Key Highlights
- A discussion on Reddit’s r/AskReddit asked which sports people believe they can play without training.
- Reddit users highlighted tennis, baseball, boxing, kickboxing and wrestling as sports commonly underestimated by beginners.
- The Reddit thread had received 707 comments at the time of publication, but the claims were not independently verified.
Reddit Debate Focuses on Sports People Underestimate
A new discussion on Reddit’s r/AskReddit community explored which sports people assume they can play immediately, without training or preparation. The post, titled “What’s a sport that everyone thinks they can play with no training and going straight into a game?”, generated 707 comments as of publication.
Tennis was the first sport discussed in the thread. One commenter jokingly wrote, “Apparently, 12% of men think they can score a tennis point on Serena Williams without prior experience, so I’m gonna say that one.” Another user responded, “The hilarity is that these people can’t even score on your average high school player.”
Why Tennis Requires More Than Power
The commenter who discussed tennis said they had played varsity tennis for all four years of high school. According to the user, male students would regularly claim, “I’ll beat you at tennis! Easy!” The commenter then described watching them hit the ball as hard as possible, only for it to fly over the fence and into traffic on the other side.
The same user argued that tennis is often misunderstood as a contest based mainly on strength. “People have this delusion that it’s a strength game… It’s much more about control and strategy. Everyone can hit a ball really hard. Fewer can get the tiny lightweight ball to stay IN the court; fewer still can get it strategically placed, etc so the other player CAN’T return it. And no. Serena Williams plays with so much skill and speed that I wouldn’t even be able to SEE the ball, let alone return it.”
Baseball and Combat Sports Draw Similar Reactions
Baseball was another sport frequently mentioned in the Reddit discussion. One commenter wrote, “I’m amazed how many people think they could make contact or even get a hit off of a Major League Baseball pitcher.” The response reflected the difficulty of facing professional pitching, even for people who believe they could perform adequately in an unprepared game situation.
Several users also grouped boxing, kickboxing and wrestling with other martial arts as activities that people often overestimate their ability to perform. One commenter wrote, “Boxing, kickboxing, wrestling- name any of the martial arts. Every single man you ask with ZERO combat training thinks he can fight. It is literally the only sport or activity you can mention that most guys think they can be proficient at without ever even attempting it.” Another user offered a different perspective: “Maybe it comes with age and wisdom, but I do not think this at all and would prefer avoiding a physical confrontation at all costs.”
Other sports named in the comments included golf, darts, bowling, swimming, soccer, water polo, MMA, skiing and pickleball. The range of answers suggested that Reddit users viewed both technical sports and physically demanding activities as easy to underestimate when watching experienced athletes perform them.
Why This Matters
The discussion highlights the gap between understanding the basic rules of a sport and being able to perform effectively in a competitive setting. The comments focused on the importance of training, control, strategy, timing and experience, particularly in sports such as tennis, baseball and combat disciplines where a beginner can quickly encounter skills that are difficult to replicate without practice.
The Daily Dot was unable to independently verify the claims made by commenters in the Reddit thread. The details reflect responses shared on r/AskReddit and represent the opinions of individual Reddit users.
Frequently Asked Questions
What was the Reddit discussion about?
The r/AskReddit post asked which sport people think they can play without training and immediately enter a game.
Which sports were mentioned most prominently?
Tennis, baseball, boxing, kickboxing and wrestling were among the main sports discussed. Users also mentioned golf, darts, bowling, swimming, soccer, water polo, MMA, skiing and pickleball.
How many comments had the Reddit post received?
The post had received 707 comments as of publication.