Another sports one here. I was reading a Sports Illustrated in a waiting room last week, and found an inspiring article by Tom Verducci. The article is about Albert Pujols, perhaps the best hitter in the history of baseball. Excellence in any discipline is always attractive and fascinating, and Verducci delves into much of Pujols life, providing insight into his motivations, practice habits and struggles. You can read it here.
My big take away is the way Pujols starts every day working on his fundamental technique as a hitter, his swing. He starts early at the park by hitting off of a tee, trying to "put that perfect swing on it, and repeat it." Of course, he has some rather specific characteristics that define a perfect swing. He knows what it feels like, sounds like, how the ball behaves in flight, where it goes, etc. His swing is used as a template for other hitters by major league hitting coaches. It is efficient, "a technical wonder, a kinetic event that causes the most mayhem with the least effort. But if you had to reduce it to its most astonishing element, it would be this: He brings his hands to the baseball faster and more directly than perhaps any other man who has ever lived."
This reminds me of how a top performing cellist practices as well. Early practice goals each day should be about achieving physical ease and released body use.
Pujols is also brutally analytical, having every swing he has ever taken in a major league game on video on his computer. They are all indexed by year and results. He compares what was going on at different points in his career, noticing things such as the angle of the bat head just before it comes forward, the relative position of his elbows, and his weight distribution.
Musicians need to do this kind of work as well. There is so much useful information that we can use to get better that we simply don't have access to while we are in the act of playing. Audio and video are so easy these days. We really have no excuses.
My big take away is the way Pujols starts every day working on his fundamental technique as a hitter, his swing. He starts early at the park by hitting off of a tee, trying to "put that perfect swing on it, and repeat it." Of course, he has some rather specific characteristics that define a perfect swing. He knows what it feels like, sounds like, how the ball behaves in flight, where it goes, etc. His swing is used as a template for other hitters by major league hitting coaches. It is efficient, "a technical wonder, a kinetic event that causes the most mayhem with the least effort. But if you had to reduce it to its most astonishing element, it would be this: He brings his hands to the baseball faster and more directly than perhaps any other man who has ever lived."
This reminds me of how a top performing cellist practices as well. Early practice goals each day should be about achieving physical ease and released body use.
Pujols is also brutally analytical, having every swing he has ever taken in a major league game on video on his computer. They are all indexed by year and results. He compares what was going on at different points in his career, noticing things such as the angle of the bat head just before it comes forward, the relative position of his elbows, and his weight distribution.
Musicians need to do this kind of work as well. There is so much useful information that we can use to get better that we simply don't have access to while we are in the act of playing. Audio and video are so easy these days. We really have no excuses.
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