# Which Sport Requires The Most Coordination? **URL:** \ **Category:** The Game Room\ **Created:** [November 27, 2021, 1:57am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/which-sport-requires-the-most-coordination/955005 "2021-11-27T01:57:52Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![Robot\_Arm](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/robot_arm/32/18280_2.png) [@Robot\_Arm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Robot_Arm)\ **Post date:** [November 27, 2021, 3:57am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/which-sport-requires-the-most-coordination/955005/21 "2021-11-27T03:57:17Z")
> [@Northern\_Piper](#): > > Wearing a teflon slider on your lead foot, sliding on ice while pushing hard and fast regularly with your other foot, while sweeping hard using both arms, while keeping up with the swept rock and avoiding touching any rocks, in tandem with your fellow sweeper who’s doing the same thing, but with a different dominant lead foot, and not bumping into that player. I wear my gripper while I’m sweeping, which makes it a bit easier, and that does seem to be more common in four-person curling. Mixed doubles players often sweep their own shot, which ups the coordination a bit. > [@Northern\_Piper](#): > > …lifting the 40+ lb rock in your dominant hand behind you and bringing it down and forward to launch your slide on your non-dominant foot,… That’s old school. You still see a few players do it that way, but it’s much more common to shift your body weight back-and-forth and leave the stone flat on the ice. That’s the way I teach it. I’m a curler, and I think I’d give the nod to basketball as requiring more coordination. Dribbling a ball while running, footsteps and bounces not in sync, and change speed and direction, is tougher to me than sliding and sweeping. ---
**Author:** ![snfaulkner](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/snfaulkner/32/433_2.png) [@snfaulkner](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/snfaulkner)\ **Post date:** [November 27, 2021, 4:31am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/which-sport-requires-the-most-coordination/955005/22 "2021-11-27T04:31:52Z")
I’m going to second racing, especially F1. Not only can you die from one slight fuckup, but so could dozens of others. Close contenders, gymnastics and martial artists. ---
**Author:** ![needscoffee](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/needscoffee/32/1076_2.png) [@needscoffee](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/needscoffee)\ **Post date:** [November 27, 2021, 7:02am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/which-sport-requires-the-most-coordination/955005/23 "2021-11-27T07:02:22Z")
Try walking across a balance beam (it’s 4 whole inches wide). Now try walking _backwards_ on a balance beam. Now try doing a back somersault. Now try doing a back handspring. Now try doing a back flip. Now try doing a back flip with a twist. Or two. I rest my case. ---
**Author:** ![Mean\_Mr.Mustard](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mean_mr.mustard/32/3865_2.png) [@Mean\_Mr.Mustard](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mean_Mr.Mustard)\ **Post date:** [November 27, 2021, 11:10am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/which-sport-requires-the-most-coordination/955005/24 "2021-11-27T11:10:25Z")
> [@snfaulkner](#): > > I’m going to second racing, especially F1. Not only can you die from one slight fuckup, but so could dozens of others… I don’t think that the intensity of the results of potential fuckups figure into how coordinated you must be to excel at a sport. That’s comparing apples and bananas. Put me in the ice hockey camp. Or perhaps gymnastics. mmm ---
**Author:** ![Smapti](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/smapti/32/17938_2.png) [@Smapti](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Smapti)\ **Post date:** [November 27, 2021, 11:46am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/which-sport-requires-the-most-coordination/955005/25 "2021-11-27T11:46:09Z")
Polo comes to mind. You need all the same skills as any other ball-and-stick game and you have to control a half-ton animal at the same time. ---
**Author:** ![commasense](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/commasense/32/3017_2.png) [@commasense](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/commasense)\ **Post date:** [November 27, 2021, 1:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/which-sport-requires-the-most-coordination/955005/26 "2021-11-27T13:59:10Z")
> [@Mean\_Mr.Mustard](#): > > I don’t think that the intensity of the results of potential fuckups figure into how coordinated you must be to excel at a sport. That’s comparing apples and bananas. > > Put me in the ice hockey camp. Or perhaps gymnastics. For the record, although I mentioned the risks of motor sports, I didn’t cite them as an argument for answering the OP. I’m still interested in a definition of “coordination” that can help us determine that answer. Without it, it could be that we’re mostly just naming our favorite sports. (I know I am.) ---
**Author:** ![Love\_Rhombus](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/love_rhombus/32/10694_2.png) [@Love\_Rhombus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Love_Rhombus)\ **Post date:** [November 27, 2021, 2:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/which-sport-requires-the-most-coordination/955005/27 "2021-11-27T14:09:29Z")
And then there’s [chessboxing](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chess_boxing). I just discovered it and wanted to share-doesn’t quite meet the thread idea, I suppose. ---
**Author:** ![Chronos](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chronos/32/134_2.png) [@Chronos](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chronos)\ **Post date:** [November 27, 2021, 2:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/which-sport-requires-the-most-coordination/955005/28 "2021-11-27T14:13:15Z")
[Moderating] I imagine you intended this for the Game Room, not Cafe Society? ---
**Author:** ![Dr\_Paprika](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dr_paprika/32/3042_2.png) [@Dr\_Paprika](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dr_Paprika)\ **Post date:** [November 27, 2021, 2:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/which-sport-requires-the-most-coordination/955005/29 "2021-11-27T14:18:38Z")
Likely so. Many thanks. There are many ways to define words, but since the goal is discussion and not lawyerly debate I don’t really want to further define terms where the general meaning is already well understood. ---
**Author:** ![Pardel-Lux](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/pardel-lux/32/20182_2.png) [@Pardel-Lux](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Pardel-Lux)\ **Post date:** [November 27, 2021, 2:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/which-sport-requires-the-most-coordination/955005/30 "2021-11-27T14:36:06Z")
Quidditch, hands down. And in real life, chess. You have to coördinate the action of up to 32 pieces simultaneously any of which could be a game winner any moment. ---
**Author:** ![Bullitt](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bullitt/32/5725_2.png) [@Bullitt](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bullitt)\ **Post date:** [November 27, 2021, 4:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/which-sport-requires-the-most-coordination/955005/31 "2021-11-27T16:21:19Z")
Almost everyone can drive a car. Almost nobody can slam dunk a basketball. ---
**Author:** ![kayaker](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kayaker/32/441_2.png) [@kayaker](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kayaker)\ **Post date:** [November 27, 2021, 4:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/which-sport-requires-the-most-coordination/955005/32 "2021-11-27T16:23:54Z")
No mention of darts? Being able to walk about and throw darts after consuming huge amounts of beer, there’s coordination. ---
**Author:** ![Pardel-Lux](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/pardel-lux/32/20182_2.png) [@Pardel-Lux](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Pardel-Lux)\ **Post date:** [November 27, 2021, 4:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/which-sport-requires-the-most-coordination/955005/33 "2021-11-27T16:34:36Z")
Is pinball still a thing in the USA? In my part of Europe there are almost no machines left, but that was coördination! ---
**Author:** ![Robot\_Arm](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/robot_arm/32/18280_2.png) [@Robot\_Arm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Robot_Arm)\ **Post date:** [November 27, 2021, 5:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/which-sport-requires-the-most-coordination/955005/34 "2021-11-27T17:33:12Z")
> [@kayaker](#): > > No mention of darts? Being able to walk about and throw darts after consuming huge amounts of beer, there’s coordination. [![](https://img.youtube.com/vi/vqxXNZcIdwM/hqdefault.jpg "Not the Nine O'Clock News (darts)") ](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vqxXNZcIdwM) ---
**Author:** ![John\_DiFool](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/john_difool/32/19543_2.png) [@John\_DiFool](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/John_DiFool)\ **Post date:** [November 27, 2021, 6:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/which-sport-requires-the-most-coordination/955005/35 "2021-11-27T18:00:00Z")
> [@Bullitt](#): > > Almost everyone can drive a car. Almost nobody can slam dunk a basketball. You can dunk easily if you have a trampoline or a short hoop. F1 drivers in addition to the finesse required need massive arm strength. ---
**Author:** ![Hampshire](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/hampshire/32/4887_2.png) [@Hampshire](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hampshire)\ **Post date:** [November 27, 2021, 6:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/which-sport-requires-the-most-coordination/955005/36 "2021-11-27T18:12:52Z")
> [@Bullitt](#): > > Almost everyone can drive a car. Almost nobody can slam dunk a basketball. Does that require coordination or just being really tall? We used to play basketball at the gradeschool playground cause the hoops were lower. Almost everybody could dunk. ---
**Author:** ![Dr\_Paprika](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dr_paprika/32/3042_2.png) [@Dr\_Paprika](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dr_Paprika)\ **Post date:** [November 27, 2021, 8:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/which-sport-requires-the-most-coordination/955005/37 "2021-11-27T20:02:30Z")
It is remarkable how few athletes at a high professional level are able to switch sports and remain so. Not only because of skills but because of the twitchiness of muscle itself - not many people are great at both running long distance and powerlifting. So I would add decathlon to the list. Myself, I used to be a fast runner but am now muscle bound and slow. And I don’t want to brag, but perhaps one indication of athleticism is how many other people you beat. In my _very first_ race, I did really well, beating out over _300 million_ competitors. No longer a sperm, I’ve been unable to match that in recent times, sadly. ---
**Author:** ![snfaulkner](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/snfaulkner/32/433_2.png) [@snfaulkner](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/snfaulkner)\ **Post date:** [November 28, 2021, 12:48am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/which-sport-requires-the-most-coordination/955005/38 "2021-11-28T00:48:53Z")
Hundreds of thousands, if not millions of ppl can slam dunk a ball. Only 20 ppl can race in F1. Maybe a few dozen more are even qualified to race competitively. ---
**Author:** ![lum\_s\_husband](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lum_s_husband/32/3698_2.png) [@lum\_s\_husband](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/lum_s_husband)\ **Post date:** [November 28, 2021, 2:29am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/which-sport-requires-the-most-coordination/955005/39 "2021-11-28T02:29:56Z")
Coordinating funding is a kind of coordination, I guess. ---
**Author:** ![RickJay](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/bb73d2/32.png) [@RickJay](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RickJay)\ **Post date:** [November 28, 2021, 10:21am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/which-sport-requires-the-most-coordination/955005/40 "2021-11-28T10:21:58Z")
> [@Northern\_Piper](#): > > Plus, the batter is using both hands to do the same thing, swing the bat, and is not moving - both feet are firmly planted. You don’t keep both your feet planted through a baseball swing. Yes, curling requires coordination, but come on, it’s not even the most demanding sport on ice. Figure skaters do things that are jaw-droppingly precise and cordinated. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/which-sport-requires-the-most-coordination/955005.md?page=1) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/which-sport-requires-the-most-coordination/955005.md?page=3)