Reaching the goal – would you start the 100 meters standing up?
I’ve never needed much prompting to write about sports, so the 2012 London Olympics really excited me! In this article, I want to go right back to the beginning of modern gaming and one goal-achieving tip that is as valid today as it was back then…
Let’s go back to the first modern Olympics in Greece.
On the starting line for the 100m final, 10 April 1896, 5 runners (one of the 6 qualifiers withdrew to save for the hurdles, which is the next race!) line up to start.
They all use different starting positions – do you know which runner won?
Thomas Burke, in a time of 12.0 seconds. He started in a crouching position.
The other 4 runners were in various positions to try and give themselves the best start, the runner next to Burke was crouched down with wooden supports to push off!
In fact pushing Burke up and out gave the best drive and this start was soon accepted by all – that’s the point of today’s article…
It’s all about pushing the boundaries of the accepted by trying something new.
Once the crouch start was accepted, it turned to digging holes in the cinder track to get steady push-off. Blocks were then invented to allow a portable base that didn’t puncture the track!
Then the runner’s body type changed, going from a floating runner to a powerful, bulky runner built with muscle to allow more energy to be released in the explosive burst of 100 meters.
Fast forward to 2008, Usain Bolt came on the scene. Tall runners were considered unsuitable for the 100m, but at 6’4″ Bolt broke the world record because he could turn his legs as quickly as shorter runners, but his height meant the same number of strides in the race would take him further down the track.
I love how the sport is pushed forward through trial and error, in this case running the 100m as fast as possible. You can draw a pretty clear line through the history of the event from Bolt back to Burke and map the development as it occurred.
It is possible for your own purpose to push boundaries, to be innovative, to do things that people thought were unattainable.
But I’ll be honest, that’s not the most likely scenario. Most likely, someone else has already achieved the goal, the boundaries have already been pushed, the routes to the goal have already been laid.
This is great! This means you can find someone who has achieved the same goal as you, find out how they did it, and then follow it yourself! Things may change once you hit the finish line, but you have your map to get you started!
It’s a powerful technique, so if your goal is *not* to win the Olympic 100m, think about the pioneers of this race, go right back to Thomas Burke in 1896 and use the lessons crouching before you.
#Reaching #goal #start #meters #standing