So what is the toughest sport?

[bigred90gt]

Fighting - espescially ground fighting and grappling- is a heck of a lot more physically and mentally demanding than any team sport I've ever played. Granted, some fights only last a couple of minutes or even less than a minute, but during a prolonged fight you'll use and usually exhaust every major muscle in your body. And if you're not a good strategist, then you can get yourself into some pretty sticky situations. You have to anticipate your opponents next move and think of a way to counter it before it happens. You have to avoid putting yourself into a position that will give your opponent any opportunities. That's a lot more thinking than takes place in Aussie rules football and it's a lot more difficult to learn and implement martial arts than it is to memorize a list of rules, run, kick, and catch a ball. And, if you disagree, find a local Brazilian Jiu Jitsu institute and get on the mat with the begginners for 10 minutes straight.

I could not agree more with this statement. A friend of mine was an instructor at Bushi Ban Karate Do in Deer Park for a while. We used to grapple for practice, keep in mind I was playing football and lifting weights every day at this time. I have never participated in a sport that was more physically and mentally demanding than grappling, and I've played quite a few sports.

Caymon