Change
I have had several people ask me why baseball does not change. The comments were something like this – After all those are multi-million dollar players, don’t they want them to get better? The answer is simple and it transcends baseball. In order to change you must want to change. Then you must make a sincere and total commitment to change. You have to wipe the slate clean and start anew. There are so many examples in the sport world from this past week it is mind boggling. American throwers fall flat on their faces in World Championships – Why? Because their preparation and training are stuck in the past it is about as contemporary as a Jefferson Airplane vinyl album. Alan Webb fails to medal – it was very predictable. He is trained to run for time, not to race. Change is constant and uncomfortable. To hang with the big dogs and perform at the highest levels, demands a high level of discomfort. Many are not will to pay that price and many other do not know how to get there.
posted by Vern Gambetta @ 9/01/2007 08:59:00 AM
6 comments
6 Comments:
It this part of the reason--not enough who are unwilling to do the work over time--we see no Americans beside the borrowed Legat and Kara Goucher in the final rounds of events > 400m?
These events, like weightlifting, are not "fun". You don't "play" the 1500 m. You work and work and it hurts sometimes. And you toil in anonymity for months at a time. There is little ESPN, newspaper coverage or big dog status.
Are some of our best distance athletes playing other team sports ? How is it that one of our 800m runners comes through the DIII ranks? Seems like Symmonds is eeking out every ounce of speed out of those short legs?
Again, is it like US weightlifting, in that there is no real search (developmental programming) for talent? Is it just the luck of the draw and survival of the fittest for the US, where there is also a dearth of formal coach mentorship and preparation?
Greer did pretty good in his flight, but we'll have to wait and see how he does in the final ...
On a similar note as Chad; Hoffa & Nelson went 1-2 in the shot. I assume that you're talking about the disc and hammer guys (falling flat on their face?!
I guess I'm specifically interested in the running events greater than 400 m, not the throws. Why do we have so few competing at the highest level in these events?
Ask Mike Marshall about change.
"Change is constant and uncomfortable" is very true. Only the exceptional athletes will work in an uncomfortable environment, whether the arena/field they are playing in, training session that is taxing on the body, or the weather they are in. What is peak performance? The Blue Angels said it best, peak performance is being comfortable in an uncomfortable environment.
TC
Post a Comment
<< Home