In the past weeks, we were glued to our screens, making sure not to miss a single moment of the Olympic Games! Many top athletes who participated in the Paris Olympics have a background in another sport, unknowingly confirming the philosophy of the Athletic Skills Model: “A better generalist makes a better specialist.” This has positively influenced their sports careers. First athletes, then specialists, and finally medals! The examples are countless, and here are a few highlights.
Until 2017, American Chase Budinger 🇺🇸 played basketball at the University of Arizona and then professionally in the NBA with Houston, Minnesota, Indiana, and Phoenix 🏀. In Paris, we could admire Budinger as a beach volleyball player 🏐. Undoubtedly, the jumping ability he developed in basketball comes in handy for beach volleyball. He won’t be the last basketball player to make the transition.
Dutch athlete Stefan Nillessen 🇳🇱 also confirms the power of transfers in sports. Just two years ago, he was playing as a central defender for Groesbeekse Boys in soccer ⚽️. At the Olympic Games, he competed in the final of the 1500 meters! 🏃💨 In an interview with Omroep Gelderland, Nillessen mentioned his speed as his weapon:
"I often played as a central defender. I wasn’t a special footballer and wasn’t among the best in terms of technique, but I had excellent endurance. Later, I also played as a forward. I was often placed wherever my speed was needed."
Nillissen is not the only footballer who made a successful transition from football. Belgian athlete Remco Evenepoel 🇧🇪 played for RSC Anderlecht and PSV and represented Belgium in several youth international matches. At the age of 17, Evenepoel switched from football to cycling, and with great success! At the Olympic Games, he won two gold medals! 🥇
Another example is Rojé Stona 🇯🇲. This Jamaican athlete won a gold medal in the discus throw at the Olympics with a throw of no less than 70 meters! His performance hasn’t gone unnoticed outside of athletics. Several clubs from the National Football League (NFL, the largest professional American football league in the U.S. 🇺🇸) have invited him to train with them during the preseason. The NFL describes Stona’s talent as follows:
“As a discus and shot put thrower, Stona possesses explosive hips and above-average core strength to pair with very long arms and huge hands. He will likely be targeted as a developmental project at tight end, where he will have to learn to block.”
Olympic gold finally came for Novak Djokovic! 🎾 Djokovic, who has won all the major tennis titles in his career, has a background in skiing ⛷️. He says the following about this:
“Skiing, it kind of runs in my veins. I come from a professional skier’s family. My dad used to compete. My uncle, my aunts. For us, it’s kind of normal to be on the slopes. I grew up on the mountain. I think skiing has affected the flexibility I feel of my ankles, my joints.”
Finally, there’s Dutch track cyclist Harrie Lavreysen 🇳🇱. In his youth, he was a BMX rider, but due to a shoulder injury, he switched to track cycling at the age of 18. His starting speed over short distances is one of his strengths. He rides a sprint lap with a flying start at an impressive 80 km/h. Additionally, his experience with mastering the technique in banked turns from BMXing has served him well.
Sports have more in common than they differ.
What does this mean for training, PE classes, and physical therapy?
Becoming better at volleyball by not only playing volleyball, improving in discus throwing by not only practicing discus. The mentioned Olympic athletes have learned from other sports. Sports, after all, have more in common than they differ.
By learning skills in one sport and applying them to another, athletes engage in versatile movement and improve performance. This is the foundation of the Athletic Skills Model, potentially leading to more Olympic medals! 🎖️ Moreover, it reduces the risk of injury, enhances creativity, and above all, increases the joy of movement! This applies to elite sports, recreational sports, physical education, and physical therapy.
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