What is it? It is the athlete knowing their body in respect
to their sport. Knowing how to push the envelope in order to get better. Are
you born with it? Some are innately better than others but we know from
research and best practice that everyone can get significantly better. Tough to
measure drive and determination, the athlete with supposed limited physical
abilities who can just a find a way to get it done. Look around you and read
the sports pages, you will see examples of this all the time. It is definitely
not genetic; it is also the environment, if you don’t believe me read Talent Code. The athlete with an
insatiable desire to succeed coupled with guidance in the form of good coaching
and teaching will prevail. You can significantly raise you athletic
intelligence through specific directed practice. It is not easy but the path
has been traveled before, you must learn to read the road signs along the way.
Gaining athletic intelligence and expertise is not mindless; it is a very
mindful process. Everything must be connected to the desired end result. It is
not a robotic process; it is a process of tuning into the wisdom of the body,
respecting the body and all its self-organizing capabilities. It is not
focusing on what we cannot do; it is optimizing what we can do by a focus on the
process. It all comes down to the three R’s: Routine, Repetition, and
Refinement.
2 Comments
Mike
Another important consideration about athletic intelligence is that some athletes are more intelligent in different regards. Just b/c an athletes isn’t highly intelligent as a quarterback doesn’t mean they would not be a genius as a defensive end. The same effects are present with sex differences. A classic stereotype is that men have a better sense of direction. This finding is partially true but it over simplifies the sense of direction. For example men are only better than women at establishing sense of direction in an foreign settings. In contrast women have a much better sense of direction for things they previously seen. The point being, don’t assume athletic stupidity just b/c an athlete isn’t thriving in a certain position. One role for a coach is to help get the correct brain in the correct position. Pay attention to the mental strengths and weaknesses of your athletes and encourage them to participate in positions or sports that play to their strengths.
Ryan
heyyy
whats up >>.