Is Lionel Messi Really Talented? Is There Such A Thing as A Talented Athlete?
"Talent" we hear that word all the time. We mainly hear it when we're discussing young prospects who are making their way up the ladder of the footballing world.
Talent is simply defined as "having a natural aptitude or skill". You hear it all the time from fans, writers, journalists, commentators, analysts, pundits and coaches describing the best players as being talented. But if we look at this from a biology stand point: does talent exist? Is there such a thing aa a talented athlete?
To be an athlete these days it takes a strong physique and sharp knowledge of that certain sport. Knowledge is acquired by learning the vast array of theories of that make up the sport...but what about the physical aspect? Now when I say "physical aspect" I don't mean the players size or muscles, I mean the practical side, what you do when you're on that pitch.
To give you a short scientific answer to the question that the title poses: no, talent does not exist, I say this because of a little something called muscle memory.
This type of memory, along with other types of memory that are not declarative memories for facts or events, is implicit memory. Different types of implicit motor memory are associated with two different brain areas: the basal ganglia and the cerebellum. The basal ganglia exert control over learning of action sequences so that even a complex set of action steps can become automated, and the cerebellum contributes to using error signals to learn appropriate fine movement adjustment.
Learning in the basal ganglia system is sometimes referred to as habit learning. For example, a person may find themself performing a complex sequence of actions, like driving to the office, when they meant to go elsewhere—because that action sequence of driving to the office is a habit. Processing in the basal ganglia supports this behavior, where individual motor elements are grouped together into one action sequence, or “chunk,” that is then performed with decreasing variation as learning progresses. As individual action steps become chunked into action sequences, the time between each step of the action sequence tends to decrease, and the action sequence becomes more stable and stereotyped. In laymen's terms; it becomes second nature
Now let me put this into perspective for the non believers. Bruce Lee once said "I fear not the man who practiced 10000 kicks once, but I fear the man who practiced 1 kick 10000 times". A great martial artist understood the concept of muscle memory and the dangers repetition will pose on an opposing fighter. Another fighter, Conor McGregor, once said "There is no talent here, only obsession". Conor is known for working out for more then 8 hours at the gym in a day in 2 hour intervals. Jose Aldo hadn’t lost in 10 years, that was until Conor McGregor knocked him out in 13 seconds with a left hook on the chin, that's the power of repetition.
Lionel Messi is largely regarded as the best player in the world, some say ever. That's simply because of the things he does on the ball that seem to be magic to us mere mortals. But if you've noticed, you would have seen that Messi would look oblivious to everything happening on the pitch, then he switches on and destroys entire defences. Its well known that when Messi was young (about 6 years old) before he even played for any team, he would dribble around the house, using the furniture as make shift defenders. He did this so often that he obviously broke a couple of things around the house. So when he finally joined Newell's Old Boys he dazzled everyone who laid their eyes on him
Repetition is easily achieved with simplicity, and no player personifies simplicity more then Messi. Simple body feints, drops of the shoulder and changes of direction is all Messi needs to make a fool out of any defender. It is his simplicity that makes his perfection seem so seemingless. It was easier for his muscles to pick up on what he does and that sets him apart from any other player.
His legs are like swords that have been forged and sharpened through years of playing football, there is no talent in what Messi does, only passion and obsession bordering on the psychotic.
"Talent" we hear that word all the time. We mainly hear it when we're discussing young prospects who are making their way up the ladder of the footballing world.
Talent is simply defined as "having a natural aptitude or skill". You hear it all the time from fans, writers, journalists, commentators, analysts, pundits and coaches describing the best players as being talented. But if we look at this from a biology stand point: does talent exist? Is there such a thing aa a talented athlete?
To be an athlete these days it takes a strong physique and sharp knowledge of that certain sport. Knowledge is acquired by learning the vast array of theories of that make up the sport...but what about the physical aspect? Now when I say "physical aspect" I don't mean the players size or muscles, I mean the practical side, what you do when you're on that pitch.
To give you a short scientific answer to the question that the title poses: no, talent does not exist, I say this because of a little something called muscle memory.
This type of memory, along with other types of memory that are not declarative memories for facts or events, is implicit memory. Different types of implicit motor memory are associated with two different brain areas: the basal ganglia and the cerebellum. The basal ganglia exert control over learning of action sequences so that even a complex set of action steps can become automated, and the cerebellum contributes to using error signals to learn appropriate fine movement adjustment.
Learning in the basal ganglia system is sometimes referred to as habit learning. For example, a person may find themself performing a complex sequence of actions, like driving to the office, when they meant to go elsewhere—because that action sequence of driving to the office is a habit. Processing in the basal ganglia supports this behavior, where individual motor elements are grouped together into one action sequence, or “chunk,” that is then performed with decreasing variation as learning progresses. As individual action steps become chunked into action sequences, the time between each step of the action sequence tends to decrease, and the action sequence becomes more stable and stereotyped. In laymen's terms; it becomes second nature
Now let me put this into perspective for the non believers. Bruce Lee once said "I fear not the man who practiced 10000 kicks once, but I fear the man who practiced 1 kick 10000 times". A great martial artist understood the concept of muscle memory and the dangers repetition will pose on an opposing fighter. Another fighter, Conor McGregor, once said "There is no talent here, only obsession". Conor is known for working out for more then 8 hours at the gym in a day in 2 hour intervals. Jose Aldo hadn’t lost in 10 years, that was until Conor McGregor knocked him out in 13 seconds with a left hook on the chin, that's the power of repetition.
Lionel Messi is largely regarded as the best player in the world, some say ever. That's simply because of the things he does on the ball that seem to be magic to us mere mortals. But if you've noticed, you would have seen that Messi would look oblivious to everything happening on the pitch, then he switches on and destroys entire defences. Its well known that when Messi was young (about 6 years old) before he even played for any team, he would dribble around the house, using the furniture as make shift defenders. He did this so often that he obviously broke a couple of things around the house. So when he finally joined Newell's Old Boys he dazzled everyone who laid their eyes on him
Repetition is easily achieved with simplicity, and no player personifies simplicity more then Messi. Simple body feints, drops of the shoulder and changes of direction is all Messi needs to make a fool out of any defender. It is his simplicity that makes his perfection seem so seemingless. It was easier for his muscles to pick up on what he does and that sets him apart from any other player.
His legs are like swords that have been forged and sharpened through years of playing football, there is no talent in what Messi does, only passion and obsession bordering on the psychotic.
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