| If your hear is not in it - then what to do
Hi!
A question popped into my head some time ago, and I decided to get your input. Sports require different things of their performers, and an important part of success is to match you own strengths to sports where they have a big payoff, while simultaneously your weaknesses hamper you the least.
100 meter running require foremost speed, and strength at the higher levels. Endurance is not a factor.
Marathon racing is the total opposite.
Fencing requires brains, speed, a fair amount of cardiovascular endurance (but not nearly so much as many other sports). Pure strength, while not a drawback in itself, is not a big plus (compared to many other sports)
Kayak paddling requires much more of both raw strength and cardivascular endurance than fencing, as well as extreme dose of pain endurance. OTOH, is asks much less of its performers when it comes to technical training and tactical/strategic thinking. It can be thought of as the water equivalent of a 800 meter run at 400 m speed, while simultaneously being flogged with a sabre across your naked back.
Floorball, at the low level, is a special case. If both teams are weak, and only roughly equivalent, the outcome is almost totally decided by which team has its heart in it - who wants to win the most. A small difference in this factor can overcome a large differential in cadiovascular endurance, technical ability, and tactical/strategic qualties, factors which become important at the intermediate and high levels.
A comparison with fencing is enlightening. In a bout between two roughly equivalent low-level fencers it is entirely possible that the fencer with the most will-to-win actually loses, either because this will makes hime freeze up if things do not go to plan from the beginning, or that a small technical differential - in the other direction - will more than well make up for it. One never sees this in low-level floorball. The game is not conducive to freezing-up effects, since those that freeze up will end up on the bench after 1 minute - tops - anyway, and they can be kept there by the coach if necessary. Furthermore, the deterioration in technical performance which comes with wanting too much is not much of a problem at the low level of the game, since the ball behaves inherently stochastic anyway.
Low-level basketball has the benching effect, but the much smaller goals and inherently longer distance shooter/goal (compared to floorball) punishes the technical deterioration much more severely. Also, since basketball puts such a premium on a specific body type (tall) (which floorball does not) those who are bodily better suited to it, but have less want-to-win, can still prevail.
Want-to-win still counts for a lot in basketball and fencing, as we all know.
Now, here comes the question: what kind of sport would be the total opposite to floorball in this respect (questionmark) That is, what kind of sport would put such a high premium on the ability parameters (body type, technical ability, endurance, etc) so that want-to-win becomes almost insignificant, at least in a match between two roughly equal competitors (questionmark) Failing that, how should a sport be designed (rules-wise) to come as close to this extreme as possible (questionmark) Of all sports existing today, which one is closest to this extreme (questionmark)
I do not know the sport myself (in contrast to the ones listed above) but I would assume that gymnastics would be a good contender for the last question. If you are not small and supple by nature, then you just cant do it, or so it seems to me. Any other suggestions (questionmark)
Yes - this keyboard lacks a questionmark which actually produces a questionmark on the screen.
Have a nice time!
Peter Gustafsson | 
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