Motocross is easy

JW381
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Edited Date/Time 2/11/2012 7:03am
http://www.vitalmx.com/videos/member/For-people-who-say-Motocross-is-ea…

I'm sure most of you saw this vid on the front page. I've played a lot of sports, and while motocross is not easy by any means, other sports are hard as hell too. And there are other sports I haven't tried that I'm sure I wouldn't last more than a minute or two. MMA and hockey come to mind.

But my main point is that there seems to be two different arguments mixed into one here. When people say it's the hardest, most physically demanding sport in the world, what exactly do they mean? At the pro level, the amateur level, or in general? I'd say without a doubt local motocross is much harder than high school football, but in that sense we're talking about average athletes. Move to NFL vs AMA, and the argument changes, because I would much rather try to gut out 30 minutes at Southwick, than go to battle against a bunch of violent monsters of men. If motocross is the hardest sport on earth, does that mean that Ryan Villopoto is a better athlete than LeBron James?

Keep in mind, I know for a fact that motocross is hard, both mentally and physically. It was so difficult, that I was hardly able to do it, and I'm an alright athlete. But I've played football, basketball, soccer, and golf, and they're all insanely difficult and/or exhausting in their own rights as well.
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ocscottie
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2/8/2012 2:49pm
That vid is fully BLOWING up on the homepage.
JW381
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2/8/2012 2:55pm
It's a great video, and I shared it on my facebook wall for sure haha. Not trying to take away from a cool vid, all tho I'm sure I am.

I've just seen more than a few people make arguments as to how hard it is, and while they're usually arguing out of defense, they're also gravely undermining how difficult other sports are. I always hear "yeah, well you try and do a 40 minute moto with braking bumps and mid-day heat." Well that's pro motocross, the person saying it can't do it either. Pro hockey or football or basketball or soccer would also leave you feeling like a lepper.
EvanR127
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2/8/2012 3:05pm Edited Date/Time 2/8/2012 3:05pm
IMO basket ball and football are a game on gene's. You don't have the right genes, ts unlikely u will make it.

MX is all about skill and determination

The only athletics in MX is cardio which any body type can do, so u are right lebron is an overall better athlete than RV

IMO mx is all skill not what body type u were born with, which makes it a harder sport.
Grieby54
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2/8/2012 3:06pm Edited Date/Time 2/8/2012 3:15pm
JW381 wrote:
http://www.vitalmx.com/videos/member/For-people-who-say-Motocross-is-easy,5412/www-toofastfilms-com,23566 I'm sure most of you saw this vid on the front page. I've played a lot of sports, and while motocross is not easy by...
http://www.vitalmx.com/videos/member/For-people-who-say-Motocross-is-ea…

I'm sure most of you saw this vid on the front page. I've played a lot of sports, and while motocross is not easy by any means, other sports are hard as hell too. And there are other sports I haven't tried that I'm sure I wouldn't last more than a minute or two. MMA and hockey come to mind.

But my main point is that there seems to be two different arguments mixed into one here. When people say it's the hardest, most physically demanding sport in the world, what exactly do they mean? At the pro level, the amateur level, or in general? I'd say without a doubt local motocross is much harder than high school football, but in that sense we're talking about average athletes. Move to NFL vs AMA, and the argument changes, because I would much rather try to gut out 30 minutes at Southwick, than go to battle against a bunch of violent monsters of men. If motocross is the hardest sport on earth, does that mean that Ryan Villopoto is a better athlete than LeBron James?

Keep in mind, I know for a fact that motocross is hard, both mentally and physically. It was so difficult, that I was hardly able to do it, and I'm an alright athlete. But I've played football, basketball, soccer, and golf, and they're all insanely difficult and/or exhausting in their own rights as well.
I think I'd rather go out and run into someone for 4 seconds at a time with 20 second breaks in between than run Southwick for 35 minutes twice. You're comparing over an hour of racing with one break in the middle to an hour of football with countless breaks throughout the game, two small breaks for the end of the 1st and 3rd quarters, and a large break in the middle for halftime.

Which one do you think is harder? Full on sprint for 35 minutes at a time man-handling well over 200 lbs the whole time, or a bunch of little sprints for 4-5 seconds at a time with 15-20 second breaks in between? I'm not saying that I could do either one, but I am saying it's pretty easy to decide which sport requires more fitness.

Edit: The above comparison is if you were playing on BOTH sides of the ball. Factor in that the players either play only offense or defense and you're only looking at a total of half an hour of play time give or take with a bunch of breaks in the middle (not just for huddles, but for your offense/defense to take the field).

The Shop

ocscottie
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2/8/2012 3:09pm
Grieby, also have to factor in that the offense in an NFL game, ave on field time is only around 30min. and the breaks are actually longer than the plays. It is just a case of apples to oranges.
Grieby54
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2/8/2012 3:13pm
ocscottie wrote:
Grieby, also have to factor in that the offense in an NFL game, ave on field time is only around 30min. and the breaks are actually...
Grieby, also have to factor in that the offense in an NFL game, ave on field time is only around 30min. and the breaks are actually longer than the plays. It is just a case of apples to oranges.
That's a very good point - I hadn't even thought about that. It is apples to oranges, but coming to the realization that the players are only doing about 30 minutes of play time with TONS of breaks in between really shows the MX blows them out of the water.
ocscottie
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2/8/2012 3:17pm
ocscottie wrote:
Grieby, also have to factor in that the offense in an NFL game, ave on field time is only around 30min. and the breaks are actually...
Grieby, also have to factor in that the offense in an NFL game, ave on field time is only around 30min. and the breaks are actually longer than the plays. It is just a case of apples to oranges.
Grieby54 wrote:
That's a very good point - I hadn't even thought about that. It is apples to oranges, but coming to the realization that the players are...
That's a very good point - I hadn't even thought about that. It is apples to oranges, but coming to the realization that the players are only doing about 30 minutes of play time with TONS of breaks in between really shows the MX blows them out of the water.
OK that takes NFL out of the running (pun intended lol) How about the NBA? those BIG ass dudes haul themselves up and down the court and play like 5 games a week! that is some cardio for sure.
bama205
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2/8/2012 3:22pm
Would RV, on a team with several other great basketball players (or any sport) have a better chance of winning an NBA title with a team, or would Lebron James have a better chance of winning an AMA title?

LOL

because of the teams issue, its almost apples to oranges
JW381
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2/8/2012 3:29pm
The breaks in NFL games are a good point and all, but you can't leave out mention of how huge those players are and how physical that game is. Who cares if it's only 10 seconds a play, in that 10 seconds, you may get hit by a fucking Mack truck of guy. You're telling me you're gonna hurt more after two 35 minute motos than at the end of an NFL game? Again, my point is that people make the argument in general terms, mixing professional and amateur sports into one broad statement. Sure, professional motocross is more grueling than any level of football any one of us average Joes has played, but why is that the argument? My experience is that gifted athletes can get their bodies to do anything, so LeBron would have a much easier time transition to a life of full-time moto, where as Villopoto would not be able to cope with the NBA game.
stangkag
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2/8/2012 3:37pm
I think RV could be on a basketball team and if they as a group were a good team they could win a championship, because its a team sport and you can feed off of your teamates when your having a shitty day or if you happen to just suck. However you could put Lebron James on ANY mx bike and he would never be capable of winning an AMA title. So thats one of many points I could make about MX being a harder sport than basketball etc. The cardio RV JS and CR have is NOTHING close to the type of cardio needed to run up a court back and forth because theres plenty of chances to take a breather when you get to the hoop or your coach pulls your ass off the court. I just dont see how its even a question, I appreciate and respect professional athletes in all kinds of sports but as far as physically demanding sports goes MX takes the cake in my eyes... Your results reflect what YOU did that day not your TEAMS... There are no penalties timeouts or plays under review


ok, im off my soap box haha sorry bout the afore mentioned
peelout
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2/8/2012 3:38pm
motorcross is way easy, i think i'll take up freestyle, a man's sport.

cordovas and can-cans are serious business
Frodad78
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2/8/2012 3:41pm
You might get hit by a Mack truck, or if you're a quarterback you have rules designed to keep you from getting hit and hurt. I'd rather get crushed by James Harrison than deal with what happend to Trey Canard. The Danger aspect in MX is so much higher..

Also how many 30 year olds (K-Dub exception) can hang at the top level in Professional MX? The sport is so grueling that you only have so many years until your body just physically can't hang anymore.

How many 30+ players do we see in Football, basketball, baseball, quite a few I think. Kobe is in his 30s and still on top of his game. How many 30+ riders do we see lining up for the Main for a National?
stangkag
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2/8/2012 3:43pm
Whens the last time we seen a NBA player fracture vertabrae, get a cuncushion, broken femur, have there mouth wired shut the list goes on and on.
NeWskoolmxer
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2/8/2012 3:43pm Edited Date/Time 2/8/2012 3:43pm
Toughest sport physically? no. Mentally and hardest to master? you bet your ass.
jtomasik
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2/8/2012 3:44pm
peelout wrote:
motorcross is way easy, i think i'll take up freestyle, a man's sport.

cordovas and can-cans are serious business
It's called Freestyle Motocross.

Get it straight.
JW381
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2/8/2012 3:45pm
Toughest sport physically? no. Mentally and hardest to master? you bet your ass.
Disagree to the fullest.
rmz361
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2/8/2012 3:47pm
JW381 I like your argument. I think everyone on here talks from an amateur point of view. Professional level is kind of fun to think about.

Who is a better athlete between Lebron James and RV2? Each have their own strengths. Basketball is a much more "I have God given abilities" type of sport. If Lebron James was 5'9" with all the same abilities would he be an NBA all star? Nope, he would be lucky to make it out of college ball.

Thats just one example. MX is definitely a sport that takes hard work, but all sports do in a way. While a MX rider practices functional long lasting muscles and lungs, a football player trains his whole life on short burst exercises and tries to bulk up his strength.

I know I am, and always will be one of those guys who says MX is one of the hardest sports in the World. I played both football and basketball in high school, and they felt like a breeze compared to racing MX during the summer. My football coach would always ask why I would waste my summer racing MX when I could be training with the team getting ready for the next season. It was always fun coming back in better shape than the rest of the team during 2-a-days.

The combination of strength, stamina, determination, and brains is unlike any other sport imo.
JW381
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2/8/2012 3:49pm
rmz361 wrote:
JW381 I like your argument. I think everyone on here talks from an amateur point of view. Professional level is kind of fun to think about...
JW381 I like your argument. I think everyone on here talks from an amateur point of view. Professional level is kind of fun to think about.

Who is a better athlete between Lebron James and RV2? Each have their own strengths. Basketball is a much more "I have God given abilities" type of sport. If Lebron James was 5'9" with all the same abilities would he be an NBA all star? Nope, he would be lucky to make it out of college ball.

Thats just one example. MX is definitely a sport that takes hard work, but all sports do in a way. While a MX rider practices functional long lasting muscles and lungs, a football player trains his whole life on short burst exercises and tries to bulk up his strength.

I know I am, and always will be one of those guys who says MX is one of the hardest sports in the World. I played both football and basketball in high school, and they felt like a breeze compared to racing MX during the summer. My football coach would always ask why I would waste my summer racing MX when I could be training with the team getting ready for the next season. It was always fun coming back in better shape than the rest of the team during 2-a-days.

The combination of strength, stamina, determination, and brains is unlike any other sport imo.
Thank you for the well-rounded response. I agree that it's harder than mostly any day I had on the football field or the hardwood court. Just trying to broaden the argument a little.
ocscottie
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2/8/2012 3:59pm
If anything, at least it gives us some quality forum banter Cool
JW381
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2/8/2012 4:02pm
ocscottie wrote:
If anything, at least it gives us some quality forum banter Cool
STEWART SUCKS!!
Sherman94
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2/8/2012 4:06pm Edited Date/Time 2/8/2012 4:06pm
i played hockey for a good while and was on the verge of becoming pro (im 17yrs old) then i switched to mx and in my opinion mx is the tougher sport of the two.. but that also could be because i was in great shape when i played hockey and am now in not so great shape racing... just my opinion
ak23
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2/8/2012 4:11pm
I believe I heard that in a motocross race , ones heart rate is the highest for the longest amount of time. Other than long distance running and bicycling . Now throw on top of it larroccos leap , millville whoops and 40 other machines
JW381
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2/8/2012 4:11pm
Sherman94 wrote:
i played hockey for a good while and was on the verge of becoming pro (im 17yrs old) then i switched to mx and in my...
i played hockey for a good while and was on the verge of becoming pro (im 17yrs old) then i switched to mx and in my opinion mx is the tougher sport of the two.. but that also could be because i was in great shape when i played hockey and am now in not so great shape racing... just my opinion
Also, if you were good enough to go pro, that means you had more than likely been playing it for many years. So that would definitely make the new sport seem harder, regardless of what it was.
Greg903
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2/8/2012 4:28pm
Cooridination And kahonas are a must in motocross. Not so much to be a lineman in nfl.
Ing
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2/8/2012 4:29pm
MX is simple. Just sit on the seat and twist the throttle. You really should have known.
peelout
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2/8/2012 5:06pm
Greg903 wrote:
Cooridination And kahonas are a must in motocross. Not so much to be a lineman in nfl.
tell that to a lineman that has 5 false starts/offsides and costs the Wildcard game to go to the playoffs
mx196
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2/8/2012 5:28pm Edited Date/Time 2/8/2012 5:31pm
It all depends on how much effort you put into every sport. Everybody has a little extra left in the tank. Whether it be running harder and faster, punching harder, throwing faster etc, or riding harder. I do disagree however with the saying that mx is equivalent to running full sprint for 30 minutes as Emig said last weekend...running at a full all out sprint would redline you in about a minute probably
the_wood109
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2/8/2012 5:35pm Edited Date/Time 2/8/2012 5:36pm
When I started driving, I used to take my buddies from high school riding with me because I didn't have many people to ride with. In Millville, NJ there was a whooped out sand track just out in the middle of the quarry.

The star half back from my high school was a good friend of mine, so I took him out there to ride. The kid was in great shape at the time, but after he got the hang of riding the bike, I made him do motos on that rough ass track.

Needless to say, the dude couldn't even move the next day, and it was quite a show and tell for the sport of motocross. I pushed him a little more than I probably should have, but nobody got hurt and I wanted him to experience what it was like.

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