Talent vs. Practice

[EP Dad]

This came up in the case study thread and I wanted to know what peoples thoughts were. There's a lot of books on the subject, Expert Performance in Sport, Talent is Overrated, Bounce by Matthew Syed.

This could go many different directions, but the question is do the want the kid who practices the best and puts the work in or do you want the kid with the most talent? It's a given that you want both.

 

[chinamigarden]

I want the kid who puts in the work. Talent is great, but talent without effort leads to attitude issues that I would rather not have. Obviously what I really want is a talented girl who works hard, lucky for me I have one of those living in my house.

 

[sluggers]

The question can't be answered.

A girl who is very talented but puts in no work will be better than a girl who has no talent but works very hard. By definition, a girl with no talent can never learn the athletic skills--if she could, she then would have "some" talent. A "very talented" girl will be able to master the athletic skills at some level, while the girl with no talent will never be able to master any of the skills no matter how hard she works.

The usual situation is for a very talented girl who puts in some work versus a girl with moderate talent who works very hard. So, it comes down to a how relatively talented the girls are and the amount of work they put in.

My DD#1 has been on both sides of this. There was a girl ("Mary") who apparently came out of the womb throwing 65 MPH. My DD#1 worked her a** off to become better than her. Mary practiced about 25% as much as my DD. Mary ended up pitching in the WCWS at a top softball school, and my DD ended up at a mid-level D1 school.

BUT: DD#1 did beat out many, many girls who were more talented than her.

The key to beating out more talented athletes is to:

(1) Understand what it takes to be successful at the game.
(2) Recognize your weaknesses<--this is what most parents and DDs can't do. They can't face reality.
(3) Recognize your strengths.
(4) Develop your areas of weakness as much as you can.
(5) Develop a strategy for playing the game that accentuates your strengths.

 

[EP Dad]

Thanks, sluggers. That's what I was looking for by starting the thread. Some of those books I cited do argue that everyone has "some" talent for just about anything for what it's worth.

 

[Amy in AZ.]

I have often said that when I write my book, one chapter is going to be called You Can't Teach Talent.

I can coach a talented athlete and even a mediocre athlete. But 3/4ths of the time, some of these girls just need to be in choir. (No offense to choir. I picked that out of the blue.)

When I spend 6 lessons and you still can't catch and throw and no one at home is helping you and mom is sitting under a tree, on the phone - there isn't much hope.

 

[EP Dad]

The key to beating out more talented athletes is to:

(1) Understand what it takes to be successful at the game.
(2) Recognize your weaknesses<--this is what most parents and DDs can't do. They can't face reality.
(3) Recognize your strengths.
(4) Develop your areas of weakness as much as you can.
(5) Develop a strategy for playing the game that accentuates your strengths.

Now this is fantastic information and why I love this site. Thanks.

 

[Ivy's Dad]

"Hard Work beats Talent when Talent doesn't work hard." This is usually true, and is more likely in the older age groups.

 

[darken]

I'll take the hard worker every time. Hard work is contagious to the rest of the team. The highly talented player with a poor work ethic will negatively affect the rest of the team in the long run.

 

[druer]

There was a girl ("Mary") who apparently came out of the womb throwing 65 MPH.

So jealous. Just had 2 grand daughters born in the past month and both of their hands are so little they can't even hold a softball yet.

 

[DOG310]

I tell my DDs that I would rather them have more gumption than talent or brains. Obviously, I'm glad they have both, but I have seen it so many times in the work world where the less talented person, who wants it bad enough and is willing to work hard enough, will achieve their goal whereas the highly talented, lazy person rarely achieves great success.