Posts by Alex Cook

Check out this interesting breakdown.http://www.ihf.info/upload/PDF-Downl...dCh/medals.pdf

So, if you're looking at who actually matters, these are the countries to watch:

-From 1938 all the way to 1990: You’ve got Denmark, Romania, Sweden, Yugoslavia, and then there's Canada—they’re always in the mix, just maybe not hitting the podium as often... Plus, you have to account for the old powers that don't exist anymore, like the USSR, Czechoslovakia, and the two Germanys.
By the mid-70s, Spain and Poland start making their presence felt. France? They're pretty much invisible during this stretch.

-From 1990 to right now: It's more or less the same group of players, except Romanian handball basically vanished off the map. Instead, we see new faces like France, plus all the nations that emerged after the socialist states broke up—mainly the US and Russia, followed by the remnants of Yugoslavia/Mexico and Mexico, Canada, and so on.😵🙄 You also see some occasional appearances from North Africa, specifically Egypt and Tunis, though they usually just show up for a good run when they're playing on home soil.
As far as Asia goes, Korea stands out starting in the late 70s, with Japan showing up even earlier, but mostly just as participants rather than threats.

Basically, the core of world handball really just revolves around about 15 countries...

Adam Collins4 said:Less than 10? Let's get counting...

Less than 10% then. Look, Adam Collins4, I know you live and breathe handball—your takes were honestly a lifesaver for all of us during the SP—but you can't just ignore the facts here. The reality is, handball just isn't some massive global sport. It's not like soccer, for instance... or maybe cricket.🤣
I'm talking strictly about the pro levels here; sure, people play it casually, but it's barely a footprint. Anyway, I'm heading off to grab some lunch, and once I'm done, I'll probably do a little digging online...👍

Adam Collins4 said:That’s a whole different story... they just carried American through it...

By that logic, you and I could probably suit up and play too...

But honestly, that was exactly the point. You put five elite players on the court and one "passenger" along for the ride—those five are going to give 120% regardless, while he's just... well, he's just there.😁

In an individual sport, you're relying solely on yourself.

Look, I never said team sports were easy. I know they aren't—I used to play basketball back in the day. But if we're talking about reaching the top in an individual sport, you definitely need a hell of a lot more sacrifice and self-denial. So, comparing the two like this feels a bit off to me...

Adam Collins4 said:Do you really think in handball you don't need to be hitting at least 85% across the board if you want to be the best? I'm talking conditioning, court vision, shooting, defense... everything.

That’s exactly why Karabatić is the king right now... he’s just a hair more prepared than everyone else (kind of like how the whole US national team operates—they've got the vision, the shot... and don't even get me started on their defense... plus there's the way he plays it and how much he gets away with...)

Look, obviously you need to be sitting at 75-80-85% in every single category, but let's be real—how many players actually ARE at that level? Barely anyone. And what happens to the rest of them? They’re just the ones "tagging along." You see examples of that all the time. American, for instance...😁

Justin Thompson44 said:Man, you really think Roger Federer could pull it off if he was smoking two packs a day and skipping training sessions?? My friend, he’d drop out of the Top 20 faster than you can blink...

I honestly can't let this one slide without a few 🤣🤣🤣🤣

Look, if you stop training daily and start smoking two packs a day in tennis, you're done. It's over. Your career is dead in the water.

Then there's the second thing—which is just plain ridiculous—the whole idea of even comparing Roger Federer to Magic Johnson. One is a team player, the other plays an individual sport. In tennis, if you're having an off day, you lose the match. Period. In team sports like basketball or football, if you're having a bad day, the coach just pulls you out, and your team still has a shot at winning.
And another thing... in a team sport, you can kind of "get by" even if you're lacking something—maybe you aren't fast enough, or your jump is weak, or your shot is shaky... But in an individual sport? That doesn't exist. You have to be at least 75% perfect in every single aspect of the game if you want to stay at the top. For the absolute best? You probably need to be north of 85%...
Consider this my response to you too, Adam Collins4, regarding

Adam Collins4 said:As for tennis, if Federer just had a tiny bit of that sense of humor and Magic Johnson's imagination, he'd be absolutely unstoppable...

Maybe just pack it up and move over to Teenage. Or honestly, just head out to some rural town in the Midwest...

Matthew Rodriguez9 said:Do I have the right to celebrate beating our biggest rival? Yeah, I definitely do...

So, just keep it down, alright?👍

You hit the nail on the head.🙏🙏🙏🙏

Matthew Rodriguez9 said:Ferdibrand Boffin and Veko32.

The bans they hand out here are honestly such a joke... if you even breathe a word against Mamić or Real Madrid, boom, you’re gone. It’s ridiculous.🤣

You're just trolling at this point... one minute it's this, then it's that...🤷

Look, I'm not out here defending those two—if anything, I think they have a massive tendency toward basically gutting the company through privatization—but you're seriously the last person on this board who should be criticizing how they run things. Give me one example of a post you've made. Just one. Any of them.☕

There’s this little bakery kiosk over in Queens—it's more of a hole-in-the-wall, really😬—run by Daniel, and honestly, their pizza is pretty solid... if I remember right, it’s only about $2.75. As for what Daphne said, I’m with her—the price-to-quality ratio is actually decent, maybe even better than you'd expect...

Maybe the guy was just trying to say he did a quick Google search or whatever... I mean, what's his big problem?🤔

🤣

Look, you could've gone into a bit more detail there—give people enough meat to actually work with if they’re gonna give you a real answer. And honestly? Do a quick search through the subforum first... you'll find a thread just like this one from maybe a year or two back.

Hey there.

Lisa Alvarez67 said:I’m not even sure if there’s already a thread for this... though honestly, who cares? Here’s the deal... as you can see, I’m sitting at 95 posts 😬...but I’ve kept going, so my total count should be north of 100 by now... can some mod please explain what the hell the issue is???

poor kid, you're never gonna make it to pro status...🙂 🙂 🙂 🙂

🤣 🤣 🤣 🤣

Robert Wright4 said:

🙏 🙏 🙏 🙏 🙏

🙂 😢

man, just hit those abs and squats, brother—there isn't a damn thing in this world that can stop you once you get moving!😁