let a child guide them

One really excellent secret weapon in my lifting arsenal is kids. No, I'm not fond of them in general or anything like that. When I'm learning a new sport and the form and techniques might seem daunting, I watch the kids who are into the sport do it.

One of my favorite tools for mastering Olympic lifting is watching videos of The Illinois Aurora Weightlifting Club. I stumbled on this site early in the learning process, and I return to it again and again.

DH and I enjoy going to local amateur boxing nights. The first competitors they bring out are generally about three feet tall, and it's amazing to watch (on many levels). They usually box technically better than older competitors. No joke.

There's the obvious perspective adjustment: if a kid can do this, I can. But there's also learning. As any psychologist or educator will tell you, kids are dead serious about learning and performing well. Studies have shown kids generally inflict intense pressure on themselves to succeed, to degrees that would trump most adults doing something they're not being paid to do. If you want to see someone really grappling with not just getting the hang of something but mastering it, watch a competitive kid. And since they're not yet masters, typically, you can learn from their struggles - what the natural sticking points are likely to be, how to anticipate your own compensatory moves, what to watch out for. When you watch something done perfectly, it appears to be simple and easy, something that is inherently natural. Since nothing goes wrong, your brain has no reason to expect anything other than perfect execution from you. And while that has its place in training (visualization methods), I firmly believe that there is a wealth of inspiration and practical information to be gained from watching rough amateurs.




photo from this website - unidentified lifter from Singapore. anyone with info, please post.