My son told me this morning that he has two goals for the summer: Learn to climb the rope and learn to ride a bike. That might not seem like much to the average person, but for a kid who’d rather plunge his nose into a 900 page book or play XBox until his eyeballs pop out, those are big goals. His world has always been more intellectual than physical; since he was a three-year-old, trying desperately to unlock the computer code or building towers taller than himself or swiping the car keys and hitching his little butt into the VW and trying to start the car engine. My son didn’t want to play on the slide as much as he wanted to take the entire playground apart and reassemble it in a better configuration.
He’s not hard-wired to be an athlete. We all aren’t programmed to be athletes. For some of us, we can hear the coach’s cue and command our bodies to respond and fix the motion. But for some people, it’s a much harder process. Nicole Carroll (CrossFit Co-Director of Training) calls this the ability of “your brain to tell your a** what it does for a living.” Some people just don’t have it naturally. But it doesn’t mean you can’t learn how to develop it.
Teaching your body where to move in space and time is a practiced art. The more you practice it, the better you’ll be. Whether it’s the squat, the pull-up, or the split jerk or whatever — all can be taught and all can be learned. Sure, you’re going to do it badly at first. That is to be expected. We all sucked at almost everything the first time we tried it, whether it was in the gym or in the kitchen or the office. Sucking at something doesn’t mean you shouldn’t do it. Hell, there’d be no golfers ever if perfect was a prerequisite for stepping on the links.
There’s a saying “Practice makes perfect” but that’s stupid grammatically. Practice doesn’t make perfect. You make perfect. And it will take a long flippin’ time to get to perfect. And most of us won’t get there. But you know what? We’re going to get to “Hey, that wasn’t too bad” first, then maybe “Looking good” and, finally, to “Great!” And that’s going to be pretty darn good for us.
Perfect doesn’t matter. Trying to be perfect matters. Trying matters.
So try.
Come up with 2 Summer of 2010 goals today. Just 2. Realistic and achievable. Tack ‘em on the wall at the gym or in your office or in your bathroom or wherever. Someplace that you’re going to see them every day and check yourself on your progress. I’ve got mine. My son has his. What are yours?
(Words by Lisbeth Darsh/CrossFit Watertown.)
June 15th, 2010 at 9:59 am
Godd stuff Lis, nothing better than watching many of our members putting in hours of hard work and sweat…trying…and seeing them become the ATHLETES they never thought was within themselves.
This summer Im putting some major hours into my oly lifting…hoping to clean and jerk 1.25 bodyweight by end of summer.
June 15th, 2010 at 10:14 am
As always, beautiful words!
June 15th, 2010 at 11:02 am
Double-unders and kindness. I got my goals.
June 15th, 2010 at 11:13 am
50 consecutive double unders is a goal for me. I think my best is less than 20, so I have a long way to go but I think I can do it. Also, I need to get stronger with pretty much every barbell movement. And muscle ups, and running and HSPU’s. I could go on….you sure you only want 2?
June 15th, 2010 at 11:24 am
Kirk, i was thinking 50 DU’s too. I’m currently at 21ish as I have trouble keeping count after 10. I think once we find a good rhythm 50 won’t be that big of a stretch. My other goal is 1 HSPU. The muscle up will have to wait for the end of year because that’s not realistic.
June 15th, 2010 at 11:24 am
Take a deep breath, Kirk. Two. Pick two.
June 15th, 2010 at 11:27 am
Only two. Okay. Okay. ummm….we’ll go with dead lift and OHS. My numbers HAVE to go up. Period.
June 15th, 2010 at 11:38 am
oh and for anyone who wasn’t able to sign up for saturday heats in the warrior dash…kirk(yup hun signed ya up), jen, and I just registered for 930 am heat on sunday. We will be there to cheer on sat peeps, party that night and then run it sunday =) anyone else game?
June 15th, 2010 at 11:59 am
Warrior Dash or bust!!!
June 15th, 2010 at 12:25 pm
“Trying matters.” I love that line, because contrary to what I learned from Yoda, trying leads to doing. My 2 goals for the summer are consistant double unders – 10 in a row and 1 HSPU.
Thanks for today’s WOD. The 10am class rocked it! Nice work Jules. I felt completely broken today. Surprisingly, post WOD, I feel a ton better. I spent 15 hours yesterday cycling between sitting and playing rugby in 5 minute spurts for 4 – 10 takes for each scene as an extra for a new show coming out called the Big C. Nothing better than warming up, then getting cold, then playing full contact, full speed scrimiges, then sitting, then hitting…
June 15th, 2010 at 12:36 pm
1. 65″ box jump
2. the goal remains the same. nationals. 285kg total
June 15th, 2010 at 12:52 pm
Definitely want to dial in my double unders as well! They seem to come and go with me.
Otherwise, I think strict upper body stuff for me is what I am shooting for goals wise: ring dips, hspu’s, strict pullups, press… I am also trying to rewire my shoulders when going overhead, not to mention my landing position when, well, landing.
Dammit, OHSs and deadlifts are good ones too…
Maybe I will just shoot for a good nights sleep to start
Speaking of the Warrior Dash… anyone have a cargo net to play/practice on?
June 15th, 2010 at 1:53 pm
Sue, pool is 84 degrees for ya!
June 16th, 2010 at 7:59 am
Jackie!
Thanks for the pool yesterday!