If we were to list the most physically demanding sports, basketball and soccer would stay on top. Loved by many kids, and adults, both basketball and soccer are widely popular as well. This is why the question, “is basketball more physical than soccer?” occurs more than you think!
Basketball is more physical than soccer. Granted soccer players need to run more and in a bigger area than basketball, but basketball players perform more physical activities than an average soccer player in a regular game. Complex technique such as dribbling, deceleration, etc in basketball requires more concentrated energy than in soccer.
But honestly speaking, if you ask any athlete or even a fan, they will probably tell you that their favorite sport is more physically demanding, requires more strategy, skills, and hard work than any other sport.
Comparing soccer to basketball can be challenging. Both basketball and soccer are unique in their ways. It is why comparing these two is quite tricky. Packed with highly complex skills, strategic decisions, and the demand for fitness is equally needed for both of these sports.
But when we compare these two sports side by side, we can surely find some differences that make one harder than the other. In this write-up, we will be taking a look into an in-depth comparison between basketball and soccer.
Is Basketball More Physical Than Soccer?
Basketball and soccer are considered two of the most physically demanding sports all around the world. Athletes who play these sports must be extremely fit always to ensure good stamina, thus good performance.
Many tend to think soccer is harder to play since a soccer field is almost 2x larger than a basketball court. While that is true, it only means a soccer player only needs to run more and further than a basketball player. This doesn’t mean soccer is harder to play.
Some people also tend to think that basketball is harder to play since it requires technical expertise, and physical skills, and remarkable stamina.
To decide which game asks for more from its players, let’s take a look at some decisive factors.
Physical Activities In Basketball
- Running: On average, basketball players run 2.55 miles per game. While less running may make basketball seem like a less physically demanding sport, it is not true at all.
Apart from running, a basketball player needs to do many other physically demanding tasks on the court.
- Physical Demands: The best way to determine whether a game is physically demanding or not is by finding out what your body needs to do to play. Basketball requires quick movements in a small court. Players need to have much more dexterity and agility than a regular athlete.
To make the perfect “basket” or shot, a player needs to have extremely good hand and eye coordination. This is not an easy task considering a basketball court is quite small, and basketball players are usually very tall.
Basketball is an upper-body dependent game. The usage of arms is constant in basketball. There’s not a lot of running required, but your upper body needs to have the perfect amount of strength to play.
- Stamina: As we have already mentioned an average basketball player runs about 2.55 miles per game, it might seem like they don’t need to possess as much stamina. However, basketball is not always sprinting around the court.
On average basketball players need to do more physically demanding movements like jumping, lateral movements, cutting, catch, handle, shoot, etc. These tasks require extreme stamina and excellent cardiovascular health.
There’s no denying that basketball and soccer require restless performance and stamina from their players. Basketball players may run less and play in a smaller court, but they are always on their feet.
Each basketball team consists of five players. No matter whether the opponent is attacking or they are, all five players need to constantly move. This makes basketball a much more intense game that requires much more stamina.
- Calories Burned Per Game: Unfortunately, there is not a lot of information regarding calories burned in a basketball game. This would have been a good indicator of how physically demanding this sport is.
According to lifestrong.com, an hour of engaging basketball burns 480 to 710 calories.
- Environmental effect: Basketball is an indoor game. Due to being indoor, a basketball court or players are not affected by weather issues. This is why basketball requires less endurance.
However, basketball courts are quite small which makes the need for agility, and skills very strong.
Physical Activities In Soccer
- Running: Anyone who watches a little bit of soccer is aware that a soccer field is much bigger than a basketball court. This is why the first thing to keep in mind is how much running is needed in soccer.
Soccer players need to run a lot. Both sprinting and jogging is integral part of running in soccer. On average, a soccer player runs about 7 miles during a game.
If you are not used to running for a long time or to a long-distance, then soccer will seem harder to you just because of this. an average soccer game runs for 90 minutes along with a 15-minute break or halftime.
So if we were to judge the level of physicality of these two games just by the running required and time, then soccer would seem much harder to the common eye.
- Physical Demands: Soccer player needs to have higher endurance than any other athletes since they are always on the run. Without good cardiovascular health, it is kind of impossible to play soccer since constant running will fasten your heartbeat more than usual.
Since the game is mostly dependent on running and kicking, lower body strength is very important. Lower body strength includes strong glutes, thighs, and legs.
Although upper body strength is required to do headshots, these tricks are not that common in a soccer game.
- Stamina: As we have already said soccer needs a lot of running. While an average soccer athlete runs around 7 miles in a game, a midfielder runs around 9.5 miles in a game.
This is because a midfielder plays in the center of the field and needs to constantly move to the other point of the field more than other players in the field.
A soccer player also needs to run around for almost two hours so great stamina is a must. Without stamina and energy, it is kind of impossible to play good soccer.
However, unlike in basketball, the strikers in soccer don’t have to be as much physically active during defense as they can slow down and relax for a bit in their positions.
- Calories Burned Per Game: There are not a lot of trusted sources that will allow us to dissect and find out the exact calorie burnt in a soccer game but we have tried out best to find out as much as possible.
An hour of playing soccer will burn 420 to 622 calories. Of course, this will not be the same amount for everyone as people has different metabolism rates.
However, calories burnt is a good way to understand how physical a sport is.
- Environmental effect: Soccer is an outdoor game. All soccer fields are open to weather extremities. The intensity of performance in soccer depends a lot on the weather of the area.
If the weather is extremely hot, running around in a field for 90 minutes is not an easy task. The players will need higher stamina and endurance than average.
FAQs
Q: Are there more injuries in soccer or basketball?
The injury rate of soccer is lower than basketball. Reports show that 7.7 injuries out of 1000 athlete exposures happened due to soccer. For basketball, the rate is 9.9 out of each 1000 athletes.
Q: Reasons Why Basketball Is Better Than Soccer.
If you ask a fan they will tell you their favorite sports is superior. We believe basketball is better than soccer but we have rock-solid reasons to say this. Basketball is better than soccer because-
- It is much more physically strenuous so if you are looking to stay fit while playing a good sport, this should be perfect for you.
- You can learn a lot of physical skills that will help you in daily life through basketball.
- Basketball games are much more intense and exciting than soccer games.
Q: Is basketball safer than soccer?
Athletes hailing from all types of sports face injuries. Be it cricket, basketball, soccer, or tennis, injuries are a part of the game. It is true basketball players suffer from more injuries than soccer players. However, soccer players suffer from riskier injuries than basketball players.
Q: Does Soccer Take More Skill Than Basketball?
While soccer is a quite tactical game and requires a lot of skills to play, it certainly isn’t more skill-based than basketball. Soccer fields are much larger than basketball courts thus a soccer player needs to run more than a basketball player.
A game of soccer also runs longer than a basketball match. However, basketball requires intense skills like dribbling, shooting, tackling, deceleration along running around on the court. In addition, soccer doesn’t require a lot of strategy during game playing, but basketball does.
Conclusion
So, there you have it, side-by-side comparison to answer your question, “is basketball more physical than soccer?” Hopefully, with this detailed write-up, you now know and understand the answer to that question.
There are many people who enjoy both soccer and basketball equally. Intense tactical skills and positions make basketball a more physically demanding sport. However, soccer is quite intensive and physically demanding as well.
At the end of the day which game you want to play depends on your preference and what you want to achieve. If you have what it takes to play basketball, we would encourage you to go for it. If you think running is your comfort zone, then don’t worry. We love soccer as well.
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