The basics, the fundamentals, the building blocks, the foundation….all of these terms are describing the same thing and are used throughout all of sport and life.
Whether you are talking about the defensive tactics of a world championship team or examining the elements of a Fortune 500 business, much of their success is can be whittled down to the most elementary tenants in their respective field.
However, the basics aren’t sexy or exciting. Once a basic level of success has been reached, the fundamentals of what got you there are abandoned for trendy, novel, and exciting things.
Let me tell you a story:
An athlete starts training with a structured plan based on good science and historical efficacy. This athlete is laying down a foundation, working on the basics, and makes great progress. Then, the athlete reads an article in a magazine, talks to another athlete, or sees something online/instagram. They abandon their “staple” training plan in favor of of something new, unproven, or trendy. Even when they realize that this new “thing” isn’t what it’s cracked up to be, they fail to go back to the basics of what got them results in the first place. They have convinced themselves that novelty is more important that efficacy, and that fun is better than getting better with the fundamentals.
If you can relate to the athlete in my story, remember that the basics are the basics for a reason! They are the most fundamental building blocks for strength, power, speed, and endurance which ultimately affect your performance. Imagine a hockey player who only worked hard on their puck-handling, but never focused on their skating. They won’t be able to score many goals when they are slipping and falling all over the ice.
The same goes for weightlifters or endurance athletes. Once you have a solid foundation, then you can begin to layer more advanced or “exciting” elements to your program, but never abandon the basics. Listen to any professional athlete and they will tell the same story. Decades of consistent and sustainable training that was intelligently progressed as their capabilities progressed. They didn’t stumble upon some magic exercise or workout that brought them to stardom. They nailed the basics, day in-day out, year in-year out, and slowly progressed to where they are now.
The basics don’t have to be boring! Variation of the basics will help to continue mastering the basic movements, patterns, and skills while still maintaining some novelty and excitement. If you could use some help in returning to the basics or guidance in establishing an effective training program, Physical Therapy Elite is here to help!