“the leaves of a tree delight us more than the roots”
Tolstoy
We have a natural proclivity to gravitate towards that which is new, and exciting. The newest Apple product, the bigger house, the faster car; we’re on a never-ending quest to out-do each other. And ourselves.
Just two decades ago, things that were new, or didn’t even exist, are now seen as necessities:
- Cell phones
- High-speed Internet
- Social media
- Flat-screen TVs
Coaching is the same.
We get distracted.
As the industry grows in numbers, and the quality dilutes, the natural inclination to separate ourselves from our peers sends us down sometimes silly paths, prescribing silly exercises, reading silly articles on silly websites, written by silly people, detailing their silly programs.
It’s important to remember though – especially when preparing for major competitions – that it is BASIC movements, and BASIC principles, and BASIC philosophies that we must return to whenever we feel ourselves getting caught up in the shiny and new.
“New is well-forgotten old”
