photo credit: Foto43
suffer to win…
With the recent release of Malcom Gladwell’s Outliers (2008), there was a great deal of interest on the part of coaches who latched on to his rule for how people become “great” at something: the 10,000 hour rule. Here are examples from Friel and Couzens.
The simple math makes this 20 hours a week for 10 years, and the premise is that lots of time is required before one can realize their potential.
Gladwell initially applied this concept to what he called “cognitively complex field(s)”. In a recent interview he stated:
When we look at any kind of cognitively complex field — for example, playing chess, writing fiction or being a neurosurgeon — we find that you are unlikely to master it unless you have practiced for 10,000 hours. That’s 20 hours a week for 10 years.
Making the leap to the realm of triathlon is easily made, as 20 hours of training per week is a good dividing line between the hard-core training athletes and those who participate on a more recreational level. While the distinction is easily made, it fails to capture the true essence of what makes a top-level triathlete. Let’s examine what Gladwell’s actual work did–and didn’t–capture.
Continue reading the full post over at Coach Patrick’s Blog: www.patrickjohnmccrann.com
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