What does it take to make it in sports? Some swear by the 10,000 hour rule meaning it literally takes 10,000 hours of practice! Others say too much play can actually hurt your chances of success.
With every kick, with every pass, Lily Truong is one step closer to her Olympic dreams.
Lily Truong, a Clearwater Chargers soccer player told Ivanhoe, I started when I was six and then started club when I was about 12.
Teammate Ashley Thomas is right there with her. Along with weekly practices and games, she also does private training.
Thomas told Ivanhoe, The more you put in to it, the more you get out of it.
Broken bones, muscle cramps and fractures haven’t stopped these girls. They are serious about their sport and Coach Erin Morse says they have to be.
If you are not putting in the work, someone else is and they’re probably getting better than what you are, Coach Morse told Ivanhoe.
The 10,000 hour rule of sports, which requires 10,000 hours to become a success isnt a long shot for these girls.
I think 10,000 hours would be easy if you really, really love the game, Coach Morse told Ivanhoe.Submit
But Sports Illustrated’s David Epstein says the 10,000 hour rule could damage performance and health.
Epstein, author of The Sports Gene told Ivanhoe, We’re sort of pushing athletes, to first of all to pick one sport, to specialize in one sport and then to train in a way that’s more appropriate for adults and professionals.
Epsteins research showed youth are experiencing adult-style injuries. These injuries are 36% more likely in wealthy kids. Also, playing the same sport for eight months can increase the risk. Experts say sports sampling until at least age 12 produces the best athletes.
Epstein told Ivanhoe, If you are learning in too professional a style, being sort of explicitly told what to do, in doing just the same thing, you are going to inhibit your ultimate athletic development.
Still, Lily and the rest of these girls are passionate about putting in the time, and they hope their hard work pays off!
Epstein says another problem he found was that youth baseball players should be throwing 80 pitches every five days. However, they were actually throwing 80 pitches every two days because they were in multiple leagues and the leagues didnt communicate with each other.
By the way, the 10,000 hour rule came from author Malcolm Gladwell. He reported that 10,000 hours of practice from violin to basketball can lead to expertise. The concept was first discussed by Anders Ericsson at the University of Colorado in a 1993 paper.
