As we watch a sports competition, our eyes automatically go to the scoreboard. But the digit we notice there is the end result of years perhaps even a lifetime started at birth. Some argue the fortunes of an athlete are a genetic lottery; others argue it’s the product of hours soaked in sweat, sleepless mornings, and missed vacations. So which one contributes more? The truth is, it’s hard to draw absolute distinctions, because the sports psychology component of sport reveals far more shades of color than initially appear.
Natural Advantages
Natural advantages are, of course, unmistakable. Muscle mass, height, and reaction time all play their part to a large extent in how much an athlete can ascend in a given sport. Some sports even mandate specific physical characteristics as virtual prerequisites. A tall, long-legged sprinter or a wide-shouldered swimmer can be several steps ahead of the pack before the gun goes off.
From a sports psychology standpoint, such an advantage is not only physical but also psychological. The feeling of “I was meant to do this” can solidify an athlete’s confidence and initial motivation. But that same confidence can, at times, breed complacency without the player realizing it.
The Strength of Discipline
Or there is the strength of discipline. Practicing at the same time every day builds mental toughness. In sports psychology, this has sometimes been referred to as “grit” — determination to keep working toward a goal which can, in most cases, be more decisive than natural ability.
Training not only shapes the body but also the mind, and so athletes develop resistance to fatigue, failure, and stress. But discipline has its limitations as well. When a person has some kind of physical capability, mere hard labor may no longer be enough to make anyone the world’s fastest runner. Such a reality can slowly chip away at athlete motivation.
The Circle of Talent and Discipline
In the real world, these two words exist in a complete circle. Talent makes an athlete start moving; discipline makes him keep going. A good athlete who does not practice disciplined training will soon fall behind. But an athlete who is disciplined but lacks physical ability may not be the best but may be at his best.
Sports psychology reminds us that such a personal peak performance is what truly matters since winning is not always a question of defeating others, but of conquering oneself.
There’s also a strange truth to the emotional life of sport: the best stories are not always those of the naturally gifted, but of those who defeated adversity. Fans love the athletes who will not quit, who keep trying and trying, and eventually succeed. These tales of self-discipline are some of the most effective ways of forming psychological connections in sports. Talents can elicit respect, but they do not usually establish the same sort of bonding.
However, to be just, in the top levels of professional sport what we see most often is the combination of both. Most elite competitors possess both genetic tendencies and strong discipline. Talent alone or effort alone is rarely sufficient to hold the top podium spot. For that reason the question of “Which is more important?” often becomes “How do we combine them?”
Conclusion: The Balance Between Nature and Discipline
In the end, no single factor is responsible for apportioning the score. Genetic advantage is a good starting point; discipline translates that advantage into repetition of success. From a sports psychology perspective, they are undistinguishable components of an athlete’s character.
Most important is that, whichever we have in greater amounts, we try to develop the other. Because out there, in the stands, and in life, in any way you can think of, it’s not always the individual who starts well who wins, but the individual who reaches the finish line.
And perhaps the real question is this: Which strength are you developing more?