Specialized sports skills

It has never been a "standardized action replica template" that is widely promoted on the Internet, but an action decision-making and execution system that combines individual athletes' physical conditions, event-specific rules, and competition scene requirements, and has been polished through repeated practice to achieve sports goals stably and efficiently.

Speaking of which, I have been in a big trap before. When I was just learning three-point basketball, I stuck to Curry's movement tutorial: the elbow angle is 90 degrees, the release angle is 48 degrees, and the wrist is shaken at the highest point. I practiced in front of the mirror for three months, and my field goal percentage couldn't even reach 20%. After shooting, my arm was still so sore that I couldn't lift it up. Later, the coach of the school team took a quick look and was amused. He said that your wingspan is 8 centimeters shorter than Curry's, and your core strength is two orders of magnitude worse. He copied his force logic and the force could not be transmitted to the wrist at all. It was a waste of effort.

Interestingly, the industry has been arguing for almost two decades and there is no conclusion on whether standardization or individualization of specialized technologies should be focused on first. Most of the researchers at the Institute of Physical Science are on the standardization side and have a large amount of biomechanical data on top Olympic athletes: For example, the squatting start in track and field is statistically 17% more efficient than the standing start. For those who have zero foundation, they should first lay the foundation according to the standard framework, at least they will not go astray and damage the body. But most of the veteran coaches who provide first-line training do not accept this method. You see, Su Bingtian changed the 48 steps at the start of the 100-meter run to 47 steps, which was completely inconsistent with the unified cadence standard of the national team at that time. After adapting to his explosive mode, he directly improved the time by 0.2 seconds. ； There was also the difference between Ma Lin's straight and horizontal hitting movements and those written in the national team textbook, but he felt good in his hands and could catch the opponent's backhand at a wide angle. No one dared to say that his movements were "substandard". Both sides are actually right, but the applicable scenarios are different: Beginners should first touch the standard framework to avoid detours. When it comes to the competitive level, they will definitely have to change in a direction that suits them.

Don't think this is just a special case of ball games. I also experienced it when I ran the Hangzhou Marathon last year. In normal training, I always practice mid-foot landing according to the standard requirements, which is said to buffer the knee pressure. However, in the last 3 kilometers, my legs were so weak that I couldn't lift them up, so I simply changed to running with my whole palm on the ground. The movements looked particularly awkward, but there was no cramping. The final finish time was 2 minutes faster than the previous PB. You see, special skills are never dead. During training, the purpose of setting standards is to form muscle memory. On the field, all actions must follow the scene. In badminton, the opponent rushes to the net so fast that you don’t even have time to draw the shot. You still follow the training standards and slowly cut the ball to the side? Nowadays, professional players just flick their wrists to flick the ball over. Their movements look "deformed", but if they can score points, it's a good technique.

Of course, that doesn’t mean you can just practice blindly regardless of the standards. I used to have a friend who played with me who intentionally tilted his body to shoot in order to "adapt to his own power-generating habits". He thought he could do it as he pleased. After practicing for half a year, he was hospitalized for lumbar protrusion. The doctor said that his movements completely violated the basic logic of core power generation. The load of the entire movement chain was placed on the lumbar spine. It would be strange if there were no problems. The premise of individualized adjustment is not to touch the red line of sports physiology. You can never go down the road of injury just for the so-called "suit for you".

A while ago, I had dinner with a youth coach who retired from the provincial team. He said that now when parents bring their children to learn to play, the first thing they ask is "Are there any standard moves?" He always leads the children to the ball rack: "First throw 1,000 balls. You can throw the ball how you like. After you throw the ball, we will talk about changing the moves." ”

You see, there is no perfect technology that is universally applicable. In the final analysis, specialized technology is the unique tacit understanding between you and this sport - easy to use, better than anything else.