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This is going to be very subjective, but was wondering about this over the weekend. I've not done much sport outside of cycling but within it I love any most aspects of mountain biking - all day epics in the lakes, quick blasts at trail centres, days at the DH track and days just out looking for a new drop or jump. They all have there merits but without a doubt the best feeling for me comes from riding a set of proper BMX style jump trails. There is a magical combination of adrenaline (am I going to bin it this time?) , inner calmness (I find I almost 'zen out' on a good run), having to get each lip and landing almost spot on to carry the speed for the next jump and of course the great feeling of flying through the air, dipping down for the landing and the rush of speed from nosing it in and pumping ready for the next.
Its extremely addictive (and I don't get to do it as often as I'd like), and for me I can't imagine getting a better 'high' from sport than this.
Triangle-choking someone out 😀
Boxing.. when you smash the hell out of each other then shake hands and hug at the end.
Cold beer afterwards.
The sprint finish that comes from nowhere at the end of an ultra endurance event
The warm bath after a hard days skiing
The slow motion feeling when concentration is at it's height - skiing a couloir, whitewater rapids, solo rock climbing
The first tee at St Andrews
Watching the sun come out in the mountains after climbing/running/walking through the night
Watching GPS bunnies going in the wrong direction while map and compass boys get it right!!!
Winning.
^ This!
The taking part
When I was a hockey goalie in a reasonably high league, it was the feeling when you pulled off a blinder of a save: The applause, the roaring 40,000 crowd, the man of the match award, spraying champagne bubbles over adoring fans etc etc. Cant beat it.
Winning unexpectedly (in something that you actually care about). Winning when it's expected is often just a relief rather than a great feeling in itself.
The unexpected win, ideally though your own performance (ie rather than someone's equipment breaking) is brilliant 🙂
Snowboarding on powder.
I'm with Wilco1999.
On the (extremely) rare occasion I've actually fluked winning something I've always felt guilty that I've possibly ruined someone else's day and who'd probably appreciate it a bit more than me.
Ohhh and powder turns and air drops(surfing).
Those first few seconds ,when you have made your move and realize that you have timed it just right.
Nobody is coming back after that one 🙂
Yeah I can see some would find winning satisfying, but I'm not competitive at all, almost anti-competitive as in when I see someone trying to outdo me I'll walk away, but love it when a group of riders are encouraging each other on, and giving encouragement to those starting out as well.
Realising that sport is shite, especially football which has been ruined by money, and turning ones back on all of it.
Ah, you old beam of sunshine 😉
The expectation, the getting ready, setting out in the hazy sunlight of a Sunday morning. Pushing yourself as hard as you dare for as long as you can. Coming home spent. Standing in the shower thinking over the last few hours. Eating lunch as though it's the last meal you will ever taste and then contentedly feeling that ache in the muscles as you while away the rest of the day.
The cheering when you get to the finish line at an ultra marathon, and the incredible high you get after. 5 minutes later it starts to hurt, but we'll ignore that bit 🙂
Unfortunately I'm a terrible loser, and also not that good at mountain biking so I actually force myself into believing its the taking part 😀
DezB has it right.
I'd also add nailing something like a trick, when you are bricking yourself or you have struggled with it for ages.
Destroying people in road races is quite fun, nothing like starting a climb with a bunch of 60+ and ending it with only ~15 or less. But really any sport whether it be football, road racing etc. where you are in control and dictating the moves of the opposition.
Pinning a descent or jump or whatever is also great fun, but a different feeling from above.
Oh and 'float' days 🙂
The feeling of a little checked drive. Front foot, almost a defensive but just a little push, and the ball goes straight back past the stumps at the other end and all the way for 4.
Or the same off the back foot, no big flourish but splitting cover and mid off and not needing to run.
Delivering the perfect man and ball tackle.
Getting proper flow on a descent
Smashing stevestunts on a climb
Skiing on fresh snow on days when it feels effortless, the turns just happen, the skis stay high on the snow, your thighs burn but you don't care.
Also, I play in goal (football) and whilst I like a flying save as much as the next man, the thing I love most is when you come through a crowd of players to take a cross, catch it and then almost in the same motion throw the ball out to start a break forward.
But, the thing I love the most is the wonderful dull ache in the legs you have after a long or hard bike road. It doesn't hurt, it just reminds you of the work you have done.
Snowboarding on powder.
This.
When riding Motox it was getting a good result, I was never going to win races but getting into top ten was a great feeling.
Finishing a Enduro (motorbike) then waiting at the finishing check for your mates to turn up, laughing about the course etc etc
Just the camaraderie really.
Destroying people in road races is quite fun, nothing like starting a climb with a bunch of 60+ and ending it with only ~1[s]5 or less[/s]
FTFY!
In my old table tennis days, the perfect counter-loop, the one where they think they've put it away but you just get the timing perfect and cream it past them with virtually no effort. Particularly on the backhand.
There are bigger highs in rock-climbing or biking, but I'm not sure they can be categorised in the same way.
(rock) climbing when it's all just flowing, you don't have to stop and think about it, you know what the next move is going to be, it's hard enough to be interesting but not so hard you're pumped stupid or thinking you might die, just moving over rock... It's almost like a form of meditation when you get in the zone and lose yourself in what you're doing.
Thinking about it reminds me of a Bruce Lee quote used in a climbing gear advert a very long time ago: The consciousness of self is the greatest hindrance to the proper execution of all physical action.
I wish I still climbed but I don't have the hours in the day to climb and ride at a decent level (not while I have to earn a living) 🙁
EDIT: "decent level" means "good for me", I was never any good in the grand scheme of things.
Spend a sunny afternoon cutting gorse back to clear an overgrown trail.
Go out in the middle of the night and ****ing nail it.
Climbing when you're going well - as MrNice so eloquently put it.
Climbing when it goes to shit but you survive and look back at what just happened and laugh/cry/collapse in relief*.
Taking off ski boots.
*I've done all three of these at the same time.
40,000 for a hockey match? I think your sepia tinted spectacles don't give a clear view.
Scoring a try from your own half and leaving the intercept for dead when you up into a gear he didn't possess just when you need it.
Or even better coming off the opposite wing to run width and length of the pitch to put their wing into touch before he hits the try line.
Memories now. But good 'uns.
40,000 for a hockey match? I think your sepia tinted spectacles don't give a clear view.
who said that? 😉
I don't surf but there must be something in it that is different to other sports.
The surfers I know will do anything to get their fix, any conditions, any discomfort, once you're hooked it seems to get you completely.
I know a few ski & bike bums but they seem to come back to 'normal' life eventually. It's only surfing that I've seen completely grip people to drop out of the rat race completely and forever.
The surfers I know will do anything to get their fix, any conditions, any discomfort, once you're hooked it seems to get you completely.
surfing's the source man, change your life, swear to god.
cresting a hill having turned yourself inside out, then flying down the other side to do it all again 🙂 this can be achieved on any kind of bike or surface, on your own or in a group
mine have changes over the years and sports
so
a side step, shimy and off you go
scragging a scrum half
running a race and 'floating' total calm zen moment
climbing making that move, usually for me some gorilla type inelegant lunge grasp yeah not falling feeling
skiing down the side of the mountain sunshine, cold and bright blue skies
riding to the top of the mountain, lungs burning, heart pounding, then
that piece of dappled single-track
that 'oh this is going wrong' crash burn bounce check all still there laugh hop ride off......thanking the lord/deity/karma/chaos theory for the good fotune
With out sounding like a total arse the buzz off surfing is totaly different to a "sport" much more personal and dare I say it spiritual.
Snowboarding on powder.
Yeah, this is nice. We had untracked powder days on this seasons boarding trip...I was grinning like a loon while silently whooshing though floaty powder.
Boxing.. when you smash the hell out of each other then shake hands and hug at the end.
This is also good...when I used to Thai box, a good sparring session was satisfying. Sparring hard with people who know how not to get carried away is satisfying...on the other hand, sparring with people who don't know how to control their temper or throw haymakers isn't so much fun.
Saying that though, I sparred with a big guy at the gym years ago who was throwing haymakers - if he connected it would have hurt. I usually hate this and I count the seconds till I can change partners. But for some reason I was zen like calm, and just out boxed him...which wound him up even more. I enjoyed that.
Too many to think of, but if you could take that combination of adrenaline, dopamine and endorphins and inject it into people and explain this is how it feels when sport goes right, and they could have this feeling everyday if they did some sport, I suspect you'd be able to solve the obesity crisis pretty swiftly 😀
For me, one of the biggest benefits of sport right now is the ability to get away from all the attention-grabbing screens we have in our lives and just get out and be physical in the real world. (yes I get the irony of posting that on a mountain bike forum!)
Getting away with it. Too fast or in bad shape into a feature, just saving it as the adrenaline spikes and then riding on laughing and swearing.
Or the moment when you're at the top of something you're not quite sure about. The knot in your stomach. The apprehension, then the release as you roll down it anyway, concentrate and hope for the best.
The moment one step beyond no return on a climb when your mind is totally focused (The worst feeling is when your mind refuses to focus and you know that the next five-ten minutes are going to be an absolute nightmare)
Seems to be a common theme across a lot of sports of that zen like calm feeling despite everything else thats going on. Love that feeling.
Too many to think of, but if you could take that combination of adrenaline, dopamine and endorphins and inject it into people and explain this is how it feels when sport goes right, and they could have this feeling everyday if they did some sport, I suspect you'd be able to solve the obesity crisis pretty swiftly
Bingo, I posted similar last week after coming back from a good ride and looking around at glum people out shopping and wondering why they don't do something more 'involving'
Just doing something well - you know when you think "that's perfect".
Could be anything - landing a jump, railing a berm, super smooth ski turn, flushing an 8 iron and stopping it dead next to the pin, perfect strike and the ball hits the top corner with the keeper nowhere...that sort of thing.
Doesn't happen often though...except the 8 iron - I can still manage that.
They all have there merits but without a doubt the best feeling for me comes from riding a set of proper BMX style jump trails.
Yep completely agree 🙂
I love the feeling of going out with a group for a few hours on Sunday morning on the MTBs then heading back to town to go to the cafe for lunch and seeing people stood outside the pub smoking and thinking I'm so glad I have my life not yours .
Flow.
I love the feeling of going out with a group for a few hours on Sunday morning on the MTBs then heading back to town to go to the cafe for lunch and seeing people stood outside the pub smoking and thinking I'm so glad I have my life not yours .
Bingo, I posted similar last week after coming back from a good ride and looking around at glum people out shopping and wondering why they don't do something more 'involving'
The greatest feeling in sport - smug superiority. 🙄
The greatest feeling in sport - smug superiority.
well that is the whole point of [i]competitive[/i] sport glumdrops.
Lose with dignity, win with grace. And then crow a bit 🙂
well that is the whole point of competitive sport glumdrops.Lose with dignity, win with grace. And then crow a bit
I enjoy competitive sport - nowt wrong with that. However both those posts weren't about competitive sport were they?
They were just about thinking that going out riding a bike makes you better than everyone else. (Obviously this is actually true, but it's not cool to crow about it. 😉 )
I love the feeling of going out with a group for a few hours on Sunday morning on the MTBs then heading back to town to go to the cafe for lunch and seeing people stood outside the pub smoking and thinking I'm so glad I have my life not yours .
You can go to the pub after a ride if you want, you know.
Surely it's being able to find a technical error on an internet forum post and point it out with a smug condescending post...
Or better still, to post an utterly meaningless "FTFY" as if it's still 2008.
🙄
Apologies if I came across as being smug but I genuinely don't get why more people don't seek out the natural highs that are on offer and being discussed here. Anyway I digress.Bingo, I posted similar last week after coming back from a good ride and looking around at glum people out shopping and wondering why they don't do something more 'involving'
The greatest feeling in sport - smug superiority.
Another one who's addicted to that zen-like feeling, but in karts.
Used to race when I was young and nothing beats linking together a series of corners (or a whole lap) effortlessly and smoothly with no twitches or corrections. Feels so smooth and is usually fast too!! Not overly competitive so the 'winning' feeling was strange, especially when the other drivers were upset at losing! Having a really good fight with another driver all race comes a really close second, that knowing handshake afterwards when you've both enjoyed it regardless of who won out is really good.
I quite like the feeling when you feel the sand beneath your feet after having been windsurfing a bit too long in offshore conditions and are knackered.
As they say, it's better to be on the beach wishing you were out there than to be out there wishing you were on the beach.
Good thread - prompted me to have a think about situations that have given me that amazing feeling. Funnily enough, I can't think of one in biking. Don't get me wrong, I love feeling beasted after an epic ride or nailing a big jump / drop but, for me, they don't compare to the feelings I've had when climbing, surfing or skiing / boarding. They're the only sports I've had experiences that have not only made me grin, but have actually made my shout / scream / whoop!
Surfing Anchor Point in Morocco at dawn - turn after turn down the point into the most golden sun shining right up the line of the wave. Or surfing Boilers just up the coast on a rising swell, craping myself, 2hrs with no waves and eventually took off on a monster and nailing that bottom turn.
Skiing or boarding in fresh powder - incredible feeling.. Impossible not to have a little hoot when it's on!
But biggest high for me in any sport was a route I climbed in Northumberland years ago. Pretty hard, ground fall potential and no real holds on a pretty steep slab. You couldn't actually stop at any point and it was like a dance to keep moving and keep your momentum going. I was buzzing for about 3 days after that and all these ideas of calm, collected and understated disappeared when my right hand hit the top hold and I new I was safe - screaming like a loon!!
Not played a lot of Rugby so consequently not done it much, but turning on the pace at the right angle to leave the defenders standing is pretty damn good 🙂 I can only imagine what it must feel like when fifty thousand of your countrymen suddenly jump to their feet and roar!
There are lots of good feelings in sport. Achieving something you didn't think you were capable of. Finding that your limits extend further than you realised. That moment when you are "in the zone" and in control but right on the edge of it. The rush from speed or power.
The feeling of having mastered something that others have/can not.
But as Njee said up there somewhere. I have a competitive streak and nothing, for me, beats winning - preferably a hard fought win.
Anything that makes you feel weightless/flying/floating works on bikes, boards etc
& going so fast your brain struggles to process it 😀
Anything that makes you feel weightless/flying/floating works on bikes, boards etc
& going so fast your brain struggles to process it
try skydiving - it'll blow your mind
try skydiving - it'll blow your mind
russian roulette can do this too.
mtb, getting down some broken expanse of rock or tangled mess of roots and turning back to see your mates approach that section and just stop and say
how?
what line?
where?
That and tech trails that go on for so long you're just giggling from the adrenaline high.
Boarding on powder has potential but I don't think I'm good enough to really make the most of it yet, may never be. Others sports I'm so far away from even competent that's it's just me having a go.
A committed go but still just having a laugh.
Squash - When you get into the other guys head and he starts to fall to pieces.
MTB - That moment where you're going so quick that everything starts to slow down.
Motorbikes - The slight splutter of a two stroke just before it comes onto the pipe.
I have a competitive streak and nothing, for me, beats winning - preferably a hard fought win.
Yep. As long as I have like minded opponents, anything decent will do. A hard fought board game, pub pool, a rocky climb, anything.
"Good game mate, cheers!"
Actually another climbing one's just occurred to me - typically a bouldering one. The point rioght at your limit when the tiniest change in body position or weight or how you hold something changes "completely impossible" into "well... maybe" and then shortly after into "Well that worked out nicely".
Used to play rugby (only semi-pro back in those days, I'm 43) once my willy fell out of my boxers whilst having physio on my knee. It hit the physio on the hand, she was gorgeous, she just brushed it aside and told me to rearrange myself. Still felt great though!
Used to love that feeling of the first beer after a game, knackered and bloodied!
Has to be nutmegging someone
For me its very rarely the feeling during the event thats best. I like the time immediately after the event, usually sat / slumped there plastered in sweat / mud / vomit, etc., blurred vision, often bleeding & completely destroyed knowing you could not have tried any harder either physically or mentally. Doesnt matter to me if I havent won.
2 things
Winning, or a particularly good result
Running down a ridge during a fell race, particularly something like the Ian Hodgson Mountain Relay, where you are paired with a runner of a similar standard. You will be pelting downhill and it's like flying a plane having a wingman, one min you are in the clouds, then you pop out into sunshine with the valley below, he might get a better line then you are chasing. Not a lot beats beats that for me.
Anything that makes you feel weightless/flying/floating works on bikes, boards etc
& going so fast your brain struggles to process it
+1
The feeling in a big overpowered sailing dinghy when it get's on the plane. One of two things happens, either it accelerates so fast if you're not holding on you get ejected backwards, all hell breaks loose as you try and controll it and you hope someone if filming as it's going to be one spectacular trip into the water. Or somehow by luck or fluke, the boat just pops up, doesn't heal one bit and just rockets off into the distance in a cloud of spray.
At one point managed to outrun the RIB at the weekend 8)
When playing badminton and you're on a roll. You can't get back in time to play the next point fast enough and are skipping in to the net to grab the shuttle back from where they've hit it in the net again.
When it's going well like that you've got all the time in the world to hit things. The best bit is the feeling that you get in the air, there seems to be a couple of seconds between jump, wait, hit the smash, hang, back to earth and back to base and your pre tension bounce is an instinct despite the fact it was an obvious winner 😀
I kinda get that on a bike, but with more fear 😀
a KO from a roundhouse to the head.
just feels sweet.
Don't you feel weird when you wake up Sancho? Or do you just get mad dreams?
on 'the list' a base jump would be the ultimate as I hate heights too, properly scramble my brain 😛try skydiving - it'll blow your mind
why do you say that Rorschach.
I used to kick box for a long time when I was younger and I remember ko'ing an opponent when doubling up a roundhouse to the head.
it was a great move.
what's up with that, it sport, and what it's all about.
In my mind I equate sport with competition. So, on that basis, the best feeling is winning - as a hockey player (decent level, 40000 crowd, blah blah), losing on Saturday would find me still going over it until Tuesday night's training session....*
But within the game itself, those moments when it all becomes slow motion and you have an absolute clarity of thought, purpose and execution.
But, given I haven't been able to do any sport for the last few years (health reasons) my recent OK to do some more means I might just enjoy it more for what it is (and being able to do it at all), rather than trying to win.
*This is why I was so disappointed at any competitive cycling I did. Rather than accept mediocrity, I'd be permanently frustrated at it.
Rugby - scoring a try, can't beat it. Or maybe just before, when you run a perfect angle and the pass is perfectly timed so that you go straight through the gap at full speed and you know nobody is going to stop you.
Snowboard - powder is immense, but it's a prolonged high, not quite the big hit of scoring a try. Stomping a trick off a big kicker comes close.
Bike - Flow.
I meant you get Ko'd!!....apparently you've already had a few too many 😉