Specialized sports ability

Specialized sports ability is by no means a simple superposition of general physical qualities such as strength, endurance, speed, etc., but an exclusive ability that is deeply coupled with the movement pattern proficiency, neuromuscular adaptation, special energy supply system efficiency, and project tactical thinking of a specific event. The accuracy of the training direction is more than 10 times more important than the stacking of training volume.

To use an analogy, the general physical fitness is like the flagship processor of your mobile phone, and the special ability is the adaptation and optimization package specially made for a certain game. No matter how powerful the processor performance is and the game is optimized, you will still be stuck in PPT when playing.

Last month I met a familiar face in the gym, Akai. After three years of fitness, he bench pressed 120kg and deadlifted 160kg. His core strength was measured to be higher than that of many basketball guards from the youth training of provincial teams. Last week, he excitedly signed up for a local amateur basketball league. After playing three group matches, he shouted that he was quitting - the whole audience I lost my breath after running back and forth for two times, my legs were weak after two rebounds and two jumps. I usually practice three-pointers very accurately in the half, but my movements are completely distorted when I play. I am 185cm tall and lost my temper when being outdone by a 170cm tall man. After the game, I squatted on the sidelines and scratched my head: "My physical fitness is so good, why do I have to stretch my crotch in an amateur game?" ”

Isn't this a typical misunderstanding of treating general physical fitness as a specific ability?

This is interesting to talk about. The core logic of special abilities in the sports training community has actually been quarreling for almost thirty years.

One group is a supporter of the "general quality transfer theory" and believes that general quality is the underlying foundation. Once the foundation is laid, transfer to any event can quickly produce results. This group's argument does have solid cases: for example, many domestic shot put athletes are transferred from the weightlifting team. Their absolute strength foundation is sufficient, and they only need to polish their throwing movements for half a year to achieve national competition results.； The basic training for all events in the youth talent selection stage mostly starts with general running and jumping strength training. This is also the logic.

Supporters of the other school of "specific priority" are also not convinced, and the example they give is even more disturbing: the average bench press level of professional rock climbers is only about 60kg, which is lower than many enthusiasts who have practiced in the gym for half a year, but you ask them to bench press 100k As a strong man, go to the bouldering area and try it. If I can survive on the rock wall for 3 minutes, I will lose. The fingertip strength, dynamic core control, and force generation mode required for rock climbing are completely different from the force generation logic of the bench press. No matter how strong the general strength is, it is useless. There are also those elite marathon runners who may not be able to squat even 1.5 times their body weight, but they can run 210 in the marathon. If you ask a fitness guru who squats 2 times their body weight to run, it will be difficult to finish the race.

Both groups are right, they just apply to different groups of people. When a novice first comes into contact with a sport, poor general skills are indeed a shortcoming. It is okay to supplement some general skills at this time, but when you get started and the action pattern has not yet been finalized, all training must be focused on specific events.

Don’t tell me, I also believed that quality is everything at first, but I didn’t understand it until I stepped on the pitfalls of cross-country running.

In order to improve my endurance, I ran long distances on the road every day for three months. The 10km pace was stuck at 6 and a half minutes and I couldn't get up. Later, I found a coach who had retired from the provincial team. He laughed when he saw me running 500 meters and said, "Don't run blindly." When you go downhill, you hit the ground with the soles of your feet, your center of gravity is sitting back, and you are unloading force with every step. It's weird to be fast. Then they arranged two weeks of special downhill running training for me. I practiced 400 meters downhill every day, specializing in forward center of gravity, ankle cushioning, cadence and landing timing. I practiced this one movement. After two weeks, my 10km cross-country pace directly increased to 5 minutes and 20, and my legs were not sore after running the whole distance. This is the effect of improving my special ability, and it is much more effective than me running blindly for three months.

Nowadays, many people like to engage in "cross-border ability supplementation". The recent trend of using CrossFit to supplement special sports, I have seen too many people fall into the trap.

A friend who plays badminton once practiced CrossFit for half a year in order to improve his smashing strength. However, his smashing strength did not increase, but instead he injured his shoulder. This is because the clean and jerk movement in CrossFit uses a heavy weight to exert upward force, which is completely different from the internal rotation of the forearm in badminton. After practicing too much, the nerve memory is messed up, and the shoulder exerts the wrong force when smashing the ball. It would be strange if it does not hurt. But that’s not to say that CrossFit is completely useless. Another friend of mine who plays badminton has completely finalized his movements, but his core cannot stabilize when he hits the ball continuously. After practicing the core anti-rotation training in CrossFit for two months, he can hit 10 shots in a row without drifting. The effect is very good.

To be honest, there is no one-size-fits-all formula when it comes to special sports abilities, and don’t believe the nonsense on the Internet that “after practicing these movements, you will be a xx master.” The logic of each event is different, and everyone’s shortcomings are also different. You must first figure out what the event you are practicing requires, what you are lacking, and then practice in a targeted manner, which is the most reliable way.

If you are really not sure, just spend some money to find a reliable special trainer to take two classes. It will really save a lot of time than practicing blindly on your own for half a year. Oh, by the way, don’t argue with me by saying, “I just practice fitness, what special ability do I need?” Then if you practice fitness, the special ability of fitness is the standard of movement, the sense of muscle recruitment, and the adaptability of the training plan. That is also special, right?