In the Argument, David Shenk quotes Ericsson multiple times
to prove the point that it isn’t genetics that determines if an individual will
go on to greatness. Rather, those who do not continue on to greatness are
lacking “something in their process –
one or more aspects of style or intensity of practice, or technique, or
mind-set, or response to failure” (69). However, is there really a correct way
to practice? What about people who work impossibly hard and yet never reach the
heights that others reach? What about females? How is it that despite all of
their hard work, many records held by women don’t match up to records held by
men? Look to chapters 14-15 for inheritance, and refer to the biological theme
of Interdependence in Nature.
Annie Lee (xxannie.leexx@yahoo.com)
PART ONE
ReplyDeleteBoth genetics and hard work play a role in one’s success and athletic ability. I think that first genetics set the stage and then environment and personal motivation come into play.
Before, I believed that there was really no “correct” way to practice. Everybody has their own techniques and specific strategies that work for themselves. But then again, there are certain practices that and methods that help everybody improve. For example, being a badminton player I know that there specific skills and drills that our coaches make us work on which helps everybody regardless of how good they already are or how bad. Specific exercises like lunges will help improve flexibility in a person’s thighs. But then again, certain sets and repetitions of lunges can help tone one’s muscle more if they are already accustomed to doing lunges everyday versus an individual who is just starting to do them their first day. According to certain physiological principles, if you are starting a new exercise for the first time no matter how long, how much, or how intense you exercise, your body has only a limited capability to improve or to become more flexible or whatever it is. It is not a direction correlation; more exercise does not automatically equal more strength or flexibility or improvement. The process is gradual and takes time. I feel that there will always be an ongoing controversy about whether there is a correct way to practice or not because some will say that there are general strategies that benefit everyone but there are also specific ones well-suited to the individual because of their skill level and where there are at their developmental state.
I believe that if people can work hard they can be as successful as they want to be. You cannot compare one person’s hard work to another person’s and say that they worked equally hard so they should equally be successful. Again, hard work doesn’t directly correlate to success. A lot of times, it’s about working smart, not hard. Also, one may work hard at a certain thing that’s useless to their development or success whereas another person works less diligently but at the right thing that is needed for them to succeed. Also, I think genetics plays a crucial role here. I believe that we are born with certain innate capabilities and everyone person is born with different skill sets and different levels of the same skill. Although, everyone person has unlimited potential according to David Shenk, not everyone’s potential is the same, some people have more and others have less.
PART TWO
DeleteWhen David Shenk said that “nonachievers seem to be missing something in their process-one or more aspects of style or intensity of practice, or technique, or mind-set, or response to failure” (69), a question came up in my mind. I wondered if the difference in process between achievers and nonachievers could be due solely to genetics. The practice style, intensity, and mind-set could be related to genetics. One might be better equipped since birth to deal with setbacks and be able to get back up quicker when they fall due to certain genes that they encoded. Or it could be due to the environment or an interaction of both as the GXE theory states. How much of it is driven by genetics and how much it is driven by environment was my question. The research done by the following article addressed my concern.
According to the article “Genetics Versus Hard Work” posted in Training, there are two main muscle fiber types that are encoded by our DNA. One is the Type I or slow twitch fibers and the second is the fast twitch fibers. Type I muscle fibers are well-suited for endurance-related activities which include bicycling and long distance running because these fibers contract slower, therefore they are less likely to burn out. Type II fibers are the exact opposite as they contract quickly and they burn out faster. These fibers are suited for springing and weight lifting which are quick and brief activities. The majority of the population has equal amounts of both fibers in a 1:1 ratio but certain people are born with different proportions. Based upon numerous studies, professional athletes don’t have a 1:1 ratio of Type I to Type II muscle fibers. Distance runners have up to 85% slow twitch fibers (Type I) whereas sprinters have up to 85% of fast twitch (Type II) fibers. The muscle composition you are born with already determines what sports you will be good at; genetics determine what you have the potential to be good at.
This article tells us that “your genetics play a big role in mapping out whether or not you’ll achieve a particular level in a specific sport”. So this article is taking the position that genetics are highly influential and they initially start off by giving you your potential level, however it is only your potential. Your actual actualization of that potential depends upon your own hard work. So, the article seems to be saying in regards to athletic ability and such first genetics play a prominent role, then your environment and personal motivation to achieve.
Another site states that male athletes tend to focus on a higher drive for size, speed and power whereas females focus on body fat, caloric intake and weight. So regardless of biological differences and any innate differences, just the behavioral aspects of both genders differ and their preferences/focus on things is what makes them different and never at the same level as one another.
PART THREE
DeleteA third article tells verifies that there are biological differences between men and women: maximum oxygen consumption, lactate threshold, and efficiency. Because men have larger bodies, they are also able to consume 43% more oxygen than females. Likewise, women have lower blood hemoglobin content which means that they can carry less oxygen around through their body. The article also says that there is evidence that a women’s heart size is smaller which means that it pumps at a slower rate and circulates oxygen throughout the body slower. This relates to our circulatory system unit. Now in regards to lactate threshold, there really is no difference between both genders. When it comes to endurance activities like marathons, both genders use their maximum slow twitch fibre levels. As for efficiency, body shape and body mass can affect efficiency and cause a difference in the level of efficiency for both genders. Men have greater upper body mass and so they have greater muscle strength.
Overall, there are some biological innate difference between the genders. But both genetics and environment continuously play a role in the athletic abilities of people and their success.
http://articles.elitefts.com/training-articles/genetics-versus-hard-work/
http://www.kendo-world.com/forum/showthread.php/23187-Differences-in-Athletic-Ability-Training-between-Men-and-Women
http://www.popularfitness.com/articles/gender-difference-in-exercise-article.html
Nikitha Duggirala (lakshmi_nikitha_1@yahoo.com)
PART ONE REVISED
ReplyDeleteBoth genetics and hard work play a role in one’s success and athletic ability. I think that first genetics set the stage and then environment and personal motivation come into play.
Before, I believed that there was really no “correct” way to practice. Everybody has their own techniques and specific strategies that work for them. But then again, there are certain practices that and methods that help everybody improve. For example, being a badminton player I know that there specific skills and drills that our coaches make us work on which helps everybody regardless of how good they already are or how bad. But then again, certain exercises tone one’s muscle more if they are already accustomed to doing that everyday versus an individual who is just starting to do them their first day.
I believe that if people can work hard they can be as successful as they want to be. You cannot compare one person’s hard work to another person’s and say that they worked equally hard so they should equally be successful. Again, hard work doesn’t directly correlate to success. A lot of times, it’s about working smart, not hard. Also, one may work hard at a certain thing that’s useless to their development or success whereas another person works less diligently but at the right thing that is needed for them to succeed. Although, everyone person has unlimited potential according to David Shenk, not everyone’s potential is the same, some people have more and others have less and it depends on the category and what people have a potential for. In regards to the question, “What about people who work impossibly hard and yet never reach the heights that others reach?” I would say that this has to do with skill vs. persistence. Shenk said that “In the end, persistence is the difference between mediocrity and enormous success” (130). Persistence is synonymous with hard work in this case. Notice how Shenk says “in the end”, this is crucial because skill is first necessary before persistence comes into play. For the people who work hard but don’t achieve, it could be due to the fact that they don’t have the necessary talent required for what they are trying to do; they are hopelessly pursuing and persisting in a an unrealistic vision.
When David Shenk said that “nonachievers seem to be missing something in their process- one or more aspects of style or intensity of practice, or technique, or mind-set, or response to failure” (69), a question came up in my mind. I wondered if the difference in process between achievers and nonachievers could be due solely to genetics. The practice style, intensity, and mind-set could be related to genetics. One might be better equipped since birth to deal with setbacks and be able to get back up quicker when they fall due to certain genes that they encoded. Or it could be due to the environment or an interaction of both as the GXE theory states. How much of it is driven by genetics and how much it is driven by environment was my question. The research done by the following article addressed my concern.
PART TWO REVISED
ReplyDeleteAccording to the article “Genetics Versus Hard Work” posted in Training, there are two main muscle fiber types that are encoded by our DNA. One is the Type I or slow twitch fibers and the second are the fast twitch fibers. Type I muscle fibers are well-suited for endurance-related activities which include bicycling and long distance running because these fibers contract slower, therefore they are less likely to burn out. Type II fibers are the exact opposite as they contract quickly and they burn out faster. These fibers are suited for springing and weight lifting which are quick and brief activities. The majority of the population has equal amounts of both fibers in a 1:1 ratio but certain people are born with different proportions. Based upon numerous studies, professional athletes don’t have a 1:1 ratio of Type I to Type II muscle fibers. Distance runners have up to 85% slow twitch fibers (Type I) whereas sprinters have up to 85% of fast twitch (Type II) fibers. The muscle composition you are born with already determines what sports you will be good at; genetics determine what you have the potential to be good at.
This article tells us that “your genetics play a big role in mapping out whether or not you’ll achieve a particular level in a specific sport”. So this article is taking the position that genetics are highly influential and they initially start off by giving you your potential level, however it is only your potential. Your actual actualization of that potential depends upon your own hard work. So, the article seems to be saying in regards to athletic ability and such first genetics play a prominent role, then your environment and personal motivation to achieve.
Nikitha (lakshmi_nikitha_1@yahoo.com)
A third article verifies that there are biological differences between men and women: maximum oxygen consumption, lactate threshold, and efficiency. Because men have larger bodies, they are also able to consume 43% more oxygen than females. Likewise, women have lower blood hemoglobin content which means that they can carry less oxygen around through their body. The article also says that there is evidence that a women’s heart size is smaller which means that it pumps at a slower rate and circulates oxygen throughout the body slower. “One pump, the right side of the heart, delivers oxygen-poor blood to the capillary beds of the gas exchange tissues….after [that] the oxygen-enriched blood leaves the gas exchange tissues, it enters the other pump, the left side of the heart. Contraction of the heart propels this blood to capillary beds in organs and tissues throughout the body” (Campbell 901) basically, the heart is responsible for the circulation of oxygen to the blood through the bloodstream. In general, for both genders, when people exercise, their blood pressure increases. “Physical or emotional stress can trigger nervous and hormonal responses that cause smooth muscles in arteriole walls to contract, a process called vasoconstriction. When that happens, the arterioles narrow, thereby increasing blood pressure” (Campbell 907). Physical exercise and strenuous exercise at that can cause vasoconstriction which results in increased blood pressure. The circulatory system can relate to the biological theme of Structure and Function. For example, the left ventricle of the heart has the thickest wall of all four chambers because the left ventricle is responsible for pumping the blood through the aorta to the rest of the body. Also, it can relate to the theme of Regulation and homeostasis. During exercise, heart rate and breathing rate increase through the release of epinephrine, but the sensors in carotid arteries and other sensors single to the brain and to the medulla which is the breathing center. And these signals can tell the brain to lower the heart rate and breathing rate again.
ReplyDeleteOverall, there are some biological innate differences between the genders. But both genetics and environment continuously play a role in the athletic abilities of people and their success.
http://articles.elitefts.com/training-articles/genetics-versus-hard-work/
http://www.kendo-world.com/forum/showthread.php/23187-Differences-in-Athletic-Ability-Training-between-Men-and-Women
http://www.popularfitness.com/articles/gender-difference-in-exercise-article.html
Nikitha Duggirala (lakshmi_nikitha_1@yahoo.com)