What do I like about the Olympics? lots of inspiring stories, a display of human excellence, national pride, etc.. Last but not least, during the Olympics, you will see more than just hockey, football and basketball, sports like rhythmic gymnastics, judo, ping pong, will get rare TV moments as well. 🙂
Every sport have their own uniqueness, what remains constant is that it takes a lot of hard work to get to be amongst the best in the world. Just take swimming, most people know how to swim before they are 10 but how do you get to that speed? If it is just arm and leg strength, then all we have to do is to do enough weight training. When the difference can be 1/100 of a second, can you guarantee that you will always have that 1/100th of a second advantage every time? What can you change to gain that slightest bit of advantage consistently? Do you know there are different ‘styles’ within a stroke like breaststroke? If there are so many details to something as ‘simple’ as swimming and running, you will start to understand why martial arts can become a lifetime of learning, discovering and training!
There are lots to see, notice, think and learn. Lets take for example:
- There are all kinds of races, why are there strategies? Isn’t doing your best time all that is required or all that you can do?
- Are there any out-of-the-box training methods?
- Do you notice how the body respond to an early lead, last 200m drive
- Did you watch any of the cycling races? Those that go out first may not last. You will also hear stories how some hang back for too long and ended up losing the race. So what works?
- Swimmers usually hang reasonably loose and have great shoulder flexibility. Why?
- Does marathon runners have the same running form as a sprinter? Why?
Following are some article(s) that you may find interesting:
- NBC – Cullen Jones on mission to reduce drowning deaths
Read about the Shreveport drowning tragedy. Facing your fears is the only way to change stats. - Scott Young – Dreams to action
Lots of people talk about dreaming big. Why did it work for some but not others?
Exercise:
With so much sport coverage, don’t just watch passively, note things that matches with (or contradicts with) our principles, it may trigger a deeper understanding or may act as a catalyst for change. Be inspired!
- Note things that you find interesting or inspiring. Send me a link to video, article or describe to me and tell me what is special about it.