Doc: Hard work still key

Athletes have been advised that as they embrace elements such as nutrition, sports medicine and science, they should remain conscious that only hard work will get them to a higher level.
That advice came from family physician and specialist sports doctor Rene Best as he addressed the Barbados Volleyball Association’s awards ceremony on Saturday at the Golden Sands Hotel.
“There is no short cut here. We get so caught up saying that [people] are talented that we lose sight of the hard work that they put in. Remember, if it was easy, everyone would be doing it,” Best said.
Speaking to an audience including representatives of sponsors Cooperators General Insurance and Goddard Enterprises, Best added that grit, determination, motivation, and avoidance of the temptation to cheat were paramount in becoming a successful athlete.
“Many people work hard at their craft and we do not see any major improvement,”?he said. “In our jobs and in sports, we see it. Because you were an accountant for 20 years does not mean that you are so much better. Because you practise volleyball or basketball, that does not make you automatically great.
“Research has actually shown this type of practice is not what we think practice is. Deliberate practice is practice specifically designed to improve performance (usually with a teacher), repeated a lot, continuous feedback on results, highly demanding mentally and is usually not a lot of fun.” 
Best stated that today’s athletes were training differently and that was why college students were setting world records even though the game and the bodies of the athletes had not changed from the 1900s.
BVA president John Griffith gave the assurance that the association, with the assistance of its corporate partners, would continue the drive towards reenergizing volleyball through the varied youth programmes. (KB)