Rebutting ESPN’s Debunking of Forbes’ Analyses of Squash As The Healthiest Sport. by Ferez S. Nallaseth, PhD
February 16, 2015 - Athletes at the top levels of any sport would be good at other sports
especially if they are not more complicated in sensory-motor functions
than their own (i.e. Runners vs Racket Athletes). The relevant question,
though is whether their sport of Choice tests their full Athletic Potential.
As far as the primacy of tennis goes, I would respectfully suggest to
Pete Sampras that he follow the 2 links listed below. He will find that
in head to head competitions the North American Squash Champion Sharif
Khan proved himself to be the better Racket Athlete i.e. by becoming
the Champion in 3 of 4 years of the CBS Tournament World
Rackets/Racketmaster's Tournament moderated by Tony Trabert or Pat
Summerall, (which were held in the 1970s and 1980s). The other
competitors were : (1) John McEnroe, Bjorn Borg, Guillermo Vilas -
Tennis top 4), (2) Marty Hogan, (Racquetball, World Champion, others),
(3) Fleming Delfs (Badminton, World Champion, others), (4) Danny
Seemiller (Table Tennis, US National Champion).
A minimal analyses of complexity, even when ignoring the 3 dimensional
stroke production and the lethal combination of walls in the corners in
squash results. The squash ball spins off over 13 surfaces (walls,
edges, nicks, corners, court and racket) - in tennis the ball spins off
over 2 surfaces (racket and court)!
I also have reservations with (Top Ten) ESPN's analyses of the most
rigorous Sports that Challenge Forbes Conclusions on Squash - which
themselves have inbuilt weaknesses, but they have the advantage of a
reasonable Scientific basis rather than a popularity contest of the
most easily detected moves. It is not necessarily more representative
nor more thorough an analysis if more sports and parameters are packed
in or arbitrarily vetted - only making interpretation of data more
complicated.
Many of ESPNs comparisons are of apples and oranges or oversimplified.
For example lets compare racketwork in e.g. badminton or tennis with
getting punched in boxing. How do you control for the incredibly well
coordinated racket control of Racket Athletes under conditions of
exhaustion with that of throwing a left hook under possibly similar
conditions? The conditioning required to take a 'hit'/punched with that
required for the relentless, immediate and continuous
footwork/racketwork once the Shuttlecock/tennis ball are in play with
the punch/counterpunch and the defensive backpeddling into the corners
- with all the rest time that it buys?
Finally the 17 World Record Holder in Distance Running, the Great
Australian Runner Ron Clarke, who was almost certainly fitter than any
of the Athletes you have chosen, was only a Club Level (Average) Squash
Player. Could there be dimensions that have escaped ESPN?
Yes Forbes could expand its analyses but the primacy and healthiness
(ratios of workout benefits/injury) of Squash have been independently
established and known for decades by e.g NASA (who used it at one time
to train its Astronauts) as well as by Soccer Federations who used it
as a Control in the Analyses of Soccer.
