Matthew Hayden Quotes

I've been doing a lot of different cross-training and kickboxing and Capoeira and kite surfing, and I've just really been back to what I consider my original athletic self.

You need to become more than one type of athlete. You have to be a sprinter, a weight man and a distance guy all in one.

I do like all different kinds of sports and stuff. I've taken up gymnastics and slacklining - you know, tightroping, basically.

As an athlete, I used my speed, agility and quickness to go out and play against the big guys.

I prefer to stay in shape through doing activities I enjoy, such as climbing, hiking and exploring.

I'm a runner from sports. I've been a runner, but I wasn't a cross-country runner or anything like that. I played a lot of soccer growing up.

I am still pushing the edge of what my body can do.

I've always had stamina. It's a genetic thing. Don't forget, I'm from the era where we played outside, so there was no issue with weight because we were out running around the fields and playing hide and seek.

I'm an evangelist for the idea of being ultrafit if you want to be the best of breed. Getting into world-class physical condition is one of the smartest moves you can make.

I think fans of the sport have a good understanding now of how fit Formula One drivers need to be.

I grew up an athlete. Track and field and dance. In track, I actually went to the Junior Olympics. I've always been very athletic.

Growing up, I was always into sports - basketball and volleyball - but I wasn't really a runner.

We don't need to run 5-6 kms, even in a Test match.

As long as I am able to compete physically with the younger players, I am going to play.

Obviously, swimming is my strength, but I'm also good at fencing.

You don't just have to be skilled and talented at tennis, but you have to be so physically strong.

I grew up playing sports, and being athletic was just something I have always hung on to.

I think whenever you get out and do something different, like mountain biking or surfing, it just makes you more aware of your body and balance. For me, I've always loved anything that involved sports, so I've always just tried different things.

I was always athletic when I was growing up.

As far as my athletic ability, I can pretty much do it all. You can put me at linebacker and I'll do a good job.

I've been fortunate that I have good athletic ability, just in general. Quick, strong, able to bounce off players, trying to be strong in winning tackles, and annoying to play against, pretty much.

I think climbing deserves to be an Olympic sport, as it is one of the few natural movements - like swimming or running, things that people have been doing for a thousand years.

You name the sport, I've played it. I was quarterback for a football team one year, played volleyball, played softball - you name it.

Thanks to my dad, I've always had it. He always told me how important it was to be versatile. Every time we worked out in the gym, it was always all the skills, not just being a big man.

You've got to keep on going up and down the wing for the whole game in that wing-back role, so you obviously need a lot of stamina to do that, and I think I've got that.