Great post!
Somewhat related, perhaps my favorite sports science quote. Yuri discussing what he calls “the innate reserves” (protected human motor potential):
“Nature has provided man with the possibility to enhance his abilities in extreme situations, and we need to utilize it in the training of the high class athlete.” – Prof. Yuri Verkhoshansky
That quote, in the context of the “capacity of the human organism”, re-shaped my mindset on athletic improvement. I went from “trying to build” to “trying to utilize protected motor potential” (reduce inhibition). When I look at it now, “building” seems much more daunting. Are we trying to add strength, speed, power, fitness etc? Or are we trying to slowly reduce protective mechanisms to express the potential we already have? The latter seems really pure to me. Obviously it can be a bit of both - one can simultaneously hypertrophy & reduce inhibition for example. But that shift in mindset from “building” to “reducing” has really helped me in my various athletic goals, whether it be dunking, running etc. I talked with @flipcollar about this several times on here. Some folks just have alot more inhibition than others. I personally think people often confuse it with “natural ability”. I mean it is very much a natural ability, but not in the sense that one individual “has more” than another individual, but perhaps that they “have less” inhibition than another individual.
Regarding anger: I jumped higher & run faster when i’m angry. Running angry (but not tight), for me, is great for distances <= 1 mile. I can harness those emotions to improve my performance. For dunking, and the training that went along with it (heavy lifting), utilizing anger & aggression were a primary source of fuel for me. I’d also try and create “bridges” between my heavy lifts and my hardest jumps, ie utilizing similar mental mantras/audible expressions in both my heaviest lifts and my most important jumps in a session. Worked really well.
As for PED’s, I agree that is very much the danger with them. They can improve ones ability to tap in to protected motor potential for a session (or several), which is just too fast for the various tissue(s) in our body. I’d personally want to be able to consciously tap in to more motor potential, ie an innate mental smelling salt, than use an external substance. I think the ability to dial in mentally, focus intensely, and utilize more potential is an incredibly beautiful thing.
Also +100 for high rep work for connective tissue healing. Feels so good.
Finally, man i’ve really gotten away from the science. I used to really be into it. I’ve gone from deep into the science, to deep into my mind. For me personally, the more I absorb science, the more inhibition it creates. My best gains in dunking and running have been when I make a long focused effort on freeing my mind from the minutia.
If i’m “scared” about how hard i’m about to go in training or a competition, then I know it will be effective. :f For me, feeling that fear is where it starts.
peace!!
