Sports Performance - Elite Athletes

http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/more/news/20130724/the-sports-gene-exce...

Interesting article in Sports Illustrated about athletic science. You need to read the whole thing to get the big picture. It should bring up questions in how people recruit top athletes. How do you really know someone is one of the best and how can you reliably predict their potential? Typical measures like those used in the NFL combine can't measure how someone plays and reacts in game situations. Physical attributes like reaction time can't explain how an elite QB does what he does. Elite athletes dont have any big or maybe no advantage in reaction time. In a game like football some positions are more about brawn than brains but the best players still have to react to their opponents actions.

The lead part of the article discusses major league baseball players inability to hit a fast pitch softball. Why is that important? The fact they can hit a fastball at all has little to do with seeing the ball and reacting to the pitch. It is more about experience and practice and an innate ability to predict where the pitch is headed. It is something we call vision in a running back or QB. But it can be just as important for any position on the football field. Predicting where a linebacker is headed on a blitz or knowing how to react if the guy you are supposed to cover or block heads somewhere else are things you cant think about. You have to know instinctually what to do or you will be lost and your guy is making the play.

What tends to throw off the elite athlete? Unorthodoxy and unfamiliar situations. Their brains are not prepared and they dont have the experiential data to instantly recall and react. There are some situations that athletes struggle with no matter how much they practice against it. Discovering these tendencies is paramount for a good opponent.

What does this all mean for VT? I am nervous about the offensive line realignments. Shifting players to new positions will create a big learning curve. I expect there to be many hiccups. The new offensive scheme could cause issues with everyone involved. It will take a while to finally get it. Getting it is a process of repetition and seeing the flow and timing of each player, learning how to react and adjust to make a play. You have to see success in your mind and repeat it often to make it happen consistently. It is hard work. VTs success on offense has been lacking. Can the team visualize success if it hasnt been there?