LT training w/ Kimbo Slice

Relaxation and Athletic Performance

The NY Times has cool article up that discusses the importance of relaxation in elevated athletic performance.

This initially reads as paradoxical but the article makes a lot of sense:

Relaxation. It is a trait that is often underappreciated, coaches and athletic trainers say. Yet it can make the difference between doing your best and not doing well, between feeling dragged down or soaring. Coaches search for better ways to teach it. And many athletes, including some of the world’s best, work on it constantly. An ability to relax while pushing hard, exercise researchers say, is one reason why winners win.

“It’s the paradox of athletics,” said Rick DeMont, associate head coach for men’s swimming at the University of Arizona and a former Olympian. “Tension is slow, tension is inefficient. You need to be relaxed.” And relaxation can be taught.

The idea tension is slow resonates with some of the concepts that informed Bruce Lee’s martial arts training. Lee believed that unnecessary muscle tension slows down your strikes and movement in general:

Relaxation is essential for faster and more powerful punching. Let your lead punch shoot out loosely and easily; do not tighten up or clench your fist until the moment of impact. All punches should end with a snap several inches behind the target. Thus, you punch through the opponent instead of at him.

The NY Times article goes on to offer a technique for relaxing during exercise:

One of his tricks is to have athletes concentrate on relaxing their eyes. “If they’re wide eyed, they’re tense,” Mr. Hart said. “I tell runners to run sleepy eyed. It’s like pouring a soothing oil over the body.” As the eyes relax, the face starts to relax, the jaw relaxes and then, Mr. Hart said, he tells runners to let the feeling spread through the shoulders and arms.

I’m gonna have to try this.

I wonder if McCain can do a pullup

“Two staffers had just passed this site and done two pull-ups. Not to be outdone, Obama did three with ease, dropped and walked out to make a speech. Missoula, Mont., 4/5/2008.”

This begs the question, what if candidates for national office had to compete in feats of strength? We’d have to adjust based on weight class and gender of course…but that would be some serious reality TV wouldn’t it?

I’m really not sure who would win if Biden and Palin arm wrestled but I’d sure like to see it on the tube.

When’s Festivus again?

This is one of a series of interesting photos of Obama from here.