Top 10 Most Demanding Sports

Sports fans love a good debate, and few topics get more heated than trying to decide which sports demand the most from athletes. Everyone has an opinion, whether it's the grueling endurance required in long-distance swimming, the raw strength and agility of wrestling, or the mental and physical balance that gymnastics requires.

What makes a sport truly demanding? Is it the toll it takes on the body, the split-second decision-making, or the relentless training hours needed to stay at the top of your game?

The Top Ten

Motorcycle Racing

As a privateer professional rider, I can tell you this is the most physically and mentally demanding sport there is. These pro races are 30 minutes long, with your heart rate ranging from a low of 165 to a maximum of 200 or maybe even more, depending on the rider. To be able to sustain that maximum heart rate, you must dedicate everything to your training, both on and off the track.
From diet to riding to training, everything must be at 100 percent, and these riders put their life on the line every single time they swing a leg over the bike. There are no timeouts, no breaks, nothing - just racing.

I have played almost every sport there is: swimming, football, track, tennis, basketball, hockey, etc. These are walks in the park compared to motocross. Football involves 5 seconds of sprinting followed by 30 seconds of rest. Swimming is a minute or two all out.
Motocross, on the other hand, is 10 to 30 minutes of going as hard as you can and never letting up. There are a thousand and one things to think about when racing, and skipping one of them might cost you the race or send you to the hospital. There is no off-season. You're running and lifting the day after the season ends in order to be in shape for the next one.
The horrible thing is, it's never enough. No matter how good of shape you're in, you're still gasping for air the second the helmet comes off, trying to uncurl your cramped hands that are dripping with blood from blisters and torn skin just from holding on.
God help you if you ever go down at any significant speed. The best way to describe crashing on a dirt bike is to literally jump out of a moving car. Even then, you aren't getting run over, landed on, burned, or falling 10 to 30 feet out of the air.
The fact that I escaped 16 years of this sport with no significant injuries besides concussions amazes me to this day. Motocross is by far the hardest sport on the planet. There is no doubt in my mind.
Swimming

Swimming is an individual or team sport and activity. Competitive swimming is one of the most popular Olympic sports, with events in freestyle, backstroke, breaststroke, and butterfly.
It requires strong cardiovascular fitness and technique, and is also widely practiced as a low-impact form of... read more

Swimming is most definitely the most demanding sport. I have been swimming for just over a year, and have worked extremely hard, and am now at the level of swimmers who have been at it for years. Compared to other swimmers, our practices are relatively easy, and yet, they are not easy! Swimming uses every single muscle simultaneously.
Every set, you move your arms like lightning, and every race, your legs feel like they are going to snap off. In a set, even if you are the fastest on the team, you swim a 200 sprint with limited breaths. Guess what? Once you finish, you get five seconds rest and have to do it again, faster this time, than the absolute fastest you can go.
Swimming is not just going back and forth, just like track is not just running around in circles. Swimming is the most physically taxing sport around because if you feel like you are about to die, go beat your best time in a 100 free. And if you miss the best by one hundredth of a second, you break down in tears because you have worked so hard just to shave off .01 seconds.
Many, if not most, swimmers break down in tears multiple times. And I am still at a relatively low level. Swimming is the most demanding sport for sure.
Boxing

Boxing is a martial art and combat sport in which two people wearing protective gloves throw punches at each other for a predetermined set of time in a boxing ring.
It is governed by rules that include weight classes, scoring systems, and protective regulations. Boxing is an Olympic sport and... read more

I have watched boxing for years and not until I stepped into the ring did I understand how tough it was. It is both physically demanding and mentally draining on two levels. Mentally, you have to strategize like a chess player planning five moves ahead, but with your whole body. And mentally, on another level, you have to be psyched up for taking a punch or two or three or more. Total exhaustion in 30 minutes.

I'm a boxer, and I'll tell you right now it's not just a few punches then you move on. You need serious time and effort to get in the right shape, and you need to be motivated and dedicated. Once you get used to the training, you just go ahead and make it harder or switch some things, and if you're doing it right, you shouldn't get used to it in the first place. Boxing is not your grandma's sport.
Gymnastics

Gymnastics is a sport involving the performance of exercises requiring strength, flexibility, balance, and control.
It includes various disciplines such as artistic gymnastics, rhythmic gymnastics, trampoline, and acrobatics. Gymnastics is a core sport in the Summer Olympic Games and is governed... read more

People don't realize how demanding this sport really is. You work for 30+ hours each week, and never have an "off season". Most people can't walk in a straight line, or even do a single push up. Gymnasts do standing flips on 4-inch wide beams, and flip higher than you can even imagine.
You see basketball players sitting out with ice packs all over because they sprained an ankle. When gymnasts get hurt, they put some tape on, and go right on flipping. Also, I don't know if it's just where I'm from, but every time we did any type of physical activity, the gymnasts come off on top. Above the football players, above the soccer players, and above the basketball players.
Gymnastics is certainly more demanding, mentally and physically, than any sports most people would think of.
Water Polo

Water polo is a competitive team sport played in a pool between two teams of seven players, including one goalkeeper per team. The game consists of four periods in which teams attempt to score by throwing a ball into the opponent's goal. It requires a combination of swimming ability, strategy, and physical... read more

I want everyone to go look at what's in the two spot: Swimming. I'm a year-round swimmer and water polo player. I used to be terrible at swimming. I played water polo, died the first few practices, then got better. You know why? Because water polo is a lot harder and you need a lot more endurance.
Do you have to keep your head up in swimming? No. Is someone constantly scratching, kicking, trying to exploit your weaknesses in swimming? I think not. And while all that is happening, are you trying to score goals? No.
Honestly, I don't know much about the field because I'm a goalie, so for all the goalies, are you throwing yourself in front of a ball going at least 18 miles per hour (or 60 if you're against that one guy from Croatia)? No. So don't start saying swimming is harder, it's not.
Figure Skating

Figure skating is a sport where individuals, pairs, or groups perform routines on ice using figure skates. It became the first winter sport included in the Olympic Games in 1908. The four Olympic disciplines in figure skating are men's singles, women's singles, pair skating, and ice dance.

The number of times a skater falls before mastering a jump and achieving consistency is too many to count. The average person can barely skate, let alone learn a double axel or a quad toe loop!

I am really sad right now. Why is skating 24th?

Figure skaters experience more g-forces than an F-18 pilot and hit the ground more often than a rodeo bull rider. They can do one-legged squats all day long, while marines can barely do 10.
Ice Hockey

Ice hockey is a contact team sport played on ice, usually in a rink, in which two teams of skaters use their sticks to shoot a vulcanized rubber puck into their opponent's net to score points.
The sport is known for its speed, physicality, and strategic play. It is most popular in countries like... read more

Hockey is the hardest team sport played in the world. Not only do you have the speed of the game and the blades on your feet, but you also have 6'5, 250 lb men that can come at you with incredible speeds. While all this is going on, you have to focus on keeping a little rubber puck under control.
If you're a goalie, you have to deal with 90+ mph shots, some reaching nearly 110 mph, as well as sometimes having your vision blocked by opponents. Not to mention all the times someone has caught a skate blade in the neck and nearly bled out.

How is swimming harder than this? Hockey requires incredible strength. The durability you need, along with the finesse to shoot and pass accurately, is incredible. I play high school hockey and practice is every day.
Before you even think about checking or shooting, you need to skate well. You have to go forward, backward, side to side, and you need to skate very fast, all while trying to control a puck and not get killed.
Rugby

Rugby league football, usually called rugby league, league, rugby, or football, is a full-contact sport played by two teams of thirteen players on a rectangular field.
It originated in Northern England in the late 19th century and is distinct from rugby union in rules and gameplay. Rugby league... read more

It is a beautiful combination of elegance and speed, and brutality and strength. Top-level athletes train like Olympic sprinters, lift like Olympic lifters, and are capable of taking the force equivalent of being hit by a small car multiple times in a match.

Rugby involves strength, endurance, speed, agility, knowledge, and so much more in order to be successful in the game. Not to mention the extreme amount of injuries and concussions many players end up playing through.

Soccer is not demanding at all! Soccer is full of all these tryhards that think they are so good. Rugby is way better because it's more entertaining, physical, and more unpredictable. In soccer, all you do is pass the ball back and forth for 90 minutes.
Wrestling

Wrestling is a combat sport involving grappling-type techniques such as clinch fighting, throws and takedowns, joint locks, pins, and other grappling holds.
There are different styles including freestyle, Greco-Roman, and professional wrestling. Olympic wrestling focuses on freestyle and Greco-Roman... read more

As a high school wrestler myself, I can tell you that wrestling is definitely the hardest sport you can get yourself into. I understand how Motocross can be very intense and cause a lot of adrenaline, and swimming requires a lot of conditioning and hard work on your body. However, I can tell you right now why I believe wrestling is so much harder and should be number one.
To start off with wrestling, there is the common saying that most young people say nowadays which would be that wrestling is gay. I won't deny it does get kind of weird at times in certain positions, but like my coach says, "Don't make it gay." But anyways, just to clear the air.
Wrestling is one of the sports where you have to manage your weight the most. I know wrestling isn't the only sport in which you have to manage your weight obviously, but this is the least of it, and to be honest, it's not that easy especially when you are trying to go down in weight or cut weight which can be so physically enduring. During the season, I was off weight by .4 pounds and my coach made me work so hard that I had lost almost 2 pounds in 20 minutes.
Now obviously, different people in wrestling may have different opinions on difficulty, but at the high school I go to, the exercise we are put through could be considered torture. They make us do sprints until we literally cry, and I can't even tell you how many times the coaches have worked us so hard we puked.
Then, people may say, "Oh well, the matches are only like 3 or 6 minutes so it's not that hard." Well guess what, it's a lot more complex than that. First of all, you are literally throwing around someone of your weight and that takes a lot of strength, which is why when you see wrestlers in the Olympics or just any wrestler in around the 130-150 pound weight class, they are pretty shredded. If you need an example of a really big guy in wrestling, look up Brock Lesnar.... read more
Soccer

Association football, more commonly known as football or soccer, is a sport played between two teams of eleven players each. It is played with a spherical ball. The objective is to score goals by getting the ball into the opposing team's net. Soccer is the most popular sport globally, governed by FIFA... read more

As a player for my school soccer team, I have had to pull through a lot of tough stuff. When a player receives the ball, they have 0.5 seconds to figure out their best passing option. This forces a ton of mental strain, not to mention the fact that one wrong move, and you could screw up the game.
Another reason this is, in my opinion, the most demanding sport is the fact that when a player has a breakaway, they must run as fast as they possibly can, covering an average of about 20 yards in 4 to 5 seconds on my team. During practices, coaches like to work on their players' core and upper body. This includes around 50 push-ups for us, 30 sit-ups, and 2-minute wall-sits after all training. This also plays a big factor in the reason that most teams have super tough try-outs and practices.

The Newcomers

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Volleyball

Volleyball is a team sport in which two teams of six players are separated by a net. Each team tries to score points by grounding a ball on the other team's court under organized rules.
It is played both indoors and on sand, with beach volleyball being an Olympic event since 1996.

In Volleyball you are always practicing. You have to do whatever it takes to get the ball. Go to a hard gym floor, jump in the air and belleyflop onto the floor. In volleyball season all good players have bumps and bruises on their arms, shins, legs, faces even. You have to stop a ball that is going 85Mph with whatever body part you can get to it. Everybody thinks volleyball isn't a sport, but you won't say that after a day in Practice.
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Sailing

Sailing combines physical endurance and strategic thinking that is dependent on ever-changing weather conditions. Other sports are almost entirely about physical conditioning. Sailing is strategy, knowledge, agility, and strength all rolled into one sport.

Though I am biased because I am a sailor myself, sailing is not given enough credit. Some boats will really push you to the limit, and if you're at a high standard, sailing isn't just a hobby or a sport - it is a way of life.
Seven days a week, you're in the gym and out on the water.

The Contenders

Triathlon

To do this sport, one has to also do two of the others on the list and then run on top of that. The only power comes from you, the athlete. No motor on the bike. Longer races require sustaining high effort levels for hours on end. No 5, 10, or even 30-minute effort and done.

You must train like a swimmer and train for distance running - equally as hard as swimming - and bike on top of it. You must be an expert in 3 areas. Nothing, I mean nothing, compares to the fitness of a triathlon athlete! How many swimmers can run? Very few.

Having trained for many sports and then adapting to triathlon, this is by far the toughest. I raced Ironman 70.3 in 2014, Full Ironman Zurich in 2015, and now training for Ironman Maastricht in 2016 - it is so hard and so demanding. The time and commitment is insane. I now look back at when I trained for just a marathon, and it seems so easy compared to multi-discipline sports.
Cross Country

In my mind, cross country is one of the hardest sports around, not football, not soccer, not basketball. None of those add up to cross country. It's not only a physical state but a mental state too. I'm just starting my freshman year and I've run in junior varsity but a 5k.
I really realized that point in your life when you've been running for 2 miles in a meet and you're coming up on the finish and you realize you don't feel anything, nothing at all. At that point, the last 100 yards to go, you dig down deep and push as hard as you can. That moment, nothing matters but finishing, you can hear the screams of the crowds.
Peace, that's peace. It's like you're gliding over the course, peace. That's the best part of running and few people know how it feels but when you do know how it feels, you know. No matter how much the football players talk trash, you know they have no clue what hard is until they run with you.
Rowing

Rowers cross their aerobic threshold within the first 20 strokes of the race. Then they have 200 more strokes to go. A typical top-level crew will train 600-800 hours a year for a 6-minute race. At the end of a race, if you can get out of the boat then you didn't race hard enough.
People think rowing is poetic, but they're wrong. Rowing is not poetic. Inside the boat, each rower is pushing him or herself to the point of passing out and poetic movements are the last thing on their minds. The only thing each rower wants is to put their opponent in so much pain that they give up and quit. That is how a rowing race is won - enduring more pain than your opponent and not giving up. This endurance of pain is what makes rowing the most demanding sport.
Pole Vault

You just don't know how hard it is until you hit 15' and above. Anything lower than 15' I can see it being number 10 or below. But anything higher than 15' should be in top 3. The mental game is crazy, weather is a jerk 9/10 times, when you fall it hurts. A lot, and you fall a lot trying to get on bigger and longer poles. Plus it's a complete full body workout.

Requires incredible upper body strength, core strength, speed and balance. This is hands down the hardest sport, but probably will not win the vote because so few people understand it. Those who do will agree with me.
Cycling

Cycling is not a finish-and-get-a-medal sport. You only glory with a podium. It's not an entry-level sport like triathlons. Even the beginner class or category 5 is legitimate and you have to be very fit just to not get dropped at that level. The advancement system beyond category 5 ensures that each class only has guys that had success in the previous group so the difficulty at each step up increases dramatically.
It's not like a triathlete that is going for a personal best and tends to be weak except for the elite level guys. Cycling is full of strategy and structure and requires in-depth training even to be a beginner.

Cycling should be ranked higher. I transitioned from martial arts to downhill mountain bike racing. My saving grace was the level of fitness from karate. However, I soon learned there was a lot more work involved. I was on my bike an average of 4 to 6 hours a day. Training was any combination of riding trails with jumps to hitting the gym for 2 to 3 hours.
Sprints were the hardest: 45 seconds of riding as fast as you could from a standstill. The goal was to do as many as you could. The races, specifically downhill, are usually two and a half to eight minutes long. The format is simple: you take a lift to the top of a mountain with your bike. The course is pre-marked (you usually have a day or two of practice) with a timer at the start gate up top and another timer at the finish at the bottom. The rider with the fastest or least amount of time wins.
Here's the catch: any obstacle can be found on the course, from small bridges and drops to long, rocky sections and jumps the size of buses. Of course, speed is key. The faster you go, the less time you're on the course. At the World Cup level, racers can reach speeds over 40 mph. To say you have to be mentally and physically fit is an understatement.
Most professional athletes miss an inning or a game if they pull a muscle or break a finger. Downhill racers have won races with broken hands, collarbones, and ribs.
Skiing

Skiing can function as a practical mode of transportation in snowy regions. It is also enjoyed as a recreational pastime that allows individuals to explore winter landscapes. Additionally, skiing is a popular competitive winter sport in which participants race downhill or perform acrobatic routines on... read more

So. Someone thinks that motocross is hard because "pro races are 30min plus with your heart rate ranging from a low of 165 and max of 200 or maybe even more depending on the rider". Geez, would hate to see these guys suffer on my ski tracks. XC ski races range in time from 2min to 2hrs and that's pretty much flat out the entire time. This is the sport that results in the athletes with the highest VO2 Maxes (this is THE indicator or aerobic fitness). And guess what, while we don't get breaks either in the middle of our races, we also don't get a gasoline-filled engine to propel us. Some people, I tell ya.

How the hell are golf and darts ahead of XC skiing? And what is "snooker"? Just look at the finish line at any serious ski race and examine what you see. Watch everyone collapse to the ground in pain after skiing their heart out for up to two hours depending on the race. You'll never see anything like that in any other sport.
Skiers have to go out in blistering cold, insane winds, storms, etc. no matter what. I know because I ski competitively and I'd like to see any golfer, darts player or hell even basketball or hockey player do what we do on a regular basis. I'd like to see them ski a 15k classic mass start with 90+ racers and 100km/hr winds. I'd like to see them do a two hour interval workout in -30 Celsius. If you want to challenge your strength and endurance to the extreme, look no further than this sport.
Dance

The strength of a football player (times 100, because half of that "muscle" is fat). The agility and flexibility of a gymnast (times 2). The endurance of every sport times 10.
With the effortless smile.
Oh yeah, plus pointe shoes.
I take ballet, and it is the hardest thing I have ever done. I'm sure it will be the hardest thing I ever do. It's not just physically demanding. It's also about how hard you have to work to get everything perfect. And you can never be perfect either. There's always something in at least one category that you could improve. You can always do better. Even though it isn't officially a sport, I'm always competing to be the best version of myself. In that area, I consider it a sport because it deserves to be one.
Dancers, at least ballet dancers, have to practice on a very intense training schedule. It really is physically challenging. I know cheerleading is probably somewhere up there, and I'm sure gymnastics is too.
No.
Just try every one of those moves, with only small differences. Some ballet moves are even harder. Then do everything perfectly. Relax what you have to relax. Use the right muscles in the right ways. Pull the hips under. Keep your eyes in the direction of your head. I could say a million other things, and that might be literally true.
If you're on pointe, you're balancing your entire body weight on the small tip of two toes, one big toe on each foot. Now do it on one foot.
Now do it on one foot with the other leg high in the air.
Now do it on one foot with the other leg high in the air, turning.
Now do it on one foot with the other leg high in the air, turning really fast over and over.
Now do it on one foot with the other leg high in the air, turning really fast over and over, balanced on a guy's head.... read more
Skateboarding

Skateboarding is an action sport that involves riding and performing tricks using a skateboard. It is also considered a recreational activity, an art form, a profession, and a method of transportation. Skateboarding originated in the United States in the 1940s and 1950s and has grown into a global culture... read more

You can never master skateboarding because the amount of skills, tricks, and spots are endless. There is so much more to it than standing, pushing, and jumping. People think skateboarding is simple. It's about timing, skill, balance, consistency, and skateboarding is so technical. You need a big set of courage to skate big gaps, take leaps, and face fears. Skateboarding should be ranked much higher than 25th.

There are so many technicalities, and you have to get everything perfect, or you're going to fall hard. You need balance, consistency, board control, and a lot of courage.
Speed Skating

Speed skating requires very demanding and intense training. I know this being a former speed skater. Plus, you fall on the ice and that hurts, and you can easily get cut by your blades if you fall. Sliding into the wall hurts as well.
The training for speed skating on a national level is basically an everyday practice.

The leg and core strength needed to speed skate is insane. Couple that with the endurance needed and all the training for correct form to use all that leg strength. It's intense throwing yourself on the edge of a skate, leaning against gravity while rocketing through a corner.
Olympic Weightlifting
Tennis

Tennis is a racket sport that can be played individually against a single opponent or between two teams of two players each.
Matches are played on various surfaces such as grass, clay, or hard court, each affecting gameplay differently. It is a globally popular sport with major tournaments including... read more

I also play for multiple hours nonstop, and people don't realize how much it can take out of you.
Scoring is crucial. If you don't know the score, then you're done for. You've already lost the match. The same goes for strokes. If you don't have them down, you're done. And if you're behind, you have to find a way to get yourself out of it on your own because you have no one out on the court with you, unless you play doubles with a partner. But still, if you can't get yourself hyped up, then you'll go down and lose. And lose.

Tennis is the most demanding sport. I am only 14 and take all AP classes. While doing this, I train up to 40 hours a week including mental and physical training. The gym and running are a must, and my diet is completely revolved around tennis.
Every weekend, I am shoved into a sectional or national tournament with 5AM warm-ups and up to 5 matches a day. I have been doing this for 10 years and am still only at the level to play college. Tennis requires movement, endurance, coordination, and extreme strategic skill.
Wakeboarding
Football

American football is a sport played by two teams of eleven players on a rectangular field with goalposts at each end. The game involves advancing the ball into the opposing team's end zone to score points. It is most popular in the United States, with the NFL being the top professional league.

I would love for some of you to play football. It's a lot harder than people think. It hurts. It's tough. It's hard. It's demanding. You have to lift to help you. You have to know all the plays. If you're a lineman, you have to know all the plays and like 4 different positions and ways for each play. Running backs, wide receivers, and quarterbacks get hit all the time. Just because they have pads on doesn't mean it doesn't hurt.

This is an extremely demanding sport because of the mental and physical toughness required to play it. As a player, I can tell you this. A) It's extremely hot. Under all of the pads, especially upper body, and on a hot day, the oxygen you intake seems to turn to pure heat. B) It's rough. Football is not a sport for the weak and faint-hearted. C) It's exhausting. Though there is a break in between plays, when the ball is actually in play, it is physically and mentally agonizing.
Climbing

Rock climbing is a very vigorous and physically demanding sport. You must have tremendous strength, particularly in the back, shoulders, hips, and arms. Of course, some climbers may not realize that being mentally prepared is just as important.
For instance, you must have full body awareness, such as knowing where your feet and hands are before you make your next move. Also, you must be able to focus on recurring challenges while trying to maintain your balance and get into the perfect position for your next move. And all this for up to 8-10 hours a day when on tour.

Whether it's Mount Everest or the local climbing gym, there is always a challenge. Climbing takes endurance, strength, and mental focus. When most people first start climbing, they usually get worn out within the first 2 hours because it's such a demanding sport.
Snocross

This category should be with motocross. It takes a lot of endurance and strength to hold on to those machines at top speeds, hitting jumps and half the time you can't see where you are going with snow blinding the riders.

Snocross should certainly be in the same category as motocross, ranked number one. Athletes train the same, and during racing, the stamina and physical demand are the same, if not more.

I agree, Snocross is just as demanding as Motocross and should be included with Motocross as the most demanding sport.