Which is harder... stopping a penalty kick from a professional soccer player or hitting a baseball off of a major league pitcher?

I said baseball... friend said soccer.

4/19/2008 8:36:55 PM

Hitting a golf ball 300yds+

4/19/2008 8:38:43 PM

I always thought stopping a penalty kick was just pure luck. You just had to guess which way they were gonna kick it.

Is that wrong?

4/19/2008 8:38:49 PM

spitting a watermelon seed 30 yards

4/19/2008 8:39:42 PM

I know if the FIFA video game you have to guess which way

I always kick it straight so they dive to the side and look stupid

I say hitting vs a major league pitcher for sure

I faced a few kids who threw low 90's in high school

but they didn't have good offspeed pitches so you could gear up for the fastball

4/19/2008 8:41:00 PM

^^^ golf ball... no way get out of here with that.

4/19/2008 8:43:11 PM

Baseball players are expected to hit. There are rarely ever a game where the pitcher pitches a perfect game. Penalty kicks are almost a given for the attacker to score. Roughly 8/10 times its a goal. So i would say stopping a pk.

4/19/2008 8:43:29 PM

Pretty much anyone with reasonable athletic ability can eventually get a hit off a major league pitcher. Said person could also eventually block a penalty kick. Take the same person and they could hit golf balls 12hrs a day every day for a year and never hit it over 300yds.

Hitting a golf ball over 300yds is the hardest thing to do in sports.

I would also say kicking a FG over 50yds is probably harder.

[Edited on April 19, 2008 at 8:45 PM. Reason : /]

4/19/2008 8:43:35 PM

Yea, a consistent golf shot over 300 is years of practice.

4/19/2008 8:45:37 PM

^Thanks

4/19/2008 8:46:16 PM

both of you are fucking idiots

hitting a 100 mph fastball is a million times harder than hitting a golf ball 300 yards

4/19/2008 8:49:13 PM

How about this, go find me someone who can throw it 100mph.

You can go to the golf course.

I will bet you anything you want I will get a hit off him before you hit a golf ball over 300yds.

Some people aren't even physically able to hit it over 300yds. Thats what makes it so hard. Anyone can swing a bat. Of course I am not talking about soccer moms and shit, I am talking about people with reasonable athletic ability.


[Edited on April 19, 2008 at 8:53 PM. Reason : .]

4/19/2008 8:51:21 PM

Hitting a baseball takes a lifetime of practice... then you have to deal with speed changes, curveballs, etc.

20% is considered a good stop % for a goalie on ONE kick.


Batting .300 will make you an allstar and you get 3 strikes... what would the % be if you only had one strike? Much, much lower.

[Edited on April 19, 2008 at 8:58 PM. Reason : They speak English in what? ]

4/19/2008 8:51:56 PM

I can hit a golf ball over 300 yards already

and i play golf like 5 times a year

its really not that hard if you're in good shape and decently strong

4/19/2008 8:52:50 PM

Hitting a golf ball 300 yards is getting a little too specific I think...

I mean I could say hitting a 100 mph baseball, but I didn't.

[Edited on April 19, 2008 at 8:55 PM. Reason : ]

4/19/2008 8:53:58 PM

^^^now rephrase that using english grammar so i can try to answer it

[Edited on April 19, 2008 at 8:55 PM. Reason : quick posts]

4/19/2008 8:54:33 PM

Well thats two different things.

Are we talking about doing this consistently?

Or just taking avg people and seeing which can be done more easily?

Because there is a huge difference.

Or is it which is harder for a pro athlete to do.

I think you need to specify the question more.

4/19/2008 8:55:02 PM

As long as you are specifying getting a "hit" in baseball. It's not that hard for a major leaguer to hit a foul ball or fly out, then I think it might be a tossup.

Quote :

"Hitting a golf ball 300yds+"

Here's the deal, you take someone with the ability to hit a golf ball 300 yards and tell him to hit 10 golf balls as far as they can.

at least 9/10 are going 300 yards.

It takes skill, but it's not "hard"

4/19/2008 8:55:32 PM

More people could drive it 300 yards

About 500 people in the world can hit major league pitching

At least a few millions can drive it 300

4/19/2008 8:56:28 PM

I would say for the pro athlete stopping the penalty kick is harder.

For the avg person I would say hitting the golf ball 300yds.

4/19/2008 8:56:41 PM

BUT WHAT IF THE PLANE WAS ON A TREADMILL???

4/19/2008 8:57:35 PM

Well, suffice it to say that it isn't hitting a golf ball 300 yards...

I think the debate is between penalty kick and baseball

4/19/2008 8:58:55 PM

^^ we need to answer that question first.

4/19/2008 8:59:30 PM

This question is retarded.

They way I read it, is...if one of us were to try all these things, which would be the harder to do?

It doesn't say consistently or on a regular basis. It just says to do.

Most people in this thread could stop a kick or get a hit a lot faster than they could hit a golf ball 300yds.

and by hit do you mean just make contact and get it in the field of play, or are there infielders fielding the ball and throwing me out?

[Edited on April 19, 2008 at 9:01 PM. Reason : .]

4/19/2008 8:59:53 PM

Penalty kick is luck because you have to decide which way you're going to move before they kick it

A goalie on his high school soccer team wouldn't have a significantly lesser chance of stopping a PK than the goalie on an Premiership team

4/19/2008 9:00:47 PM

^^ Oh, forgive me, I think you misunderstood the question... does it say anything about hitting a fucking golf ball?

[Edited on April 19, 2008 at 9:01 PM. Reason : ]

4/19/2008 9:01:13 PM

If you want to get picky about it, this thread should have been made in sports talk.

Can a mod lock this plz?

4/19/2008 9:03:22 PM

4/19/2008 9:04:12 PM

And honestly, hitting a homerun off a major league pitcher is going to be the hardest IMO

4/19/2008 9:05:44 PM

Quote :

"Penalty kick is luck because you have to decide which way you're going to move before they kick it A goalie on his high school soccer team wouldn't have a significantly lesser chance of stopping a PK than the goalie on an Premiership team"

no.

[Edited on April 19, 2008 at 9:07 PM. Reason : ]

4/19/2008 9:07:23 PM

Quote :

"Pretty much anyone with reasonable athletic ability can eventually get a hit off a major league pitcher. Said person could also eventually block a penalty kick. Take the same person and they could hit golf balls 12hrs a day every day for a year and never hit it over 300yds. Hitting a golf ball over 300yds is the hardest thing to do in sports. I would also say kicking a FG over 50yds is probably harder. "

The problem here is that you're comparing fundamentally different things, and you're qualifying yours a lot more.

Hitting a drive over 300 yards, or kicking a field goal over 50 yards, are both individual efforts relying solely on your own technique and physical strength. With baseball and soccer, you're facing off against an opponent, and both of those challenges can involve luck and psychology. Both of them are reactive, but with the golf ball or field goal, you have the same initial, stationary state every time you make an attempt. Also, even if you have perfect technique, many people simply don't have the physical strength to generate enough speed to drive a ball 300 yards. And lastly, no other challenge mentioned is as technology-dependent as driving a golf ball.

If you want a better comparison, then you should compare the golf drive to hitting a home run off a major league pitcher, because then you're also adding in the distance element. Or even just hitting a home run off a pitching machine. Or for soccer, you'd be comparing it to being able to place a shot in the very top corner of the netting from outside the 18 yard line.

4/19/2008 9:08:02 PM

did any of yall watch joes vs pros?

[Edited on April 19, 2008 at 9:08 PM. Reason : !]

4/19/2008 9:08:12 PM

i'd rather try to do both than cover an nfl receiver 1 on 1.

4/19/2008 9:08:57 PM

you can stop a soccer ball with your entire body, and, at an average male height of 5'9", blocking a soccer ball thus becomes a simple choice of "jump left" or "jump right," as either way, with a full reach you stand a good chance of deflecting it provided you make the correct decision. Yes, the kicker may fake you, but it's still not overly difficult. You may also fake the kicker out by hinting left and diving right.

In pitching, you can be faced with straight heat, up to 102 mph, along with a changeup, slider, or even a dread knuckleball that just can make even the most experienced hitters baffled. Combine that with proper swing mechanics (ie, not completely hurting the shit out of your hands in the process) and mastering a good stance, I'd say hitting the pitch would be much, much harder. There's also the asshole puckering caused by a white bullet headed towards you at that speed, and the hesitation factor that comes into play, which isn't necessarily applicable to a penalty scoring soccer scenario.

bottom line: the pitch is harder to hit.

4/19/2008 9:13:47 PM

what he said

bmdurham is a stupid faggot

probably one of the dumbest people on this site

4/19/2008 9:16:52 PM

nah man....i'm not sayin which is harder cause i have no idea....but it is not that simple for stopping a penalty kick from a pro...

guess a side.....50/50....no....they can kick it in the middle

4/19/2008 9:17:26 PM

well i stand corrected. it makes it 33%

however you MUST taken into account the ability of the goal keeper to fake out the kicker as well. This gives more of an even playing field than a batter who simply must stand there and let the pitch come to him.

4/19/2008 9:19:17 PM

ha, rage much?

its not a video game, picking left or right. in a typically penalty shootout (10) how many are saved? maybe 1 or 2? in an typical baseball inning (say 10 batters) for simplicity, how many hit a ball?

4/19/2008 9:21:14 PM

good point!

Also, a pro's shot may range from 60-80 mph....from 36 feet away....

i'm not arguing, just raising some points

4/19/2008 9:22:56 PM

tackling an nfl running back in open field

hands down

4/19/2008 9:24:03 PM

hitting a golf ball 300+ yards > stopping a Pk from a world class player ( C Ronaldo ) > hitting a ball from a professional pitcher ( Roger Clemens ).





Its all statistics. Of course, the majority of you dimwits are close minded to the fact that soccer is actually hard since you spend your time watching cars turn left and are fascinated with boring ass/long games of baseball to even think about the numbers.



[Edited on April 19, 2008 at 9:27 PM. Reason : t]

4/19/2008 9:24:10 PM

roger who?

[Edited on April 19, 2008 at 9:30 PM. Reason : third times the charm ]

4/19/2008 9:25:59 PM

Quote :

"tackling an nfl running back in open field hands down"

nah, i could maybe get lucky every now and again and get on his back and trip him or something.

an nfl receiver would beat anyone on this board 100% of the time.

Quote :

"stopping a Pk from a world class player ( C Ronaldo ) > hitting a ball from a professional pitcher ( Roger Clemens )."

absolutely not. i could guess and stop a ronaldo kick maybe 1 out of 10? 1 out of 20? no way i could get a hit against roger clemens. maybe put wood on the ball, but not a chance enough for a legitimate hit.

[Edited on April 19, 2008 at 9:31 PM. Reason : now if the question is just making contact w/ a baseball, that's different. but that's not a "hit".]

4/19/2008 9:29:24 PM

^true on the receiver, however 1 outa 20......no way....i'm thinkin maybe 1 outa 100

Quote :

"tackling an nfl running back in open field hands down"

average joes....yeah, prolly so.

i dont feel like lookin for statistics,but i think it's somethin like 3 or 4 outa 5 shots are not blocked by the goalie.....dunno what the average BA is, but by comparing how the pros do in their respected sport would be a good way to tell imho



[Edited on April 19, 2008 at 9:31 PM. Reason : f]

[Edited on April 19, 2008 at 9:33 PM. Reason : f]

4/19/2008 9:30:46 PM

thing is you couldn't beat him to the corner

your 5 yard run to his 10 yard sprint, plus he can shake you off... even if you got hold of him you wouldn't bring him down over 1/2 the time.

[Edited on April 19, 2008 at 9:32 PM. Reason : it's impossible to compare different sports, that's why it is such a tough comparison,so average joe]

4/19/2008 9:31:18 PM

how about returning a 150 mph andy roddick serve

4/19/2008 9:32:39 PM

^^ well if you're going to just turn it into a race, then yeah, beating an nfl runningback in a footrace is impossible for anyone here.

[Edited on April 19, 2008 at 9:33 PM. Reason : ^ that would also be hard, and is not exclusive to roddick, btw.]

4/19/2008 9:32:49 PM

(hence the open field part of my statement )

[Edited on April 19, 2008 at 9:34 PM. Reason : anyone could return a serve a small percentage of time, not anyone could bring down a rb]

4/19/2008 9:33:29 PM

I garuntee you you couldnt even fucking bunt a 100mph fastball ...

hitting a golf ball is not difficult. hitting it 300 and straight is an exceptional amount harder... but it's definitely not on par with hitting a baseball.


and you go the hall of fame if you get a hit 3 of every 10 at bats. pitchers only dont throw perfect games often because the other team gets atleast 27 chances to get a hit ... goal tenders get 1 shot to stop a ball.


make baseball games 1 at bat and i promise there'd be a lot more no hitters.

[Edited on April 19, 2008 at 9:37 PM. Reason : d]

4/19/2008 9:34:10 PM

he's the only one ive seen do it, so i used his name

4/19/2008 9:34:18 PM