Basic and specialized sports

Basic sports are the underlying universal abilities for all sports performance, while specialized sports are directional ability training for specific goals. The two are never mutually exclusive, but a complementary combination that is dynamically adjusted according to training goals and stages. There is no absolute "who is more important", only "who is more suitable for the moment."

The so-called basic movements, to put it bluntly, are those abilities that are universal regardless of the sport: can you stand on one foot for 20 seconds without shaking, will you suffer back pain when squatting down to pick something up, will you be out of breath after running for 500 meters, will your wrists get stuck when turning in a circle? These qualities of core stability, basic strength, flexibility, and coordination, as well as the most basic movement patterns such as squatting, pushing, pulling, walking, running, and jumping, are all included in the category of basic movements. Special sports include the three-step layup you need to practice in basketball, the long-distance ball moves you need to play in badminton, and the pace and rhythm you need to practice in marathon running. They are all targeted content for specific events.

Nowadays, many people in the sports circle are arguing about this matter. One group is a firm believer in the "basic omnipotence theory". They believe that if you want to do anything, you should first hone your basic abilities for a year or two. Otherwise, you will be blind and easily injured if you try to specialize.； The other faction is the "Special Priority Party". They say that ordinary people don't want to win Olympic championships. I just want to sweat by playing ball on the weekend. You want me to squat barbells for half a year? I might as well just give up.

In fact, both sides are right, but the people they are suitable for are completely different. If you are an ordinary office worker and your exercise needs are to meet up with friends to play ball without being held back, to climb a mountain without being carried down, and to take good-looking sports photos, then there is really no need to study the basics and just go directly to the special event you like. If you find that you are out of breath after running two steps, you will naturally practice more aerobics. If you can't shoot the basket, you will naturally practice some upper body strength. It is more efficient to supplement the basics driven by interest. I used to have a friend who just loved playing badminton. At the beginning, he even struggled to swing the racket. After playing for half a year, he quietly practiced his core and shoulders in order to catch the ball from behind. Now his backhand high and long shots are smoother than many people who have deliberately practiced the basics for a long time.

But if you have clear advanced goals, such as running a half-marathon within half a year, rock climbing to pass V3, or playing in amateur basketball leagues to get ranked, then you really need to keep up the basics. I have encountered this trap before when I practiced rock climbing. At the beginning, all I could think about was special movements, such as dynamic jump points and footwork. After practicing for more than half a year, I was stuck in V2 and could not move up. Later, an old rock climbing friend in the gym woke me up and said that my finger strength and core were too far behind, and no matter how fancy the movements were, it would be useless. During those two months, I went to the gym every day to warm up by climbing simple lines for half an hour, and then spent 20 minutes practicing hanging leg raises, fingerboards, and shoulder and back strength. I didn't touch any difficult lines. Then I went back to climb the lines that I had been stuck on for two months and passed them in one go. It was then that I really understood that the basics were enough, and there was no need to study hard for special movements. It all happened naturally.

If you look at top athletes, the higher their level, the more time they spend on basic training. In Su Bingtian's training diary, the training of general abilities such as basic strength, core stability, flexibility and coordination accounts for almost 40%. He is not sprinting 100 meters on the track every day. I watched a CBA youth training video before. The young players were not even allowed to touch a basketball for the first three months after joining the team. They practiced running, jumping, core, and basic movement patterns every day. They were afraid that if they practiced specific wrong movements first, they would not be able to correct them later.

To put it bluntly, basic exercise is like the basic ingredients of rice, flour, rapeseed, salt, etc. in your kitchen, and specialized exercise is the dish you want to make. If you just want to cook some noodles, there is no need to stock up on all the ingredients from the eight major cuisines. You can make it with noodles and salt. ； But if you want to make an elaborate Buddha Jumping Over the Wall, you have to prepare all the ingredients in advance. If you don’t have any of them, it won’t taste right. It doesn’t say which ingredient is necessarily more important than the dish. If you buy a bunch of dishes, they will go bad if you don’t cook them. Without the ingredients, you can’t cook anything according to the recipe.

Don’t be kidnapped by the various schools of thought on the Internet. Some people say that not practicing the basics is seeking death, and some say that practicing the basics first is a waste of time. In fact, it is not as practical as doing it yourself. After you start moving, just make up for whatever you lack. If you want to play, go play first. If you want to advance, make up for the basics. Whatever makes you feel comfortable. After all, when it comes to exercise, the first thing you have to satisfy is your own needs.