How to make a champion

October 28th 2019

By Matt Hill
Categories: Athlete Resources

How to make a champion

Podcast by Ross Tucker and Mick Finch

Ok, so many of you will have heard about or read the two books written by David Epstein – The Sports Gene: Inside the Science of Extraordinary Athletic Performance and his new book Range: Why Generalists Triumph in a Specialized World.

He analyses how the best athletes in the world are “produced”; some of it is down to genetics, some of it is down to nurture, and then there is the question of when to specialise in a certain sport. The findings are not what you might expect, most elite athletes are actually those that have some genetics, are nurtured in the right place at the right time and DON’T specialise too early.

This podcast, “How To Make A Champion”, hosted by journalist Mick Finch and Prof. Ross Tucker summarises David’s finding in a thought-provoking way!

It should help you understand your development in sport, our approach (treating you as adults – not young athletes) and may be something you can refer to others you know with kids – to help them understand how their children will best progress in their sporting lives (which is different to the school and governing body way of handling sporting progression).

Enjoy this informative and insightful look at human growth and skill acquisition.