lookupsport

The advance of technology in all sports now, has always been seen as a good thing. Teams can replay matches and analyse performances with coaches, to refine their already considerable talents and plot tactics for the next battle.  In individual sports, technique can be analysed and honed by watching super slow replays, thereby ironing out any wrinkles and creating the “text book” player.  That’s what you would think at least.  However, 2 comments in the last 2 days have suggested this is not neccessarily a good thing.

First up Michael Vaughan.  When interviewed about his involvement with the team and decision making while Flintoff is standing in as captain he was also asked to comment on the woeful form of the English batsmen.  He suggested that sometimes you can over analyse and have too many people telling you what to do, which means you can’t go out and play your natural game.  Batsman play well when confident, and constant replays of dismissals and technique can undermine that confidence and stifle what would be an otherwise fluid and natural batting style.  The key word here is “natural”. These players have made it to the International stage playing their natural game, which we then try and coach out of them in an attempt to create the “perfect” player.  This will almost certainly never happen and over analysis only ends up damaging the key ingredient for any top sportsman - an ingredient which can never be taught - and that is “confidence”.

Next up the new look England rugby squad.  Or should that be “old look”?  I only caught the end of an interview and am not sure who was speaking, but he was being asked about the midfield line up for Saturday never having played together before.  His answer “It will enable us to play our natural game without over analysis of video tapes”.  That word again.  “Natural”.  The players will be able to go out and play the way they feel is right.  They won’t have to think about the hours of tapes that they’ve been given telling them what they should and shouldn’t do - they will be able to think for themselves depending on what happens on the day.  Something which the English cricket team seem unable to do currently!

While video technology has it’s place, certainly in the use of tactics, over reliance on it is detrimental not only to the team but to the individual.  We have to accept that quirky, different styles can be as effective as the “text book” technique.  Two names  from the golf world spring to mind.  Jim Furyk and  Lee Travino - both have very odd swing paths but both are very effective golfers.  The bottom line is they know that if the club face hits the ball square on then everything else is irrelevant.  Something the cricket team could do well to remember - the end result is important, not how you look and how you get there.