The eZone, Issue #007 – Do we make fitness too complicated?

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The eZone, Issue #007 – Do we make fitness too complicated?
July 28, 2006

Hi,

Welcome to issue No 7. This month I have been working on getting my forthcoming book, ‘Zone Mind, Zone Body’ ready for the publisher. If all goes to plan it should be in print by early October.

As an eZone reader you will be first to hear about its release and I’ll attempt to get some copies at a special price for you.

In this issue

1. Sports personality: Asafa Powell

2. The performance of your life

3. This month’s fitness myth – Sports Science and Performance

4. Any questions

5. August’s special offer

1. Asafa Powell

For me, one of the stars of this year’s Commonwealth Games was Jamaica’s Asafa Powell. He set the Games alight with some incredible performances including a sensational last leg of the 4 x 100 m relay when he beat the Australian number 4 by a good few metres after starting at least six metres behind!

Sprinters really do put the human body through its paces when they tear along the track at quite phenomenal speeds. Their coordination has to be spot on as a muscle contracting a fraction of a second late could result in a career-limiting injury.

When you watch Powell at his best you will notice a lack of tension in the jaw, neck and shoulders. This, I believe, helps the body’s innate reflexes to operate unimpeded by unnecessary muscular effort that often results in injury.

Check out these pictures of him in action. Again we can see poise and composure from a top athlete even in the heat of competition.

Compare Powell (right) with the other athlete

Superb alignment

2. The performance of your life

I’m sure you will have had at least one performance you will remember for the rest of your life. It may not have been winning a big race or sports event - it could have been a particularly good game of tennis or a very enjoyable run. It may have been a top performance but at the same time it would have felt almost effortless and everything you did work just perfectly. If you have experienced this, you were in The Zone and it’s a great place to be.

Spend a moment to think about your best performance and ask yourself what you did to get into The Zone. Do you know? Did you prepare differently? Or did your best performance come completely as a surprise.

I would like to hear about your experiences of The Zone. You can read one of mine at Running in The Zone I wrote this about a year after the event but it was as fresh in my mind as if was straight after.

If you would like to write down your greatest sporting moment (it can even be playing football with the kids) please email it to me at roy@artofperformance.co.uk.

I will include the most interesting on a new page I will be adding next month.

3. Fitness myth of the month:
Sports science improves performance

The advances in technology have been quite staggering over the last ten years. There can’t be an aspect of life not touched by electronic wizardry in some form. Sport is no different. Sports science is now a serious arm of science and has been attracting huge investment from big clubs and national sporting bodies.

However, does this appliance of science really help? Recently a number of top sports coaches have questioned the use of sports science - especially in sports injury prevention. Sports injuries appear to be on the increase. I say appear because up until recently statistics for sports injuries were very unreliable and difficult to assess.

Greg Chappell, ex Australian cricket captain and current coach of the Indian team, bravely criticised the methods used by the current world champions Australia. He believes too much reliance on sports science can interfere with the ‘natural development’ of young cricketers.

I think too much emphasis is placed upon minute details such as results from motion analysis requiring athletes to control aspects of their technique way beyond our natural ability. Surely if the scientists have got it right injuries would be on the decrease? Cricket is a good example of where I think it is not helping. Comparisons of fast bowlers from the 1950s to today’s players show a remarkable increase in injuries. What’s the difference? The players of the 1950s bowled 5 times as much as today’s players but spent virtually no time in the gym doing exercises devised by science to improve their bowling! Food for thought.

Perhaps we can get too focused on the science and make it too complex when simplicity is the key.

4. Any Questions

In place of the usual website review, this month I thought I would start a ‘questions section’. If you have read anything I have written and would like me to explain further please ask. Also if you would like my view on any aspect of fitness training or health issues send your request to questions@artofperformance.co.uk

I will include the question and answers in a regular slot in this ezine.

For now I have included some of the more frequent questions at FAQs

5. August's special offer

A big thanks to all of you who sent feedback on my 5 Day Body Awareness course – thanks for taking the time. On the whole you were very pleased with the course but I will be making a few minor changes thanks to your comments.

Up until the end of August I have several of my programs at half price – for details visit August Special Offer