Technique, defined as “the proper manner in which the technical details of a task are performed,” is a particular bedrock foundation of great performance in music and in sports, among other pursuits. Proper, habitual, and proficient technique is an indicator of a champion.
However, technique is not the be-all and end-all to a championship performance. It is possible to become too attached to technique; if so, the desire for technical prowess saps energy, fire and passion from your actions. For example, any musician of skill can play, note for note, a certain piece of music. Only a great musician can imbue those same notes with something extra, with their own personal spark and specific personality that transforms the notes into a memorable, great song.
You may also limit your capacity to adapt to a change in circumstance, when you focus too much on technique. For example, an offensive lineman in football is taught to first take a directional step whilst preparing to engage a defender then simultaneously strike with hands and front of facemask on his second step. However, that assumes a stationary defender. Reality dictates that an offensive lineman be grounded in technique and be adaptable enough to execute the block on an unpredictable moving target. At some point, the lineman has to make a block, using great technique or not.
Another pertinent example is making a tackle in football. Very few times, if ever, during a game will a defender have a chance to make a clean, unobstructed perfect-technique, full-body tackle. Instead, a defender most often has to fend off a block, contort his body at an awkward angle and tackle a moving object by somehow striking a limited portion of the ball-carrier’s body. At some point, the tackler must find a way to make a tackle in spite of conditions not conducive to great technique.
Move past the need for perfect technique, into the realm of high performers that adjust to the needs of the moment and interject their heart and soul into every action. Transcend technique; achieve true greatness.
From August 2010, http://raising-a-man.tumblr.com
However, technique is not the be-all and end-all to a championship performance. It is possible to become too attached to technique; if so, the desire for technical prowess saps energy, fire and passion from your actions. For example, any musician of skill can play, note for note, a certain piece of music. Only a great musician can imbue those same notes with something extra, with their own personal spark and specific personality that transforms the notes into a memorable, great song.
You may also limit your capacity to adapt to a change in circumstance, when you focus too much on technique. For example, an offensive lineman in football is taught to first take a directional step whilst preparing to engage a defender then simultaneously strike with hands and front of facemask on his second step. However, that assumes a stationary defender. Reality dictates that an offensive lineman be grounded in technique and be adaptable enough to execute the block on an unpredictable moving target. At some point, the lineman has to make a block, using great technique or not.
Another pertinent example is making a tackle in football. Very few times, if ever, during a game will a defender have a chance to make a clean, unobstructed perfect-technique, full-body tackle. Instead, a defender most often has to fend off a block, contort his body at an awkward angle and tackle a moving object by somehow striking a limited portion of the ball-carrier’s body. At some point, the tackler must find a way to make a tackle in spite of conditions not conducive to great technique.
Move past the need for perfect technique, into the realm of high performers that adjust to the needs of the moment and interject their heart and soul into every action. Transcend technique; achieve true greatness.
From August 2010, http://raising-a-man.tumblr.com
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