What sport requires the most skill?

also thinking abit more about it, look at football not my favourite sport look at the skill for long passes and free kicks. then there is motor racing F1 the speeds they drive at, rally the sliding skill on gravel/ ice at 100mph and the motogp and superbikes not exactly a talentless bunch!
 
Both skill and athleticism = Biathlon:-

Cross-Country Skiing = physical
+
Rifle Shooting = skill



Pure skill:-

Darts, archery, shooting, snooker (but depends on how you define 'sport')
 
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Golf.

Top golfers control the flight and spin of a ball to land it on a sixpence to afford the easiest putt. It requires touch, skill, strength and mental stamina under intense pressure over four days.

And as for snooker, Steve Davis once told me that American-style 9-ball pool was more difficult than snooker. He said that in snooker there is only one tiny spot on the target ball that will allow the pot and you just have to hit it; with pool, he said the pockets are so big that you should control the white ball by varying where you hit the target ball which was much more difficult than using "English" to control the ball.
 
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MikeTimbers said:
Golf.

Top golfers control the flight and spin of a ball to land it on a sixpence to afford the easiest putt. It requires touch, skill, strength and mental stamina under intense pressure over four days.
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yea the thing is, although the shot may be made under "phycological" pressure, compare this to a "real time" opponent engagement sport, where the kick, or pass has to be made whilst under mental pressure AND under physical pressure from an opponent trying his darndest to gstop you from doing what your trying to achieve.

same with shooting and darts, you are not under any direct pressure from your oponent to make your own shot. Darts, and snooker can be practised as is in controlled confitions and you just have to repeat the same actions time and time again where your opponent cannot stop you. these cannot be practised to anywhere near the same level in team/oponent based real time interaction sports.
 
Nickg said:
yea the thing is, although the shot may be made under "phycological" pressure, compare this to a "real time" opponent engagement sport, where the kick, or pass has to be made whilst under mental pressure AND under physical pressure from an opponent trying his darndest to gstop you from doing what your trying to achieve.

same with shooting and darts, you are not under any direct pressure from your oponent to make your own shot. Darts, and snooker can be practised as is in controlled confitions and you just have to repeat the same actions time and time again where your opponent cannot stop you. these cannot be practised to anywhere near the same level in team/oponent based real time interaction sports.
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there is physical things to consider in golf though, wind being the big one. Not just wind where you stand, or where you want the ball to finish, but the changing wind all the way through the shot.
 
Jokester said:
So's darts. For me snooker isn't a sport because it doesn't require any athleticism/fitness to play.

Jokester
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Could your 90 year old granny play it? Every activity we do requires a certain amount of fitness to under go.

It's a sport...

By my standards 5 a side football game requires very little fitness to play compared to some other sports... does that mean it's less of a sport?
 
Malarkee said:
By my standards 5 a side football game requires very little fitness to play compared to some other sports... does that mean it's less of a sport?
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Do you mean you play it badly or that you are so fit that 5 a side doesn't compare with what you do normally?

A sport, to me, must have some form of fitness(i.e. some sort of speed also and possibly power) and skill involved but the interesting part is where you draw the line otherwise you basically say that everything can constitute a sport because it involves some movement, if we take your definition to it's logical conclusion when I read I could be partaking in sporting endeavour because I am turning pages. To hopefully forestall the next argument over definition - competition also isn't necessary for something to be classed as a sport, sure it is often involved but when I go snowboarding I compete against no-one unless I choose to and I don't see how it could fail to be a sport.
 
Morba said:
there is physical things to consider in golf though, wind being the big one. Not just wind where you stand, or where you want the ball to finish, but the changing wind all the way through the shot.
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which again is true of football, but as i said there is no opponent directly affecting the outcome of each shot in golf, unlike football/hockey/et al.

and yes u do see like aged folk playing snooker, like 70 year olds. you dont see many 70 year olds on a 5 aside pitch though do you?
 
Cycling :) it's not just about cycling, in top tours like the Giro, Tour de France etc. you enter the realms of dynamic tactics, you have to know who's a threat to you, who may break off, have you got any teammates, then you have to counter attacks, then attack yourself etc. etc. all while cycling at 40mph on a 100+ mile route for 2 weeks or thereabouts :)
 
I'd have thought MMA would be a contender - you not only have to be extremely fit and durable, you have to know several different fighting styles and be able to deal out, and counter, punches, kicks, throws and submissions.

Motorcycle racers are also some of the most skillful sportsmen, the level of control those guys have over their bikes when riding right on the limit is incredible.
 
i think what we are all saying is that to be at the top of a sport, by which i define requires plenty of training and physical exertion and risk of injury so to me darts and snooker out(sorry)
Wiki says
A sport is an activity requiring physical ability, physical fitness or physical skill which usually, but not always, involves competition between two or more people.
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you need to have a certain element of skill which you choose is up to you....all of which on here are excellent choices.
 
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