Are great athletes born or made?
Some of my interest stems from my experiences as an athlete. My father was a very poor athlete. My mother was a good athlete and a physical education major in college.
I was a decent athlete in school. I would probably put myself in the top 5% in athletic ability when growing up against my peers. I played varsity soccer, varsity golf and jv basketball in high school and played on the freshman baseball team before I focused on golf. I was a solid starter in every sport I played except for basketball where I was the 6th or 7th man. However, I was never "the star" on any team I played on.
Did I fail to become a star because I did not have the right genes? Or did I simply not work hard and practice enough? After all, I was spreading myself over three sports my entire time in school. What kept me from getting to the next level? Not having the right parents or not practicing enough?
I recently finished reading the "The Sports Gene" by David Epstein which explores this issue and the current state of research on "how the relationship between biological endowments and a competitor's training affects athleticism".
The short answer is that elite athletes are 100 percent nature and 100 percent nurture. Without both genes and the right environment there are no elite outcomes.
One of the fascinating stories in the book is about a boy who tried out for the 9th grade track team. He had failed in previous years in middle school at the high jump, pole vault, hurdles and 50 yard dash but each time he did not have the ability to make the team. He decided to try the longest race offered---the 400 meters---as a last chance.
He started out fast and led the tryout run for the first half of the race but his legs soon turned to jelly and his lungs were burning like they were on fire in the homestretch. He once again failed to make the team.
Nevertheless, he ran a little bit over the summer before entering high school which started in 10th grade in his hometown and decided to go out for the cross country team in the Fall. He had never run five miles without stopping until his first cross country practice. In his first time trial on a mile run he was 14th on the team. In his first cross country meet he had the 21st best time on his team. He was not even good enough to be considered junior varsity after his first competitive race. He was placed on the "C" team.
However, as he trained each day identically alongside his fellow team members, he made massive improvement compared to the others. In six weeks, he was solidly on the jv team. Two months later, he led the varsity to the Kansas state championship.
Although he had massive improvement in a short time he still was not sure running was his thing. He didn't run over the winter and was reluctant to go out for track in the Spring. He ended up running the mile and ran a 4:26 time in March to defeat the defending state champion. That compared to the 5:38 time he ran 6 months before in his first time trial. He ended his sophomore season by running a 4:08 mile.
In his junior year he became the first high school student in the world to run a sub-4 minute mile in only his second season of running track.
The runner's name was Jim Ryun who set the world record at age 19 in a time of 3:51.3
 |
| Jim Ryun in high school Credit: Runner's World |
Jim Ryun did not eventually set that world record without herculean training regimens. However, he clearly had what genetic scientists would refer to as a "high responder" body. He had some natural gifts but when he trained his lungs, hearts and body responded as if on a super charger. The nature was there but he needed to nurture it to reach full potential.
You see this theme over and over in the book.
Certain people have certain innate advantages. It is undeniable.
Africans who have descended from the Kalenjin tribe in Kenya are the world's best distance runners. For example, seventeen American men in history have run a marathon faster than 2:10. Thirty-two Kalenjin men did it in one month---October, 2011.
Why? Researchers point to their high VO2 max capacity living at 7500 feet altitude as well as their long legs that are particularly thin in the lower leg that allow for good running economy. Another factor is that most as young boys run miles to school and back each day. Again nature and nurture in play. It is interesting to note that none of the sons of the great Kenyan runners are following in their footsteps. They are not running to school and are more likely leading a softer life than their fathers. Nature can only take you so far.
A couple of other interesting facts in the book that show how important nature is in some athletic pursuits.
- Major league position players have an average right eye acuity of 20/11 and left eye acuity of 20/12. You might only find this in a handful of people if you tested a population at large. You see it in very large numbers in major league hitters.
- The average man generally has an arm span from finger tip to tip when the arms are extended outwards equal to his height--a ratio of 1.0. The average ratio for a white NBA player is 1.035. The average for African American players is 1.071. This works out to be an average height of 6'5-1/2" with a 6'11"wingspan. How important is wingspan in a basketball player. Only two NBA players had ratios below 1.0 when this survey was taken during the 2010-1 season. This may explain my mediocre basketball career. I was just over 6 feet tall but my wingspan is just over an inch short of that. On my best leap in high school I could barely touch the rim. Now I know it was not my leaping ability that was weak, I could not dunk the basketball because my arms were too short.
- We see tall men in the NBA but we lose perspective on how rare that type of height is. In fact, of American men ages twenty to forty, it is amazing to consider that 17% of them are in the NBA right now. In other words, if you passed six seven-footers on the street, one would be in the NBA. Further, only 5% of American men are 6'3" or taller. Almost every player in the NBA is that height.
- The length and stiffness of the achilles tendon seems to help determine leaping ability. For example, kangaroos have very, very long achilles tendons. Length is innate but working out can stiffen the tendon to make it have more spring. Stefan Holm of Sweden who was only 5'11' claims to have done more high jumps than any man in history. The achilles tendon on his left leg (his take off leg) was 4 times stiffer than the average man. This explains why Holm was able to high jump 7'10.5" the highest differential ever between the jumper's height and jump.
What if Jim Ryun had said that after finishing 14th in his school on his first mile time trial? In fact, Ryun's parents urged him to quit in those early days when he would come home after practice exhausted and hurting. "It is too hard on you. Give it up." However, he persevered and the rest is history. It is interesting to note that nobody else in Ryun's family was a runner. His parents never were athletes and his younger sister never ran. Did they have similar talents that were never realized?
When I picked up this book I wondered how much it would challenge my core beliefs. This book does show there is variability in the potential all of us have in various athletic pursuits. A stocky kid with short legs is not going to be a world class distance runner. A skinny, short kid is not going to become an offensive tackle for the Patriots. A girl is never going to throw the football as far as Ben Roethlisberger. The book points out that the average 18-year old boy can throw a ball three times as far as the average girl. This is why there are separate men's and women's athletic events. It is nature.
However, the reality of the gene pool is that most of us have talents and potential that are little different than almost everyone else on the planet. What differentiates those that succeed versus those that do not is purpose, passion, perseverance...and practice.
As one scientist remarked in the book, when it comes to the gene pool the biggest gift that you can receive is the will to want do something.
I believed that before the book. I believe it more after reading the book.
However, I also realize that alone is not enough to take a 6 foot kid with a below average wingspan and make them an NBA player. Of course, that short wingspan did not prevent me from becoming an above average blogger.
May each of you find your purpose and passion...and persevere in reaching your full potential.
No comments:
Post a Comment