06-11-2025, 02:28 AM
We've all taken a basketball and tried to shoot a hoop for the first time and failed miserably. We've seen practice make us better.
We've heard reports of the best shooters in basketball spending extraordinary time working on their shots.
We know countless examples of practice making you better, whether bowling or putting or shooting hoops..
Typically we call something a "skill" if it seemingly improves with practice & experience & training.
We may call a talent a "gift" or an "innate ability" if it is something (quickness, height, etc) that does not seem to continue to improve with practice. Some of these may depend upon development at an early age while the brain is still developing.
That said, we all know that there is an asymptotic limit on the ability of each player at any particular skill.
Whether it is some slight imperfection in their motor skills or their sight or their ability to judge body position or speed, there will be differences between any two people.
Yes, in theory, she might have reached her limit on her ability to hit threes. But I think most of us have not seen or heard evidence of her putting in the reps to hone her shot. Perhaps more importantly, has anyone heard of her seeking out coaches who have developed great 3pt shooters, or tearing apart her shot to develop a better shot? (That is a question, not an assertion that she didn't.)
As a bit of an aside, I look at swimmers today versus 50 years ago and am stunned at what they can do today. In general, I don't believe that swimmers now are more gifted, but they are a heck of a lot more skilled. The skills come from a variety of influences (body changes, stroke changes, training changes, ...), but I don't believe it is because swimmers practice much more than 50 years ago.
Mark Spitz set the world record for 100M Fly at the 1972 Olympics with a time of 54.72. That time would have missed making the 2024 US Olympic Trials by more than a second (there were 60+ men that qualified with 53.58 or better). Do you think Mark Spitz had reached his physical limit? He had reached the limit of his capabilities then, based on his training and coaching. I would agree that if he had swum an extra 1000 yards a day, or did more sprints per day, he may not have improved much. But if somehow Mark Spitz had been cloned about 50 years after his birth and trained as hard as previously, I think the clone would be right at today's world record (49.45).
We've heard reports of the best shooters in basketball spending extraordinary time working on their shots.
We know countless examples of practice making you better, whether bowling or putting or shooting hoops..
Typically we call something a "skill" if it seemingly improves with practice & experience & training.
We may call a talent a "gift" or an "innate ability" if it is something (quickness, height, etc) that does not seem to continue to improve with practice. Some of these may depend upon development at an early age while the brain is still developing.
That said, we all know that there is an asymptotic limit on the ability of each player at any particular skill.
Whether it is some slight imperfection in their motor skills or their sight or their ability to judge body position or speed, there will be differences between any two people.
Yes, in theory, she might have reached her limit on her ability to hit threes. But I think most of us have not seen or heard evidence of her putting in the reps to hone her shot. Perhaps more importantly, has anyone heard of her seeking out coaches who have developed great 3pt shooters, or tearing apart her shot to develop a better shot? (That is a question, not an assertion that she didn't.)
As a bit of an aside, I look at swimmers today versus 50 years ago and am stunned at what they can do today. In general, I don't believe that swimmers now are more gifted, but they are a heck of a lot more skilled. The skills come from a variety of influences (body changes, stroke changes, training changes, ...), but I don't believe it is because swimmers practice much more than 50 years ago.
Mark Spitz set the world record for 100M Fly at the 1972 Olympics with a time of 54.72. That time would have missed making the 2024 US Olympic Trials by more than a second (there were 60+ men that qualified with 53.58 or better). Do you think Mark Spitz had reached his physical limit? He had reached the limit of his capabilities then, based on his training and coaching. I would agree that if he had swum an extra 1000 yards a day, or did more sprints per day, he may not have improved much. But if somehow Mark Spitz had been cloned about 50 years after his birth and trained as hard as previously, I think the clone would be right at today's world record (49.45).