Talent versus practice

davetrains (quoting a gymnastics coach):

Over the years, I have found that if an athlete is first developed as a “young man”, their best competitive results will naturally follow. Hence in my competitive men’s team program, gymnastics is used first and foremost as a tool to develop the character of young men (their honesty, integrity, sense of responsibility, perseverance, work ethic, accountability). I am extremely demanding and refuse to accept less than their best. They learn to work and to work very hard. They learn that they are capable of reaching the incredibly high standards that I have set for them. They learn that competitive success is something that must be earned by outworking their competitors.

To this end, I protect them from the outside world. Within the four walls of my gym, I create an environment where all is measured and rewarded according to their individual level of effort. Thus a young Level 4 can hope to compete on equal footing with the Level 9 national champion, even though his physical strength and technical skills are light years behind, if only he can show me that he is giving me all that he has and that he is “working” harder than the national champ. I want to develop the ability within them to always give their best; day in day out, month after month, year after year.

However despite the many long-term, life changing benefits that the young man accrues from learning to give his all, despite my giving him my all as his coach, despite the years of blood and sweat; sometimes it is quite simply just not enough. While I have given him the tools to maximize his potential; there is nothing that either of us can do to increase the level of talent that he is working with. This is an innate limitation that cannot be overcome.

This is as true in everything else as it is in gymnastics.  Hard work trumps talent, but talent plus hard work trumps all.

Notes

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