"S" Characteristics of Elite Athletes

The SAID principle is something the elite athlete does so well but may know nothing about. SAID stands for "specific adaptation to imposed demands." Dr.Eric Cobb, of Z-Health adds "exactly and always" to the meaning of the SAID principle. Our bodies will adapt to exactly and always to what we're doing. A huge part of that adaptation is the speed at which it happens in the nervous system. Signals are being sent at 300miles per hour. Giving almost immediate feedback to the brain. The elite athlete is able to take that information and use it to adapt to improving one's performance. Athletes earn the bodies and level of skill that they have because of the SAID principle, they get what they have because of what they repeatedly do. So if you want greatness you must practice greatness with precision and focus.

"R" Characteristics of Elite Athletes

Repetition repetition repetition did I say repetition? Once again it comes down to the elite having the ability to reliably repeat their motor patterns in practice so that under the pressure of competition the skill is performed properly. The 3 stages of motor learning are 1) cognitive, in which the skill must be thought out each repetition this phase takes anywhere from 1 to 1,000 repetitions. 2) associative. this stages starts to combine the elements of the cognitive stage with the more relaxed and less thought about parts of other skills, this phase is 1,000 to 10,000 repetitions in length. 3) Autonomous, this is the premiere stage where skills are performed in near automatic like fashion, this stage takes between 100,000 to 300,000 repetitions. The caveat to all this repetition is that they must be done exactly the same manner, precision is everything. The perfect rep principle states that you have earned the skill that you currently have by the precision of the practice you have previously done. Practice does not make perfect but a lot of precision practice can make you elite!

"Q" Characteristics of Elite Athletes

Quality or quantity? Paper or plastic? What to choose? Do the elite have better quality or more quantity? It's a bit of a trick question, elite athletes simply have more and better repetitions than do lesser athletes. The fact is that the elite have the ability to do more high quality repetitions than the rest is a huge part of why they can dominate and perform so well under immense pressure. It had been thought that purely getting 10 years or 10,000 repetitions in would be enough to make the grade. Now, however, it is not only is the number of repetitions but the quality of those repetitions. Most athletes cannot maintain focus or endure the pain both emotionally, mentally and physically that is required to make one perfect repetition after another. So next time you go to practice it's not paper or plastic, it's bring your own quality recyclable bag, so you can fill it over and over again!