Bar Debate Fodder: Which sport requires the best technique?

Yesterday night Em-dina and I had a discussion regarding Kyle Orton and quarterbacking in the NFL. She asked why I had such a strong reaction to some dumb ass who called into a local sports talk show and said the reason Orton didn't produce was because the offense wasn't tailored to his strong suits. So outside of the obvious explanation of "the plays being called had nothing to do with Orton throwing incomplete passes to open receivers", we began to talk about how important footwork, ability to read defenses, and mechanics were to being a good quarterback. It also got me thinking about how football in general is really differentiated at the NFL level by mechanics rather than physical ability. How good is your foot work? How good is your pass coverage technique? How well can you shed blocks? Etc. It also got me thinking about which of the major sports places the highest premium on having sound fundamentals in order to succeed. So I ask:

Which sport requires the best technique from its participants in order to be successful?

I look forward to discussing this over drinks tonight but would love to hear from those that can't attend.

Filed in: sports opinion