1. “The myth of the skilled basketball player”. If an athlete is able to perform many skills in practice, coaches can be quick to label that player as skilled. However, it is important to make the distinction between motor skills and perceptual-cognitive skills. An athlete may be able to perform all the drills in practice perfectly (e.g. in straight lines and/or with no opponents), but may struggle during game situations. Check out basketball coach Brian McCormick’s (@brianmccormick) thoughts on this topic here.
2. This next article from Alexandra Sifferlin at Time Magazine discusses the power of perception and how visual illusions can help get you out of a slump. Imagine the target is bigger than it really is! Thanks to Stuart Armstrong (@stu_arm) for directing us to this great article. Click here to read article.
3. Every coach, athlete, parent, scientist, and armchair expert seems to have an opinion on what matters more, talent or practice. Check out the plethora of experts chiming in on this great debate at the Creativity Post (@creativitypost). Click here to read the introduction to the debate.
4. In this Wall Street Journal article Jonah Lehrer (@jonahlehrer) discusses some of the flaws with the NFL combine. Some of the measurements may actually mislead coaches, while leaving out some important qualities in athletes. Click here to read article.
5. With the 10,000 hour rule entering the mainstream, it is important to note that this is not a simple formula for success. Author of the Talent Code Daniel Coyle (@danielcoyle) provides a brief overview on the importance of quality, not just quantity, when you practice. “If you count hours, you’ll get hours. But if you find a good way of measuring your intensity, or measuring your improvement, that’s what you’ll get.” Click here to read article.
Happy Reading!
