Determining the most physical sports is not an easy task, as it depends on the criteria used to make the list. However, ESPN assembled a team of experts, including sports scientists, academics, an all-around athlete, and sports journalists, to evaluate 60 sports using 10 key skills such as endurance, strength, power, speed, agility, strength, and durability. We invite you to discover our selection of the top 10 most physical sports.
Boxing
Boxing is ranked as the toughest sport on ESPN’s list. When two boxers enter the ring, they must be in excellent physical shape and have the stamina to withstand physical blows for four to fifteen rounds. Boxers must be agile and quick to dodge body and head blows, and they must have enough strength and power to make their strikes count.
Ice Hockey
Ice hockey involves fast skating and aggressive, often brutal, physical contact. The physical intensity of the game limits each player’s time on the ice to intervals of 30 to 80 seconds, followed by rest periods of 4 to 5 minutes. The fast pace of ice hockey is not only physically demanding but also makes the game one of the most dangerous sports, according to International Medical Insurance.
Football
American Football – Football is perhaps the most physical sport of all. At the highest levels, football is a sport that includes all categories. While certain positions require more speed, strength, or agility, a team must excel in all seven categories to be successful. TJ Lee (6) of the BC Lions collides with Greg Ellingson (2) of the Winnipeg Blue Bombers during the first half of a CFL game in Vancouver, Saturday, July 9, 2022.
American football players collide as they advance across a 100-yard field. They must carry the ball across the opposing team’s backline. This physically demanding sport requires:
- Endurance
- Force
- Vitesse
- Agility
Basketball
Two teams of five players earn points by shooting or dribbling a ball into their opponent’s basket. Speed is essential for players to move quickly on a basketball court. Players must advance on rebounds or dribbles, and the multiple changes of direction in a split second require:
- Agility
- Endurance
Struggle
Wrestling is defined by the outcome of a match between two participants who engage in combat. The effort is intense and sometimes violent, requiring strength:
- Mentally
- Physically
Wrestlers are highly coordinated athletes, in excellent physical shape, and able to endure moves such as body shots, twists, punches, etc.
Mixed Martial Arts (MMA)
Mixed Martial Arts, commonly known as MMA, is a relatively recent addition to the world of combat sports but has quickly gained recognition for its extreme physical demands. In MMA, athletes combine various martial arts disciplines, including striking and grappling, to win matches. Fighters need to be proficient in a wide range of skills, from boxing and Muay Thai to Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu and wrestling. MMA bouts can be grueling, as competitors not only have to endure punches and kicks but also execute complex techniques while defending against their opponents.
This sport demands not only physical strength and agility but also mental toughness and adaptability as fighters must strategize and adapt on the fly in the heat of battle. MMA fighters go through rigorous training regimens to prepare for their fights, making it one of the most physically demanding and well-rounded combat sports in the world.
Tennis
Tennis is a fast-paced, grueling sport that involves players running back and forth to hit the ball before it hits the ground, or after it bounces. Games can last between 35 and 40 minutes or up to five or six hours.
Gymnastic
Gymnastics consists of acrobatic and acrobatic movements on bars, beams, balls, and circles, or on trampolines. To practice this sport and participate in competitions, it is necessary to have strength, good rhythm, good balance, flexibility, and agility.
Baseball
According to Porter W. Johnson, Ph.D., professor emeritus of physics at the Illinois Institute of Technology, baseball pitchers throw balls at speeds between 30 and 45 meters per second, or between 67 and 100 miles per hour. A ball hit by a player can travel at a speed of 134 miles per hour, and a player can run the bases at about 22 miles per hour. This sport requires resistance to perform these three physical actions which are:
- the launch
- the strike
- the race
Soccer
Football is a game played between two teams of 11 players for 90 minutes. Players use their heads and feet to handle the ball and aim to pass it into the opponent’s goal. This sport requires physical endurance, speed, and agility from its participants. With Euro 2021 coming up, news from the world of football will be welcome on this topic.
Read Also: Is chess a sport?