I'm sure with time, one can acquire that level of skill. I was never that good. Of course, I'm just an amateur.

When I shot sports in my younger days, I found the largest lens I could free hand was 135mm (Leitz Tele-Elmar on M-3 body). Shooting in dim light, I usually opted for 90mm (Tele-Elmarit) or 50mm (Summicron). For some reason, I always preferred a rangefinder over SLR for shooting action. I think it was because I could use it with both eyes open. Of course, anything longer wouldn't work with the stock M-3...