Football and hockey both require rigorous training and discipline. Professional athletes often continue with their training programs during the off-season to maintain their physical fitness, so playing these sports can be a year-round commitment. The frequent, dangerous body contact in both sports makes them strenuous. But of the two, hockey is likely the more strenuous because players must work on offense and defense, unlike football players.
Hockey
Hockey players skate on ice for long periods of time. They wear heavy padding to minimize injuries due to falls, checks and being hit by hockey sticks and pucks. The heavy protection makes movement more difficult. Hockey is a fast-moving sport, so players must skate rapidly from one end of the rink to the other as they switch from offense to defense. Hockey players often use body checking as a defensive technique. To perform a body check, a player crashes into an opponent in an attempt to knock him down or crash him into the boards. Although there are rules governing how players may execute a check, there is always the chance of serious injury.
Football
Football players also wear heavy padding for protection. Offensive players try to bring the ball into the other team's end zone. Defensive players block the other team's offensive movements and attempt to steal the ball. Both types of players use their bodies to block quick-moving opponents, so frequent collisions are common. Tackling is a technique in which a player slams into an opponent to knock him down or clings on to him to drag him down.
Difficulty
Neither sport is easy, but hockey likely is the more strenuous sport. Hockey players race back and forth throughout a game, playing both offense and defense. Football players, at the college level and above, generally play only defense or offense. This means football players do not have to compete for an entire game. Hockey players may be substituted, but they generally compete for longer periods of time.
Considerations
Hockey also has an equitable division of labor. All hockey players, except the goalkeeper, perform at roughly the same high level of intensity throughout a game. Football players might not perform at the same level because they each have different roles. For example, some players must sprint to receive passes, while others spend most of their time blocking the path of opponents. That's not to diminish the physical demands of football. Rather, it just means that not all football players experience the same type and duration of physical strain during a game.
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