London 2012: Most Underrated Exciting Olympic Events You Can't Miss

To thoroughly enjoy the 2012 Summer Olympics, watch other events than just swimming and sprints because of Michael Phelps and Usain Bolt.

Events such as the long jump are underrated and yet more exciting because of the supreme athletes competing. With so many sports taking place, do yourself a favor by tuning in to the following events.

Gymnastics, Women's Uneven Bars

As one part of the artistic gymnastics events, the women compete on uneven bars while the men use parallel bars. In short, the uneven bars are way more exciting because we're seeing athletes remain in control despite changing heights while performing a variety of techniques.

A more impressive aspect of this event is the overall strength the Olympian must possess to build and retain momentum throughout the duration of the routine.

Here you will see multiple rotations on both bars and quick transition of the hands between each bar. One slip and the performance can take a nosedive, as executing smooth yet strong techniques is needed to succeed.

In the video we see the uneven bars performed to perfection back in 1976.

Taekwondo

Although it's one of the more familiar martial arts, Taekwondo goes under the radar nowadays with the rise in popularity of UFC and MMA.

Nevertheless, this Olympic event provides us with fast-paced athletes that display an extreme amount of control and balance. In sparring, it's not so much for power when landing a kick or punch as it is quickness.

You're not going to see knockout kicks or punches like in the Octagon, but the more technical fighting in Taekwondo forces a practitioner to move fluidly at a more consistent rate.

Once attempting to throw a punch or land a kick (or a combination of sorts), how the opponent counter-attacks and blocks is also important. There's a stronger emphasis on strategy here because getting points is the goal.

We'll see athletes who are all offensive and rarely slow down the attack, while others are experts at defense by blocking or maneuvering to avoid being scored upon.

Table Tennis

Everyone has played ping-pong before, but Table Tennis is a whole 'nother game.

On a regular tennis court athletes need to have excellent reactionary skills and balance while quickly changing directions. Now, although Table Tennis does not require all those skills, the ability to react insanely fast and with an extreme amount of precision makes this sport exciting.

The amount of spin these players can put on a little plastic ball takes the cake as the table surface and paddle are so small. Interestingly enough, the same principles on a tennis court with forehands and backhands are used here.

Power is needed with each return to sustain a volley, but combining that with consistent finesse is what makes these Olympians masters of their craft.

Athletics, Long Jump

The 100-meter dash takes less than 10 seconds and all we see are fast athletes running fast. The same goes for the 200-meter and the relays. In a more exciting fashion, the long jump shows us not only the speed, acceleration and explosiveness of an Olympian but how far they glide through the air.

It's a simple concept that anyone can master; however, few excel on the big stage. One tricky thing to learn about long jump is feeling the steps. It involves a running rhythm that has no room for errors because one slight misstep could cost a jumper anywhere from six inches to one foot in distance.

A big reason the long jump goes underrated, though, is that it's quicker than most field events. It only entails running as fast as you can and jumping. There are no fancy movements or strategies to succeed, which is why it's also a fascinating challenge.

The world record stands at 29 feet, 4.5 inches. That's almost 10 yards, which is also the distance to get a first down in football. Impressive.

John Rozum on Twitter.