Help settle dispute on athleticism...

[Ronin13]

Zero Theory-
While I have to say that was a very well thought out and logical argument- I will state this: One an 8mi run at a 6min/mi pace, I would say that for endurance, strength and stamina both a top level hockey player and top level basketball player would be evenly matched. On a cross compatibility test (meaning they each do common exercises the other sport does) the hockey player would be able to dribble, jog, sprint, walk, and pass without issues. However, the basketball player, if we assume he is capable of skating, would probably have problems at the end of what we hockey players call "an unusually long shift." That, my friend, is where I would place the hockey player on a higher level of athletic ability. Remember, both are conditioned similarly, but most often people will use the short-shift cop out, only because they don't understand that one, 20-min period of "short" shifts at a higher level of intensity is much more exhaustive than one half of basketball play time. And I know this because I've done both, and find hockey to be quite noticeably more athletically demanding.

[MarkCO]

Zero Theory-
While I have to say that was a very well thought out and logical argument- I will state this: One an 8mi run at a 6min/mi pace, I would say that for endurance, strength and stamina both a top level hockey player and top level basketball player would be evenly matched. On a cross compatibility test (meaning they each do common exercises the other sport does) the hockey player would be able to dribble, jog, sprint, walk, and pass without issues. However, the basketball player, if we assume he is capable of skating, would probably have problems at the end of what we hockey players call "an unusually long shift." That, my friend, is where I would place the hockey player on a higher level of athletic ability. Remember, both are conditioned similarly, but most often people will use the short-shift cop out, only because they don't understand that one, 20-min period of "short" shifts at a higher level of intensity is much more exhaustive than one half of basketball play time. And I know this because I've done both, and find hockey to be quite noticeably more athletically demanding.

Yeah, but realize that one test that tested athlete's from all sports from a Div 1 school concluded that Baseball was overall the hardest sport. The top athletes from other sports fared miserably at baseball while the baseball players did very well at the other sports. Add to the mix that the best baseball players skip college and go straight to minor league teams not really hitting their prime until 28 while other sports prime out at about 23 to 24. Where's my monkey wrench.

[ZERO THEORY]

However, the basketball player, if we assume he is capable of skating, would probably have problems at the end of what we hockey players call "an unusually long shift." .

You do raise an interesting point here. However, I'd venture to say that the crossover plays both ways. A basketball player might struggle during a long shift, or be rudimentary at skating and stick skills, but the hockey player's in the same boat. He may be able to dribble, pass, and shoot, but only at the fundamental level as well. Hejduk isn't going to be able to drive to the basket on NBA players any better than Chris Paul is going to be able to crash the net against NHL players.

In keeping with my original cognitive and physical combo point from my previous post, look at that D. Rose video. He's making all the calculations I mentioned, getting airborne, then completely changing course and moving the ball in a different direction mid-flight. The amount of agility, speed, and plain ol' movement involved in one shooting play of his reads like a physiological scientist's wet dream. In hockey, a little bit of stickhandling and a feint before a shot is about as multifaceted as it gets during a single scoring attempt.