Do you ever find yourself wishing that you were as good as so-and-so
in a certain skill? As you continue to train and achieve progress
you want to be good at everything, strong in every lift. Perhaps
you marvel at the 500 pound bench presser and wish to equal his
feat. You see a guy like John "Pull-ups" Allstadt crank
out one-arm chins and decide you're going to add those to your repertoire.
And of course, you plan to achieve Master of Sport in Kettlebell
lifting within the next few years! Well, I'm here to share with
you the "secret" of the great strongmen and super athletes.
It seems that these super athletes are good at everything they
do, and we want so badly to emulate them. But, are they really
good at everything? Careful inspection will reveal that there
are those that are indeed naturally gifted and seem to pick up
very quickly and excel at a wide range of physical skills. These
genetically gifted "freaks of nature" are the kids that
are faster, stronger, and more aggressive than all the others
throughout childhood. But examination will also reveal that even
these "good at everything types" are really great at
only a few things. This becomes more apparent as the child physically
matures into an adult.
Looking at sport, we can see numerous examples of this truth
in action. There may be no better example in sports of the "good
at everything" athlete than the decathlete from track and
field. This super athlete has to excel at 10 different events.
However, if you test the decathlete in any 1 of the 10 events,
rarely is he even one of the world's top performers in any particular
event, and certainly not in more than one. The decathlete's greatness
lies in his versatility, not in any one specific skill. He does
more different things really well than anyone else.
In modern sports we see all types of incredible athletes in any
number of games. But the best in any sport can only excel in one
sport at one time at the highest levels. Take Michael Jordan for
example. He is considered by many to be the greatest to ever play
the game of basketball. But we all remember what happened when
he tried to play professional baseball. He failed miserably because
his greatness lied in putting a ball through a hoop, not in belting
a ball with a bat. An argument could be made that the great Bo
Jackson defied this notion of being limited to greatness in only
1 thing at a time. Those that remember his career saw him achieve
superstardom in both professional football and professional baseball.
But we also remember that his greatness in both sports was able
to be sustained for only a short period of time. We can only speculate
as to whether his attempt at greatness at two such remarkably
different skills contributed to the brevity of his athletic career.
It appears that even for the elite of the genetically gifted,
one can only be truly great, and remain so, in one thing at a
time.
So how does this concept of being great at one thing only apply
to strength development? The key is to pick one area of focus
and stick with it for a while, until your goal is attained. Persistent,
focused, dedicated PRACTICE is what anyone needs to achieve some
level of excellence (if you don't want excellence, why bother?).
If power lifting is your thing, stick with it. If it's KB lifting,
stick with it. Nothing fancy, just hard and smart work over time.
That's the "secret" to great strength, however one defines
it.
Steve Cotter is a Senior RKC and champion full contact
fighter. In his newly released DVD, Full K.O.ntact Kettlebells:
The Martial Art of Strength Training, Steve teaches you how to
train your body for high level power development. Perfect for
martial artists and athletes involved in high impact sports, you
will learn how to combine kettlebell lifting with fundamental
movement skills to achieve your highest level of conditioning
and mental toughness. For information on Steve's training services
and to order your copy, visit www.fullkontact.com
