Of the 6 major sports, does basketball require the least amount of skill?

[NumberSix]

For me its baseball easily besides pitcher and catcher players really dont need to have stamina to play baseball you can be an outfielder and barely see the ball all game and then you bat like once every 3 innings... the toughest thing is hitting because the ball goes so fast that requires skill and development but once you got that down your all set

Stamina is not a skill

[Boston C's]

I've never played organized soccer. So from an ignorant outsider's perspective I'm wondering what skills are actually needed to play that game effectively apart from great footwork/ coordination?

Ive played soccer up to the college ranks and from a players perspective its like basketball except with your feet lol... thats the quickest way to sum it up for me

[Boston C's]

Stamina is not a skill

I understand that but for most sports you need stamina to compete effectively

[28renyoy]

let's look at it this way. a guy that's 7 feet tall walks into a gym. he has never played basketball before, but he has world class athleticism. do you think you could beat him 1 on 1?

[NumberSix]

After football, I'd say basketball. Seriously, there's some freakin' unbelievable scrubs in the NBA.

[lefthook00]

I've never played organized soccer. So from an ignorant outsider's perspective I'm wondering what skills are actually needed to play that game effectively apart from great footwork/ coordination?

You pretty much have to train your feet to have the same dexterity as your hands.

Basketball and soccer are similar, skillwise. Most players have the ability to play most of the positions. Soccer is pretty much basketball but with your feet and a goal instead of a basket.

Football as a whole requires so many different things that it has to be split up a bunch.

Baseball is more complicated than you think. It's a game of many situations.

Basically, the more players you have on the court, the more complicated the sport.

[cteach111]

After football, I'd say basketball. Seriously, there's some freakin' unbelievable scrubs in the NBA.

kinda true. i think its especially true of the center position. You can find some real bozos at that spot.

[28renyoy]

i would say that at least 1/4 of amateur basketball players are more skilled than the average nba center, who just happens to be 6'10+ on average

[Theoo's Daddy]

I've never played organized soccer. So from an ignorant outsider's perspective I'm wondering what skills are actually needed to play that game effectively apart from great footwork/ coordination?

bicycle kicks and ball control are not skills that everyone who plays soccer posses, especially when you are facing good sweepers. Your ankles and shin bones are at risk . I've witnessed guys dislocate their elbows trying to do bicycle kicks,also ankles and shin bones break from not being able to control the ball when facing good sweepers.

[MeLO MvP 15]

let's look at it this way. a guy that's 7 feet tall walks into a gym. he has never played basketball before, but he has world class athleticism. do you think you could beat him 1 on 1?

That literally doesn't bring anything to the argument.

If you threw any massive guy (I'm talking huge) on a football field with amazing speed (about as realistic as your scenario) wouldn't he excel?

Any sport can have a guy with no skill come in and be productive. If you're fast and coordinated then you can be a good soccer player, obviously you won't have the skill to shoot or pass well but you'll be athletic enough to be good at defense. Same with baseball, if you're strong and coordinated you should be able to hit a baseball pretty far.

Golf really requires technique because you really can't just go out and smash the ball as hard as you can (unless you believe Happy Gilmore). Hockey requires good skating skill and technique to do well also.

I think basketball is in the same category as football and soccer.

[FindingTim]

I have lots of experience with baseball, basketball and soccer. I think soccer is the easiest to pick up and requires the least skill. I'm always surprised how few people are good at baseball. people who are great athletes when it comes to other sports can't hit for a lick, or can't throw (just ask John Wall).

[NumberSix]

I understand that but for most sports you need stamina to compete effectively

But we're talking about skill.

I could tell you that basketball is the most elite sport in the world. Simply by looking at hight, such a small percentage of people can even qualify. I myself am 6'4 and I can basically only be a PG or an undersized SG. A VERY small percentile of the population even reaches my height (less than 3%) and I'm too short for the majority of the positions.

That's not a skill though.

[Boston C's]

That literally doesn't bring anything to the argument.

If you threw any massive guy (I'm talking huge) on a football field with amazing speed (about as realistic as your scenario) wouldn't he excel?

Any sport can have a guy with no skill come in and be productive. If you're fast and coordinated then you can be a good soccer player, obviously you won't have the skill to shoot or pass well but you'll be athletic enough to be good at defense. Same with baseball, if you're strong and coordinated you should be able to hit a baseball pretty far.

Golf really requires technique because you really can't just go out and smash the ball as hard as you can (unless you believe Happy Gilmore). Hockey requires good skating skill and technique to do well also.

I think basketball is in the same category as football and soccer.

I was thinking about arguing with the bolded til i realized you were totally right... in college you need skill to be a defender but in high school i had a freak of nature player playing sweeper who never played before in his life and we used him for defense exactly for what you stated

[Boston C's]

But we're talking about skill.

I could tell you that basketball is the most elite sport in the world. Simply by looking at hight, such a small percentage of people can even qualify. I myself am 6'4 and I can basically only be a PG or an undersized SG. A VERY small percentile of the population even reaches my height (less than 3%) and I'm too short for the majority of the positions.

That's not a skill though.

Well put cant argue with that... I just wanted to point out that stamina in most sports is important and for sports like baseball and golf it really isnt

[IGOTGAME]

let's look at it this way. a guy that's 7 feet tall walks into a gym. he has never played basketball before, but he has world class athleticism. do you think you could beat him 1 on 1?

yes