The Sports Gene written by David Epstein
The Conclusion of the Book:
- There is no single sports gene. Rather, the athleticism depends on the results of thousands of interacting genes too complicated for humans to discern.
- Genes (50%) and practice (50%) account for sports greatness.
- Both innate hardware (genes) and learned software (practice)
- A high baseline aerobic capacity (genes) and ability to improve more than one’s peers (practice and motivation)
“To pursue athletic improvement is to embark on a quest in search of the practice plan that suits your inimitable biology”
Other Notes:
- Speed is really difficult to train.
- A real practice begins when a boy is 14 or older.
- Athletic traits will be magnified during puberty, during which their athleticism explodes.
- Thus, intense training should begin from high school.
- It’s the child’s desire to play that matters the most when young.
- Trainability: individual differences go up with the accumulation of practice hours.
- No one-size-fits-all training plan. (Rather than giving up, try something different.)
- Of all the sex differences in sports, throwing is consistently one of the largest. A woman can throw only up to 65 mph; a man can throw over 100 mph.
- Endurance exercise has a profound impact on the human body.
- An increase in blood volume is one of the telltale signs of a well-trained athlete.
- Everyone benefits from exercise or sports practice in some unique way.
Notes regarding baseball:
- In order to be successful at becoming a good baseball player, an inspiring athlete needs these three things:
- Sufficient talent (inborn capability)
- Momentous motivation
- Willing to suffer through vigorous training
- A good set of eyes (especially depth perception) is very important for baseball players. Good eyes can also easily spot the ball rotation (how the seams embedded on a baseball spin).