When I get into discussions like this I ask coaches what do they think they could do without and still win.

For example, could a swimmer win a gold medal at the Olympics having never swum in a 50 metre pool – unlikely but possible.

Could you coach a swimmer to a world record without using a heart rate monitor? Yes.

Could you coach a swimmer to a world record without ever having a lactate test done? Yes.

Could you coach a swimmer to a world record without them ever taking a supplement? Yes.

Could you coach a swimmer to world record without access to a world class gym? Yes.

What I am saying is that I see poor coaching rationalised by “we don’t have enough money” or “we don’t have the resources the other nations do” – when money would not make a difference – the real problem is poor coaching, no innovation, a losing attitude and a philosophy of copying – not leading.

Thanks again,

WG

However, when you say “you have seen people achieve great things with limited resources” i ask you, what did they achieve it in? This may be possible in a certain endeavours or sports such as soccer for example, where one can practice, play, participate with nothing more then rags bundled together (as done back in the oldddd days). However i would like to see that happen in swimming for example. Would a swimmer who never had access to a Olympic size swimming pool, ever really be able to achieve competitive high performance level. I highly doubt it.

Having infinite wealth, or opportunity does not guarantee by any means success, and i was not implying that. However high performance is essentially a lot of factors coming together. From personal, environmental, and social (political and economical). Yes high degree of performance is almost always! possible even in the most disadvantaged conditions given the right attitude, but true high performance i would argue is very very unlikely.

For a coach, i want to be able to provide the opportunity for high performance to my athletes, and if they are able to bring to the equation the necessary x,y,z, then the formula for high performance is possible.

I am interested in your thoughts on this

I have to disagree. I have seen people achieve great things with limited resources and with little more than hard work, dedication, vision and drive.

Conversely I have also seen wealthy programs with outstanding facilities and plenty of money fail miserably.

Attitude is everything.

WG

The reality is that if you are Person B, in an environment that does not allow, support, facilitate the expression of that drive, level of commitment, etc Person B would never be able to achieve High Performance.

This is a problem with simplifying a complex topic like High Performance to simply one component, in this change.

High performance is like going to church…many attend, few understand.

WG