Being a person that likes most any kind of sports watching the events in the Olympics found me in front of a television this last week. I tend to like the more traditional sports because I am more familiar with them. The skateboard and modern-day events that today’s youngsters grew up with are a little more difficult to relate to. The thing that impresses me is that in each of the different sports the level of skill that the athletes display is incredible. It is interesting to look at the range of ages in various sports. Some Olympic gold medal winners are still teenagers while others are in their 30’s and above. No matter the age of Olympic athletes they are all at the top level of their sport.
There are some interesting theories on what it takes to reach this top level of a sport. The skills that appear to be predicated on innate gifts are often nothing more than the manifestations of thousands of hours of practice. One theory that seems to stand out is the “10,000-hour rule” as the magic number of greatness. It seems the rule applies to almost any level of expertise. To become a chess master the 11,000-hour rule is common. Even top violin musicians will practice an average of 10,000 hours to achieve greatness. Golfers are included with the number of hours of practice it takes to make the PGA top level. However, you want to look at it reaching the top level of a sport or skill takes many hours of dedication and practice.
It is important to understand that to reach the top level of competition comes from a combination of genes and practice. That 10,000 hours of practice will help an individual reach their own level of greatness but does not guarantee reaching the top level of the sport. A person with good genes will not reach that high level of athletic greatness unless they put in the hours of practice. Everyone can reach their level of potential with dedication and practice, it just may not be the very top elite level of the sport.
