On The Head

Baseball is an intense sport. At the latest when looking at this picture, that becomes clear to everyone. Especially in a World Series match, the pressure is especially high and every player shows full physical effort. In the “hot corner”, i.e. third base, things sometimes get a bit reckless.

This picture was taken at the first game of the World Series in 1991. The catcher showed his true skills by holding onto the ball even after being attacked by the opponent – even when he was upside down. Perfect timing for a great snapshot!

 

War Dance

By now, most people see cheerleading as a serious sport. The performance is not only athletic in nature, but goes far beyond that – as this picture also proves. Looking at the cheerleader’s serious expression, one wonders if this is her mixing up her cheerleading routine with a Haka war dance.

In any case, it’s clear that a good cheerleading squad is essential to team sports. Who else can get the fans so excited and motivate the players for the game? As a rule of thumb, the better the cheerleading team, the more excited the fans will be and the more motivated the players will be in the end.

 

Ouch

Looking at this photo of Pittsburgh Steelers player Antwaan Randle El, we can literally feel the pain. Another player holding his helmet literally twists Antwaan’s head. I wonder if he survived that unscathed.

Logically, that was counted as a foul, and Antwaan’s team was awarded a penalty. And Antwaan can also count himself lucky because he suffered no serious injuries in this attack. The photo is a testament to the intensity of the game of rugby and how resilient the human body is.

 

Unintentional synchronization

Again, one can speak of perfect timing. You can see exactly how agile and highly concentrated hurdlers are during a competition. It’s a funny coincidence how the two blue and white runners jump over the hurdle in perfect synchronization.

Head to head, the two athletes fly over the obstacle in skillful Super Woman fashion. At this point, you can’t tell who will reach the finish line first. Both would have deserved the victory. And the photographer also deserves an award for this picture.

 

 

The Dying Swan

This pose probably fits more into ballet than onto a basketball court. At least, we wouldn’t have expected it from a basketball player who normally looks rather tall, fast, and muscular. He has to be because body size and muscle mass are crucial for the game.

In this picture, however, it seems more like the New York Knicks player is preparing for a ballet performance. With the movement, the giant looks rather elegant and graceful. We can literally hear the classical music in the background.

 

Constipation

Somehow the look on this athlete’s face conveys to us that she is in pain. Without wanting to sound disrespectful, body language and posture remind us of a visit to the restroom when you’re dealing with constipation. We would love to bring her a laxative right away.

In fact, the first impression is very deceiving. We are looking at a synchronized swimmer. The picture was taken underwater when the athlete was just submerged. If you look closely, you can also see that her feet are not touching the ground.

 

 

Smile, please!

Normally, in sports photos, we see athletes who are concentrating hard or exerting themselves. Here, however, the photographer was lucky and got the exact opposite in front of the lens. Instead of paying attention to the ball, the player is looking directly into the camera.

She must have messed up the serve. Instead of being angry or sad, she stands over it and grins broadly into the camera. In this way, she is ahead of many of her colleagues in the sport in terms of emotional maturity, because emotional outbursts are not uncommon in tennis.

 

 

Superpowers

Since leaving the NBA, basketball player Dennis Rodman has repeatedly displayed questionable behavior. However, this does not change the fact that he is one of the most talented players on the planet. The following picture proves this statement.

While jumping after a deviated ball, Dennis managed to hover parallel to the ground. You could easily mistake him for Superman. The body tension he must have had in this picture taken in 1997 is incredible.

 

Cinderella

It is clear that athletes concentrate exclusively on the sport during a competition. It can also happen that secondary things are forgotten. However, the Cinderella in the picture will have noticed the absence of her shoe sooner or later, because for a hurdle race, both shoes are quite advantageous.

Nevertheless, the Ethiopian hurdler does not seem to hold back in the slightest to give everything to finish the competition with only one shoe. If you have qualified for the Olympic Games, shoes are not the most important thing.

 

 

The Incredible Hulk

Even though it’s not him, but only the background that’s green, this tuner reminds us of the Incredible Hulk. Due to his body tension, which is just as incredible, it looks like he’s sitting in mid-air. From his tense muscles, you can see a fraction of the power behind it. Performance gymnastics is not for sissies.

Everyone who does gymnastics knows that it may seem effortless and easy, but behind the graceful sport are years of practice, daily training sessions, a lot of strength, and self-control.

 

Eyes In The Back

This position gives us a vague idea of Michelle Kwan’s talent. The petite figure skater looks graceful and beautiful in any figure – even when she’s as funny as this one. The photographer captured the moment when she bent so far back that it looks like her head is against her back.

We also like to have eyes in the back sometimes. That can be very handy in some situations. Too bad we’re not as flexible as Kwan and can’t bend like a paper clip. What is a trifle for them is an impossibility for us.

 

 

That Can’t Be True!

At first glance, the picture looks like a normal scene in soccer, until you study the facial expressions of the soccer players a little closer. The photographer has immortalized the exact moment when both players looked completely incredulous. Especially the player in the red jersey looks almost disgusted.

We would like to know what they saw. Unfortunately, we will probably never know. However, we have some funny theories, though we’d rather leave that to everyone’s imagination.

 

The Four Pillars Of Balance

Not everyone understands the art of synchronized swimming. What is clear, however, is that it is a team sport. In this picture, you can see how important it is to be able to rely on your team members. Perfect coordination and harmony result in an impressive, if somewhat funny, pose like this one.

This is the danger in synchronized swimming: Grace and comedy are close together. When you use your teammates’ heads as foot and hand supports, the whole thing seems a bit amusing. This sport is better enjoyed in moving pictures, then it makes a little more sense.

 

 

Under observation

Here, someone has obviously forgotten that he is part of a public event. This is the danger that you can never completely avoid as an athlete: You are almost never unobserved! There’s always someone holding their camera on you. James Evans must have just forgotten that at that moment.

He’s just concentrating on his important task: picking his nose. This picture is a good reminder that athletes are just people. In this case, you realize that being famous can have its drawbacks.

 

Falling in the back

Unaware of what is about to happen, these two women stand there. The photographer could not have caught better timing. The two ladies in black are completely engrossed in their discussion until the lady in red decides the debate in her favor with two strong arguments.

The moral of this story: a drop kick is the best way to win an argument and make yourself heard by the other side. This took the art of debating to a new level from a WWE wrestler.

 

 

Security Measures

Yes, unfortunately, it’s true – in sports, you can quickly get a head injury if you’re not careful. However, we didn’t know that this can also happen while swimming. Or why else, should the athlete wear a helmet when swimming competitively?

All right, we admit. The benefit of a “helmet” made of water is close to zero. But it certainly looks funny how the water wraps around the athlete’s head in a helmet-shaped way.

 

 

Stylish exit

We call this picture “calm before the storm.” Because the man in this photo is just a split second away from a nasty crash landing. And as if that wasn’t bad enough, the angry bull is standing right behind the flying cowboy with his head bowed.

He’s lucky, though, because experienced employees are already on their way to distract the raging animal and thus give the fallen man a chance to escape. Anyone who sits on a bull definitely needs a clear head and nerves of steel!

 

 

 

Ahead by a nose

In the last centuries, horses have proven to be faithful companions of man. However, it has been proven to use a saddle and to stay on it. This is the only way to reach your destination comfortably, safely, and quickly.

This shot from 2006 shows Julien Leparoux getting out of the saddle of his horse Sanibel Storm during a race. In the process, a photographer captured this snapshot. It looks like Julien made himself comfortable on the horse’s head to finish a nose length ahead of the horse.

 

Ultimate stretch

We almost turn green with envy when we look at the picture of this talented figure skater. This flexibility that female athletes in the sport must possess for such poses fascinates and shocks us at the same time. But for her, as you can see from her relaxed facial expression, doing the splits standing up is the most normal thing in the world.

Anyone who has ever tried to do a split knows that it’s impossible without extensive training. Achieving this level of stretchability takes a lot of discipline and perseverance. Qualities that, admittedly, we don’t really possess…