DDR and athletisism

[G-type]

I'm pretty sure that this kinda thing has already been posted, but I don't see it on the first page, so I guess....ah screw it....I'll just post it.

Well, alot of people think that DDRers are athletes, because they're playing a game that tells them what to do or something like that. Personally, I think that DDRers are infact athletes because look at the punishment your body takes when you play.

I'm looking for opinions here, so tell me what you think about the subject....
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[Bioclown]

If runners of all people are atheletes, then DDR players are excellent atheletes.
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[G-type]

[BandoMan]

I'm a big in athletics. I snowboard, rock-climb, mountain bike, play tennis, and I'm in marching band (before you mock, understand that marching band does take a great deal of physical discipline). But yes, I think DDR is a perfect form of excercise! I thought Standard mode gave me a good workout, but I played Tsugaru on Heavy and nearly had a heart-attack on the spot. So DDR can whip you into shape if you invest your time in it.

Hope that was somewhat helpful.
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[nyssa]

I dunno.

In my opinion, there's a difference between physical exertion and athleticism.

For example, lifting a box would hardly be considered athletic. However, if you do it a lot, the physical exertion from lifting that box builds up muscle. At first, you might have trouble picking up the box. However, eventually, you begin to get better at picking it up, and maybe you can even pick up two or three boxes! You might get tired at first, from picking up all those boxes, but then you'll find that you get less and less tired.

Sound a lot like DDR? It is.

There's not really any denying that DDR is physically strenuous, I'm just not sure that it's considered "athletic". I'm not sure where that line can be drawn.

I mean, to me, it isn't a sport, per se, because sport involves competition 99% of the time, and DDR isn't about competition with me.

I'll get off my soapbox now.
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[Pantera]

[Slowpoke]

[DJX]

I think the majority of people who don't consider DDR players to be athletes per se don't because it is a video game, and people are just too narrow-minded to consider the two together (since before DDR, they were pretty much polar opposites). DDR certainly requires the coordination, physical exertion, and dedication that is required by many sports, so it's not unreasonable to argue that it is one.

At the same time, I don't think someone would consider aerobics a sport, or even athletic for that matter. DDR is, in many ways, similar to aerobics, and so it is possible that, like nyssa said, that DDR is a form of physical exertion, but doesn't necessarily make you an athlete.

So it can go either way. I say just play the game and have fun with it.
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[Sinistar]

[itzmax]

do i think all ddr players are athletes? no. alot of the ddr community can A, AA, AAA the hardest songs, but can everyone that plays ddr go out and do whole lot of other stuff? im not saying "YOU" personally, but in my own experiances i know alot of ddr players that are good @ ddr, suck at other sports and have no athletic talent whatsoever. i think ddr is more of an endurance game that requires foot, eye coordination more than anything really..

this is just my opinion =]

[Slowpoke]

I think I pulled a groin muscle just by looking at that photo

[G-type]

Well I think so because of the exserion, and skill it takes to really play. Just like any sport, you need dedication, skill, decipline, strength to play DDR like an athlete. But this sorta only applies to the people that play DDR like a sport. For anyone else, it's just a workout....
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[Dance_More]

I'm big on sports and play a lot of them...i cheer, i play lacrosse, field hockey, volleyball, soccer, basketball, i run track and i dance. without these things i don't think i'd be as good at DDR because i'm use to physical exertion. i don't think that you need to be athletic however...one of my friends that plays is one of the most clumsy least athletic people i've ever met and she's pretty good... but she does crunches and runs on a treadmill and stuff so again she's use to physical exertion.

[G-type]

I was also wondering what you thought about this: DDR making people into....Pardon the phrase....DDR Athletes. It's kinda like a type of athlete....
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[Ryu_Hirakashi]

Wow, G-type this is a good thread!!!

It's nice to know that there can still be good discussions on this board.

Anyway, I agree with a number of people. DDR really does take up a sort of grey area when you talk about athleticsm. There are alot people here in maryland that have no athletic ability and play DDR pretty danm well. On the other hand I'd leave these same said people in the dust if I had them run 20 miles with me.

So, I really wonder if it takes athletic ablity to play DDR. Even the best people can just avoid the physical exertion by raping the bar. But people that are so willing to take the easy way out of beating a song could hardly call themselves athletes. But I think being an athlete gives one an edge over the non-athletes, but this is a rather complicated subject. I'd like to hear more comments. I'll post a little later after I hear some more ideas.

Edit: Inao just because you are doing something stranious doesn't make you an athlete. Athletes tend to be masachostic about taking their bodies to the distance. It's just something that's in thier viens. Go ask that runner or basketball player why he kills himself training everyday and he will tell you the same thing I'm telling you. Just a little food for thought.

Hirakashi Ryu
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[xequar]

When I hear the term "Athelete," I tend to think primarily of team sports and/or competitive sports. Although there are DDR tournaments, it mostly is non-competitive, so I don't generally think of DDR players as atheletes. However, someone who plays maniac/heavy/expert/other hard green mode certainly is atheletic in my book. Consider how much energy one has to exert and how much practice and work it takes in order to play maniac. Perhaps I should start considering DDR players as atheletes.

[Sauces]

DDR is definately a sport.I'm really athletic, skiing, snowboarding, wakeboarding, agressive inline, skateboarding, etc. I have a lot of friends who play football in school and soccer and basketball, and i play that with them, but not for school or anything, and i find that many of those sports take much less coordination and physical exertion than DDR. The reason DDR isnt considered a real sport is because it doesn't really have a mainstream following. If DDR had a league and it's own TV channel and organized teams and "baseball" cards people would consider it a sport. but it doesnt have those things, because of bigotry from "Real Athletes" and the fact that whenever it is on the news it's thought of solely as a form of exercise. If CNN ran a story aboout a new up and coming sport called DDR instead of a greeat new weightloss tool called DDR maybe we'd get some respect.

[lxv]

Well just because it may not necessarily be a sport I think you could consider someone athletic who plays ddr. Just because they're not good at sports doesn't mean that they're not athletic. (Being athletic doesn't mean you're on some sort of team anyway, and I don't really think it has anything to do with competitiveness either)

ath·let·ic Of or befitting athletics or athletes.
Characterized by or involving physical activity or exertion; active: an athletic lifestyle; an athletic child.
Physically strong and well-developed; muscular: an actor with an athletic build.

Anyway I think you could be a DDR player could be athletic but just because you play DDR doesn't make you athletic either.

[LifeOdaParty]

It is much more of a sport than golf or baseball, come on people.

OK, sports involve many things. The key factors are: coordination, physical exersion, strategy. Well ddr has all of these except for strategy and it does have strategy in some cases (what song to pick in a tourny).

I know that some people can A, AA, and AAA most of the hardest songs in ddr, cause I am one of them, but still my main exercise is ddr every day so it still is an exercise for me. Although it is hella easy to play 7 footers i do and it gives me a minimal workout. After playing a few 7-9 footers i play maybe several 10 footers in a row and that will get almost anyone worn out.

I dont know anyone who doesnt get a work out from PSMO and i only know one person who started other sports because ddr didnt give them enough exercise (darn marathon runners).
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[figgy20000]

You need to start introducing your friend to difficult oni courses.

Although I haven't attempted it myself yet I'm sure that Legend Road will give far more exercise than marathon running ever will, in 1/10th the time