta]

As I said in the other thread, I don't think it's right to compare a skill you have to have to play a game with individual plays. You HAVE to be able to hit a ball to make it in the pros in baseball. All the rest of those things you listed are individual plays. Hitting a baseball is a skill.

How about you change it to hitting a knuckleball.

I think returning a serve is a skill.  While you may get lucky more than you would in baseball, it is very difficult to consistently return a serve, and get it in (and ideally in a good position, so you don't just lose the point on the next shot).

You didn't say "Return a serve". You said return a 130MPH serve. Not every serve is 130MPH. Most aren't in pro tennis. A 130MPH serve return is an individual play. How many 130 MPH serves are out and then the server then serves a 80 MPH serve with spin in order to get the ball in and not double fault? Happens all the time. How many but the very very best women can serve over 130MPH? How about the men? Returning a 130MPH serve is an individual play, not a skill.

[MBz]

It has to be hitting a baseball.  Most hitters who go up to the plate 100 times, fail 65 or more, (by fail I mean do not get on base) meaning there is a less then 35% success rate for most hitters.  Going and getting an alley oop isn't the hard part, the hard part is making the pass.  I just don't think there's even a question about it.  For a 95 mph fastball, a hitter has .4 seconds to react.  That's INSANE.  

[MBz]

Can't all of these things be considered and should be skills? 

[Kwhit10]

As I said in the other thread, I don't think it's right to compare a skill you have to have to play a game with individual plays. You HAVE to be able to hit a ball to make it in the pros in baseball. All the rest of those things you listed are individual plays. Hitting a baseball is a skill.

How about you change it to hitting a knuckleball.

I think returning a serve is a skill.  While you may get lucky more than you would in baseball, it is very difficult to consistently return a serve, and get it in (and ideally in a good position, so you don't just lose the point on the next shot).

Yea I agree with returning a 130mph serve.  As I stated in the previous thread.  You have so much room for error including as you stated where the ball goes inbound, and how the return (good or bad) sets up the servers second hit.

[Kwhit10]

It has to be hitting a baseball.  Most hitters who go up to the plate 100 times, fail 65 or more, (by fail I mean do not get on base) meaning there is a less then 35% success rate for most hitters.  Going and getting an alley oop isn't the hard part, the hard part is making the pass.  I just don't think there's even a question about it.  For a 95 mph fastball, a hitter has .4 seconds to react.  That's INSANE.  

Alley oop gets a bit harder if you consider people who can't dunk... 

[Kwhit10]

As I said in the other thread, I don't think it's right to compare a skill you have to have to play a game with individual plays. You HAVE to be able to hit a ball to make it in the pros in baseball. All the rest of those things you listed are individual plays. Hitting a baseball is a skill.

How about you change it to hitting a knuckleball.

I think returning a serve is a skill.  While you may get lucky more than you would in baseball, it is very difficult to consistently return a serve, and get it in (and ideally in a good position, so you don't just lose the point on the next shot).

You didn't say "Return a serve". You said return a 130MPH serve. Not every serve is 130MPH. Most aren't in pro tennis. A 130MPH serve return is an individual play. How many 130 MPH serves are out and then the server then serves a 80 MPH serve with spin in order to get the ball in and not double fault? Happens all the time. How many but the very very best women can serve over 130MPH? How about the men? Returning a 130MPH serve is an individual play, not a skill.

You're arguing semantics, so you need to have a good amount of 'play' to hit a serve that fast?  How is it not a skill to hit a serve that fast, what is it luck?

Also the poll says "hitting a baseball" I can hit a baseball 100% of the time...off a tee.

[yall hate]

I was going to go with the serve but then decided it was the soccer goal.

the serve is difficult, but at the same time, the 130mph serves dont have side to side spin, most often, top spin or no spin.  realistically, it is going in one of two places, backhand or forhand (and I would bet it is usually forhand). 

it can be returned by simply getting your racket on the ball (not easy, but the question said nothing about the quality of return).

for the soccer save, we are talking about left, right, middle, high low.  and there really is no way to know which side has a greater chance, like the tennis serve going more often to the forhand. 

thats my opinion, I am sure people will have some good counterarguments

[MBz]

I was going to go with the serve but then decided it was the soccer goal.

the serve is difficult, but at the same time, the 130mph serves dont have side to side spin, most often, top spin or no spin.  realistically, it is going in one of two places, backhand or forhand (and I would bet it is usually forhand). 

it can be returned by simply getting your racket on the ball (not easy, but the question said nothing about the quality of return).

for the soccer save, we are talking about left, right, middle, high low.  and there really is no way to know which side has a greater chance, like the tennis serve going more often to the forhand. 

thats my opinion, I am sure people will have some good counterarguments

yeah I had issues choosing between the soccer goal and baseball.  I'd like to see the save percentages of most goalies on PKs, they cannot be too high.