© 2009 Guy de Viron
© 2009 Association Francophone des Lecteurs du Livre d'Urantia
| Le Lien Urantien — Issue 48 — Autum 2009 — Contents | Le Lien Urantien — Issue 48 — Autumn 2009 | Human Philosophy and Mota (2) |
A slender but muscular morphology worked on for a long time + a lot of work to develop this “strong, but slender” build…
With his 100m in 9"58, Usain Bolt continues to push the boundaries of possibility, reviving the eternal debate on the limits of human performance.
And yet, experts say the world’s fastest man has yet to reach his full potential.
Jacques Pacienta, former coach of Marie-José Pérec, analyzed his races in slow motion and in fast motion, forwards and backwards…: in the starting blocks, Usain Bolt has a particular position, close to that of the 110m hurdles runners. "The buttocks high and the leg very straight with a more open leg-thigh angle, which favors a start in support frequency.
And despite this option, he manages to be at the same height as his opponents at 10m and in front of them at 20m… More than his leg length, it is his momentum that gives him this velocity. "In training, he seeks to reduce the segmental amplitude [gap between the thighs] to obtain a greater frequency of movement associated with a better momentum and therefore a powerful stride. It is a particular technique that is possible for him thanks to harmonious musculature…
A head that peaks at 1.96 m. Feet that are a size 47. Prominent deltoids. An extraordinary sprinter, an extraordinary build. Physically, Usain Bolt is a jewel of biomechanics. A status that removes the suspicions that his extraterrestrial performances could legitimately arouse. Even Jacques Rogge, president of the IOC and champion of the fight against doping, believes that the Jamaican rocket is clean. “He is one of the most targeted athletes, he has been tested dozens of times, and has always been negative.”
On a track, **Usain Bolt is having a blast. The phenomenal Jamaican brings sporting performance back to the notion of playful pleasure. For him, running is a game: “I have fun and I like to show others that I’m having fun.” So, in order not to spoil this childish enjoyment, his coach, Glen Mills, poses as a genius of creativity. “During training, I vary my programs to avoid monotony.” My philosophy is to teach the fact that the journey is just as important as the destination. “The mind is powerful. It is what directs the body. My philosophy is to teach the fact that the journey is just as important as the destination.”
A journey which, for this winning Bolt-Mills combination, involved learning mental relaxation and muscular release, in an overall approach to seeking pleasure and perfect movement.
It starts before the race, with this show that has become a trademark. “Generally, athletes repeat culturally anchored components,” explains a sports psychologist at INSEP. “But Bolt is atypical.” The facial expressions he makes before the start are part of this playful quest strategy and stand as a witness to an unfathomable mental solidity. “Being able to be so relaxed until the last moment and then mobilize your concentration at the moment ”T“ is proof of great psychological strength.” “Bolt is all the more relaxed and expressive at the start because he feels confident and invincible”…
Bolt’s strength is being himself: “He is not guided, in his way of being, by an external example or a model. He has built his own rule which suits him and which works above all for him. On the other hand, he is copied by others in his pre-competition approach.” …
Once in the race, Usain Bolt completes his quest for fullness with an unprecedented muscular relaxation for a sprinter.
“Relaxation is the ability to give maximum intensity while giving the impression of not doing it, it is feeling that everything is easy, natural”… Effort refers to the notion of pleasure.
The majority of athletes give counter-information to their muscles, while the movement is not finished. The fact of going to the end gives this image of fluidity in Bolt. A culmination of the gesture that we find in Roger Federer.
(editor’s note)
In short, a new style of athletics that tends to attract imitators. Power and musculature dethroned by the mind, self-assurance, real confidence in one’s coach and in one’s own possibilities, a global and humorous approach…
And us, readers of UB? Don’t we have the best coaches there are, the best teaching and the most beautiful example of all time to make our earthly incarnation a happy performance? Let’s be ourselves, honest and relaxed!
Guy from Viron
| Le Lien Urantien — Issue 48 — Autum 2009 — Contents | Le Lien Urantien — Issue 48 — Autumn 2009 | Human Philosophy and Mota (2) |