In general, people believe that talent for sports or music is inherited, and no effort is needed to be extraordinary. Throughout history, in fact, there were several examples of people who could perform outstandingly in these areas, such as Mozart, the music composer. However, it is agreed that the more people practice, the superior results they will achieve. Analyzing the examples of Michael Jordan and Oscar, who became famous basketball players, it is possible to verify that people can learn how to become an excellent, and not only good, sportsmen.
On the one hand, it is a fact that a few people has inherent special talents, and people tend to focus on these examples, because they are extraordinary. Mozart, for example, commenced to compose
Jim Rohn, a motivational speaker, once said, “Success is nothing more than a few simple disciplines, practiced every day.” Malcolm Gladwell’s, Outliers, published in 2008, argues what it means to be successful, and how one can become successful. Gladwell specifically mentions the “10,000 Hour Rule” which states that anyone who wants to reach a definite level of mastery must perform 10,000 hours of practice. Some believe this rule to be invalid as those born talented, are also born successful. Though I recognize that some are born naturally gifted, I still contend that one who wants to become great at what they do, must do supplementary amounts of practicing as it utilizes one’s potential to the fullest as Gladwell argues.
Although it seems unusual, it’s quite common in the sports industries today. Sports like soccer, the Olympics, even the world of classical music, picks their future stars from a young age and seek out those “special” ones. This short description of a successful type of athlete leads to Gladwell’s talk about the outlier of being successful and success is looked upon.
People may conclude that we control our destiny, while other think that our success is foredestined by our natural talents. Which is more reasonable? David Epstein and Malcolm Gladwell take two different approaches on this subject. David Epstein, the author of The Sports Gene, a non-fiction article, believes that innate talent has more effect than athletic practice. On the other hand, Malcolm Gladwell, the writer of the Outliers: The Story of Success, also a non-fiction article, disagrees and concluded that practice is more important than innate talent.
Innate Talent or Time and Commitment? Some believe that we are born with the skills to become successful whereas others say that we have to train our bodies and minds to become elite. Authors, David Epstein, writer of The Sports Gene and Malcolm Gladwell, of Outliers: The Story of Success squabble between natural born talent versus continuous training. But what some journalist forget, is that not everyone is born with a gift to be prosperous in a skill. Moreover, some are able to train their mind and body into becoming well rounded in a field of choice.
Anders Ericsson and two colleagues in their effort to attempt to measure natural talent and how it's related to overall success. In their research they grouped violinists into 3 groups. They were then asked how much they had practiced that instrument from when they first stared at childhood. The results were that atthe age 20 the elite player had roughly around 10,000 hours of practice. Then the merely good students had around 8,000 hours, and the ones who would probably just become music teachers where at 4,000 hours of practice.
The idea of “innate talent” or being labeled as a “natural” is quite often tossed around, and has been a heavily debated topic for many years. David Epstein, author of The Sports Gene, explains how two high jumpers ended up in the same world class competition even though one had over 20 years of practice and experience while the other had roughly only a year of practice. He claims that innate talent is by far more important than practice when determining one’s success. On the other hand, Malcolm Gladwell, author of Outliers: The Story of Success, explains that humans themselves have more control over their success than their genes do and that this is evident especially in music. Based on the evidence provided from both Epstein and Gladwell, it is clear that Gladwell’s argument that we control most of what happens in our lives is much stronger.
“...students who would end up the best in their class began to practice more than everyone else [ At a younger age]…(Gladwell ❡3).” Talent does not come naturally, one should practice to become better, it might be that an individual has
Fewer kids play amid pressure,” the author explains the sacrifices made to become an elite athlete. I believe that the quest to become an “elite athlete” are
Two Models for Developing Talent Two individuals who are internationally renowned for their contributions to developing talent are performance enhancement consultant Terry Orlick and basketball coach John Wooden. Terry Orlick (Orlick, 2000) and John Wooden (Wooden & Jamison, 1997) have each created models that can be used to guide the development of talent. Orlick focuses on excellence while Wooden uses success as the ultimate goal of talent development. Terry Orlick and .The Wheel of Excellence
The movie Hoop Dreams traced a poor young talented African American, named Arthur Agee from grade eight to college. Arthur hoped to play professional basketball in the future to help his family to escape poverty. Despite the fact that his family is poor, and the neighborhood he lived in, were disadvantaged to him to pursue his goal in many ways. Firstly, Arthur showed great determination to play professional basketball, and he would like to lead his family out of poverty. Secondly, his ability to adapt to difficult circumstances, played a significant role toward his success in basketball.
The Jordan Influence When most people think about Michael Jordan, they think about him as the greatest basketball player who ever played. However, Jordan was not only a basketball player, but someone who influenced the American culture and society. Jordan’s influence was one that had never been seen before. Whether it was through basketball or his own brand, Jordan was making everyone want “to be like Mike”.
Who do you think is the best basketball player? Micheal Jordan has left his mark on the basketball court and on American society. I chose Micheal Jordan because he is a basketball legend that many people have used as their role model. Another reason why I chose Jordan is because he has an interesting story about how he became famous and the struggles that he has faced. Micheal Jordan's early life in New York and North Carolina helped him become a superstar.
Many people believe that fate is determined by natural ability, while others believe that one's destiny is determined by themselves. So, innate talent or preparation? Authors David Epstein and Malcolm Gladwell have opposing views on this topic. David Epstein, the author of The Sports Gene, says that natural ability is linked to success, rather than preparation and training. However, Malcolm Gladwell, author of Outliers: The Story of Success, concludes that achievement is the result of preparation and not just innate talent.
American basketball star Michael Jordan was born on February 17, 1963, in Brooklyn, New York. Jordan left college after his junior year to join the NBA. Drafted by the Chicago Bulls, he helped the team make it to the playoffs. For his efforts there, Jordan received the NBA Rookie of the Year Award. With five regular-season MVPs and three All-Star MVPs, Jordan became the most decorated player in the NBA.
Have you ever wondered if athletes are born or made. In my opinion they are born and made. Some people think athletes are born and not made. Everyone is born with special gifts like being flexible or being tall. According to (the odyssey online) it states that there might be a performance gene that makes you naturally good at a certain sport like football or soccer.