But You «MDUL»Can«MDNM» «MDBO»Be A Better Athlete«MDNM»
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By Michael Finley
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It starts so early in life. Mom and Dad don't play sports with you in the back yard because neither of them was ever much good at sports. On the playgrounds you're typecast as ninth in the batting order, or worse, an onlooker.
«IP6,0»By the time you're grown you've accepted the fact that you've got two left feet, a spazz, a feeb, a lame-o, a klutz. Face it, you're not very well coordinated. Nature let you down.
Well, that's exactly right. Genetically, we are not created equal. Quickness, coordination, size and strength are all part of the package we inherit from our parents. At the same time, too many of us typecast ourselves as hopelessly unathletic from too early an age. Kinesiologists and other experts tell us we can all be better athletes with a little practice and work. And doctors warn that avoiding physical activity because "I'm a klutz" can be hazardous to your health.
In speaking of "athleticism," speed and strength are secondary to a more basic skill of movement -- getting your body to do what needs doing. When a golfer swings way over his shoulder and hits the ball square, or a basketball player pivots in midair and dunks the ball backwards through the hoop, or the outfielder knows just when to jump and how far to reach to keep the ball from being a homer -- «MDUL»that«MDNM»'s coordination.
Balance is also involved, and reflexes, and conditioning -- all reasons why dancers are often thought to be the best pure athletes. But hard work and practice are also involved. That golfer, that forward guard, that center fielder couldn't make those plays the first time they tried. And that's where the best hope for us klutzes lies.
And that's why Seymour Kleinman, professor of physical education at Ohio State University, would like to see physical education overhauled from top to bottom, stressing movement skills as opposed to participation in competitive sports. Kleinman would like to see phys ed return to an emphasis on learning the art of human motion.
"We had a graduate student come in and confess she was totally helpless and fightened about sports. Out of that came a course plan for "Sports for People Who Are No Good at Sports."
What Kleinman learned was that much of "that helpless feeling" was the product of fear. The young woman had never learned the simple athletic skills like throwing a ball or jumping, and she was self-conscious -- afraid to fail, afraid even to try.
"Women have special problems with things like throwing and running because it didn't use to be expected of them. What they did learn they taught themselves, and often not very well. Now it has to be unlearned."
Kleinman feels that many of us stumble about because we are "leading with our heads, not our bodies." Anyone who has ever tried to learn to dance by mail order knows that the body does not like being taught movement by the brain. It balks, and the result is -- well, balky. Shyness sometimes makes us try even harder -- "forcing" a move through conscious effort -- when what is needed, Kleinman says, is simple relaxation and practice.
Of course, relaxing won't make us into Baryshnikov and no amount of practice will turn a born stumblebum into Mary Lou Retton. Genetics is a powerful component. A UCLA study of fathers and sons who took identical tests of athletic ability twenty years apart showed an uncanny similarity in performance -- within 1/10 of a second in running 100 yards, and with 5-6 inches on the broad jump.
Still, one of the challenges of living is to make the most of what we have. And Bryant Cratty, professor of kinesiology at UCLA, says that we can all become better than we are, within those genetic limits.
"A bigger problem than genetics seems to be attitude and motivation," Cratty says. "People don't give up on themselves because they are their parents' children -- they give up because they lack encouragement."
It's so easy, Cratty says, to follow in our folks' footsteps. If our parents don't involve us in physical play when we're very young, we don't begin until school, by which time other kids have a big head start. We embarrass ourselves trying something a few times -- running, throwing, shinnying up a rope -- then devise other strategems for acceptance.
"Lots of times the school jester is someone who couldn't make it in sports, so he gets by with making people laugh," Cratty says. "The same goes for the class intellectual and the class «MDUL»artiste«MDNM»."
They may achieve great success in their alternate strategies, Cratty says, but something is missing -- the body's need to stay fit and in shape. Heart health is vital, of course, but so is the need to keep all our parts exercised and working, in order to live long and stave off injury, atrophy, and dysfunction.
What's a klutz to do? Experts offer a raft of advice:
1. «MDUL»Stretch out first«MDNM». Doing any athletic chore without first stretching our leg and back and shoulder muscles almost guarantees stiffness, poor performance, even injury.
2. «MDUL»You don't have to compete«MDNM». Competition can be a lovely thing, but if it bugs you, try something noncompetitive, like frisbee-throwing, dance, karate, or just a gentle game of catch. Or "compete but don't compete" -- golf or bowl or play tennis without keeping score.
3. «MDUL»Be brave«MDNM». Let the ball hit you a few times. The worst that can happen is usually not all that bad. Or use a softer ball. Be brave about failing the first few times, too -- it hurts even less.
4. «MDUL»Give yourself a break«MDNM», or at least a fighting chance. Didn't look too good that first outing? Then you should quit and never try again, right? Wrong. No matter your age, you're just beginning to learn to move. Forgive yourself those first stumbles. And pat yourself on the back when you progress -- if you can reach that far.
5. «MDUL»Switch off that brain!«MDNM» "Thinking is the opposite of dancing," according to the great Nijinksy. Put away your how-to books and just «MDUL»do it«MDNM».
6. «MDUL»Cheat«MDNM». Or copy, anyway. See how someone serves that ball, or takes that rebound. Rather than re-invent the wheel, watch how the good guys do it and imitate them. Big-time athletes use computer models of motion, or watch videotapes of themselves in action. Nothing wrong with stealing a healthy idea.
7. «MDUL»Visualize«MDNM». Picture yourself making the shot and ball going through the hoop without touching it. It sure beats knowing in advance you'll blow it, which is what you've been doing.
8. «MDUL»Learn«MDNM». Concentrate on your activity, whatever it is. Try to do one thing well, not take on the decathlon the first week. Practice every day. Commit yourself to becoming as good at that one thing as you can be. Take note of your progress, and of what still needs work.
9. «MDUL»Unlearn«MDUL»«MDNM». If your physical education was so good, why are you so bad? Erase the tape telling you how to throw, run, catch, slide, turn. In movement there is only «MDUL»now«MDNM» -- dwell in the movement itself, not in recording it or being conscious of it, or constantly adjusting it.
10. «MDUL»Forget about it«MDNM». No one's watching. You're long gone from the playground. No one expects you to be bad, to strike out, or to muff the play. It's your life and you're in charge. If you like, bat cleanup. The important thing is to relax, and let the body do its thing. Remember, kids call it «MDUL»playing«MDNM».
