Is there a genetically determined limit to athletic performance?
Former Member
In his autobiographical book The Naturalist, E. O. Wilson suggests that there is a genetically determined limit to an individual's athletic performance which cannot be overcome regardless of the amount of training. Using himself as an example, he describes how he became a serious runner several years after graduating college. The gap between his times and those of the top runners in his age group (expressed as a percentage) remained what it was in college.
I looked at my current times (three years after joining USMS) and found that I am 12% behind in the 1000 and 15% behind in the 500. These percentages are exactly the same as they were in 1978, the last year I swam in college. I know there are exceptions within the ranks of USMS, but I wonder how valid this "rule" really is.
From my experience, ball skills are a gift. It can be seen at a young age prior to the influences of significant practice. Hopefully for the kid, good coaches spot them early, that way they can limit and control their practices so they dont damage their arms (I got Tommy John elbow when I was 24). Yes, that's right, reduce the amount they practice. The practice practice practice theory does not apply.
Can someone practice their way onto a team, stirke some poeple out and have a great experience? absolutely. Will they make the majors? some have. Are they at a serious disadvantage in doing so? you bet.
As far a strength sports i.e. swimming and running, I think determination in training overshadows genetic factors.
Again, my opinion.
Originally posted by gull80
Second, humans are not rats (except for the Geek, of course).
A rat that eats like a pig maybe.
I'm not buying that ball skills are inherited, that's a bunch of bunk. We all have genetic predispositions but those can't account either solely for or against a certain skill. If catching and throwing is so ingrained, why is 90% of every baseball practice and basketball practice spent passing the ball? I've not known a single college player who just cruised on natural skills, they all worked their tails off growing up.
I have found, most swimmers who started serious swimming at a young age, have terrible hand eye coordination. My guess, is because there is absolutely no hand eye coordination in swimming, and those skills never develop (unless they do other sports, but that means, by some coaches, you are not serious).
Hey A.K, ROFLMAO!
Originally posted by scyfreestyler
Gull, since we are on the subject of health I wonder what you think of the article from USMS Swimmer from JACC about reduced calorie diets being good for your health?
I think the concept has merit. However, I don't think you can count on the same increase in life span that researchers have observed in rats. For one thing, it would be extremely difficult for a human being to match the caloric restriction inflicted on the rats. Second, humans are not rats (except for the Geek, of course). There is a phenomenon known as programmed cell death such that the cells in your body have a finite number of divisions before they die. The thinking is that if you slow cellular metabolism by restricting caloric intake, your cells will divide more slowly and thus live longer. Dr. Michael DeBakey, now 97, eats one meal daily (usually a salad).
On the other hand, as my dad likes to say, you may not live longer, it just may feel that way.
Originally posted by rtodd
In most "ball" sports, specific skills require hand and eye coordination that is almost purely inherited.
You need only look at the slobs (looks like the average joe from next door) in the majors that can 1) throw a 95 mph fastball and 2) put it on the outside corner of the plate, or the guy that picks up a football and can throw a tight spiral and lead the receiver intuitavely. This type of talent emerges with little or no practice. It shows up early in pre-teens and young adolcent kids.....kids that DONT practice.
Of course many of these kids go nowhere unless discovered and nurtured in the game.
I think in the "strength" sports, i.e sports that, in addition to good coaching, require a commitment to intense training like swimming and running, my above comments are true.
I've seen too many athletes, whether they are short, tall, thin, muscular, big hands, small hands, good starter, good finisher, athsmatic, diabetic, bald, blonde, this ethnicity, that ethnicity, share the same stage, IN THE SAME SPORT, at the elite level.
Just my opinion.
There are hundreds of studies that suggest eye-hand coordination is a learned trait.
My mother grew up in Iowa. She was rather short. However, she played basketball. she played what we would now call a power forward. She could jump, she was muscular, and she had excellent ball control. I'm 6ft 6in, I can't dribble a ball if I had to and I've never been able to do so. When people tried to teach me to dribble, it seemed to me that they were speaking in toungues. However, I understand swimmigninstructions very well.
