Dr. Yessis Says That The Notion That Great Athletes Are Born And Not Made Is B. S.
Dr. Yessis argues through science that athletes are made and not born as many believe.
- (1888PressRelease) April 09, 2011 - It is a common belief, among most coaches in the United States today, that good athletes are born-they are naturals. Continuing this myth, these same coaches believe you cannot make someone into an athlete if they are not born with that ability. This implies that a person must already possess the technical skills and athleticism to play a sport. This is simply not true. Coaches see their role as motivators and strategists to blend their team into a functional unit. They often say that they teach the "basics" of the game, however, in most situations, "basics" means basic strategy rather than basic skills. Typically any time at practice to develop technique and skills are superficial and short-lived.
According to Dr. Michael Yessis, the legendary biomechanic pioneer, "the premise that athletes are born and not made, would mean that there would be no need to play a particular sport for years before achieving greatness. If a person was born with the natural ability to play baseball, for example, they could begin playing baseball in their late teens or even early twenties". Dr. Yessis continued, "the next question would be what kind of an athlete is the person born to be? A football player, soccer star lacrosse player…or, multi-sport athlete?".
Another question surrounds great athletes who lettered or made All American in more than one sport. Were they destined for this or did they train to make themselves proficient in multiple sports? When Michael Jordan, ESPN's athlete of the Century, tried to play pro baseball, he was unable to make the team. The problem was that he could not execute the skills involved in a sport different from his own, that he practiced day-in and day-out for most of his life.
One might ask if any of this matters or is it just a matter of semantics. The problem with the thinking that athletes are born and cannot be made is that it carries over to practice. Coaches who espouse the theory of athletes being born rather than raised, devote more time in practice to playing, drilling and learning more strategies in order to make players better. Research has proven that this is not the best way to make a player better. Technique & physical abilities do not improve simply by doing drills. Specialized, sport-specific technical and physical training are essential to improve player performance on the field/court.
During his fifty plus years of working with athletes, Dr. Yessis developed what has come to be known as the "Yessis System" for improving running speed. His three-step method has been successfully used to improve athletes in basketball, football, soccer, baseball, track and other sports. Most notable is the improvement in sports technique. He is considered this country's foremost expert on sports technique. In the Jan 2011 issue of Muscle & Fitness, Dr. Yessis is referred to as the legendary biomechanist.
Dr. Yessis has written 16 books in the sports and fitness field including "Build A Better Athlete" and "Biomechanics & Kinesiology of Exercise, and written more than 2,000 articles on fitness and sports training that have appeared in magazines such as Muscle and Fitness, Shape, Scholastic Coach, Fitness Management, National Strength and Conditioning Association Journal and Track and Field Coaches Review. Dr. Yessis Bio can be viewed at the doctoryessis website.
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