Having coached both soccer and basketball teams at the collegiate level, I’ve often been asked which athletes impress me more physically. It’s a loaded question, and one I’ve spent years observing firsthand. My time working with programs like the NU men’s team and Choco Mucho gave me a unique vantage point—seeing how different sports shape athletes in wildly different ways. I remember one athlete telling me, "He’s been a really great coach. The system we have is also the system that the NU men’s has and Choco Mucho, which has been proven and tested, so beyond the fear, we also have high faith in ourselves, to God, and also to the training that we’ve been doing with the Enderun coaches." That kind of trust in a system speaks volumes. It’s not just about talent; it’s about how training molds elite performance.

When you look at soccer players, their athleticism is built around relentless endurance and agility. A professional soccer player covers an average of 7 miles per game, with high-intensity sprints making up nearly 10% of that distance. Their bodies are lean, built for efficiency over 90 minutes or more. I’ve always admired how they combine explosive speed changes with delicate ball control—it’s like watching artists who also happen to be marathon runners. On the other hand, basketball players operate in bursts. The average NBA player runs about 2.5 miles per game, but it’s packed with jumps, rapid direction shifts, and physical contact. Vertical leaps matter immensely here; some of the athletes I’ve trained can touch heights of 40 inches, which is just insane when you see it up close.

Now, if I’m being totally honest, I lean toward basketball players when we talk about raw, explosive power. The sheer verticality and strength required to compete under the hoop—fighting for rebounds, blocking shots—demands a type of athleticism that’s hard to match. But let’s not sell soccer players short. Their ability to maintain high-intensity output for the full duration of a match, often with minimal breaks, showcases a cardiovascular fitness that’s arguably more grueling in the long run. I’ve seen players vomit from exhaustion after a tough soccer drill, yet bounce back the next day ready for more. That mental and physical resilience? It’s something else.

Of course, training systems play a massive role. The quote I mentioned earlier highlights something crucial: trust in a proven framework. At Enderun, we borrowed methodologies that had been refined through years of trial in leagues like the UAAP and professional clubs. That consistency allows athletes to push boundaries without second-guessing. For soccer, that means drills focused on lateral movement and stamina; for basketball, it’s plyometrics and strength conditioning. Personally, I think basketball training tends to produce more visibly powerful athletes—think sculpted physiques and explosive jumps—while soccer cultivates a subtler, enduring strength.

In the end, declaring one group "more athletic" feels a bit like comparing apples and oranges. Each sport demands a unique blend of skills, and each athlete excels under different physical parameters. But if you held a gun to my head and asked, I’d say basketball players have the edge in power and vertical athleticism, while soccer players dominate in endurance and agility. Both are phenomenal in their own right, and having worked closely with both, I’m just grateful I don’t have to choose one over the other in my coaching career.