I remember the first time I went to the Australian Open tennis, way back in the days when it was held at Kooyong, played on grass and open to all the elements of the weather. It was a birthday present and since I loved tennis (and still do) there was little that could compare to this experience at the time.
The first moment of seeing Matts Wilander striking the ball so cleanly and crisply was amazing, like he had the ball on a string against his hapless opponent. His skill, control, finesse and touch was mesmerising to watch - he was at one with his racquet in the confines of the tennis court. Although I didn't realise it at the time, what he had was an incredibly 'feel' for the game which made everything look easy...a hallmark of all elite athletes.
Having this 'feel for the game' crosses the boundaries between all sports...and also includes performing arts like dancing and ballet. It's an intricate combination of fitness and skills, psychology and temperament, IQ and EQ, and more. Watching the outcome is like poetry in motion.
In endurance sports the game is somewhat different to tennis, but the importance of feel is no less important. It's things like knowing how to pace yourself sensibly, when to take a drink, race tactics, and so on. Runners, swimmers, cyclists and others have been doing it for decades, and refining their feel with each training session and race.
What makes this topic more interesting is the increasing prevalence of electronic devices and the feedback they give. From heart rate to speed and power, the information is a very black and white measure of what your body is doing and how it's performing. They're great aids and tools to use, and when combined with some knowledge about what the information means their value increases even more.
But the problem with these devices is they diminish your feel for the sport. Sometimes the information is miss-leading, or doesn't reconcile with what or how you're feeling. These things don't take into account the level of stress in your life, heat, wind, fatigue and other things. In a race there's even more factors outside the range of what the devices can monitor.
For athletes who have lost - or perhaps never really developed - a feel for the game, their situation is weakened. No device will ever tell them how to perform in particular conditions, or how to respond to situations which arise...that comes from being tuned into their own body and the signals it's sending. That's where their own feel for the game should over-rule the machines, and where athletes who overly rely on devices will be at a disadvantage.
The best approach is to develop your own feel for the game, to understand the signals your body is sending you, what they mean and how to respond. Devices are just aids and tools, and useful as an external feedback mechanism, and for occasional reinforcement that your feel for the game is on the mark.
But for the same reason a surgeon might use various equipment during surgery, it's their feel and skill in performing the procedure that they rely on 100% of the time. It should be the same in (endurance) sports...develop and use your feel for the game, and you'll be a better athlete for it.
As Obi-Wan Kenobi would say, "Use the force, Luke. Use the force...".
The first moment of seeing Matts Wilander striking the ball so cleanly and crisply was amazing, like he had the ball on a string against his hapless opponent. His skill, control, finesse and touch was mesmerising to watch - he was at one with his racquet in the confines of the tennis court. Although I didn't realise it at the time, what he had was an incredibly 'feel' for the game which made everything look easy...a hallmark of all elite athletes.
Having this 'feel for the game' crosses the boundaries between all sports...and also includes performing arts like dancing and ballet. It's an intricate combination of fitness and skills, psychology and temperament, IQ and EQ, and more. Watching the outcome is like poetry in motion.
In endurance sports the game is somewhat different to tennis, but the importance of feel is no less important. It's things like knowing how to pace yourself sensibly, when to take a drink, race tactics, and so on. Runners, swimmers, cyclists and others have been doing it for decades, and refining their feel with each training session and race.
What makes this topic more interesting is the increasing prevalence of electronic devices and the feedback they give. From heart rate to speed and power, the information is a very black and white measure of what your body is doing and how it's performing. They're great aids and tools to use, and when combined with some knowledge about what the information means their value increases even more.
But the problem with these devices is they diminish your feel for the sport. Sometimes the information is miss-leading, or doesn't reconcile with what or how you're feeling. These things don't take into account the level of stress in your life, heat, wind, fatigue and other things. In a race there's even more factors outside the range of what the devices can monitor.
For athletes who have lost - or perhaps never really developed - a feel for the game, their situation is weakened. No device will ever tell them how to perform in particular conditions, or how to respond to situations which arise...that comes from being tuned into their own body and the signals it's sending. That's where their own feel for the game should over-rule the machines, and where athletes who overly rely on devices will be at a disadvantage.
The best approach is to develop your own feel for the game, to understand the signals your body is sending you, what they mean and how to respond. Devices are just aids and tools, and useful as an external feedback mechanism, and for occasional reinforcement that your feel for the game is on the mark.
But for the same reason a surgeon might use various equipment during surgery, it's their feel and skill in performing the procedure that they rely on 100% of the time. It should be the same in (endurance) sports...develop and use your feel for the game, and you'll be a better athlete for it.
As Obi-Wan Kenobi would say, "Use the force, Luke. Use the force...".
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