"For Jordan, success stems from the mind. 'The mental toughness and the heart are a lot stronger than some of the physical advantages you might have. I've always said that and I've always believed that.' But other people don't. They look at Micheal Jordan and they see the physical perfection that led inevitably to his greatness."
I appreciate the author trying to prove 'Brains over Brawns' which I believe is encouraging to aspiring athletes. In my opinion, one should not be surprised that the first things coaches/people look at will be the physical appearance of a potential player. They able to have a sense of what they are getting, and can assume that some person is bound to have X amount of agility because he has Y length of legs. The mind can be unreliable and you're not necessarily guaranteed anything when it comes to sports.
This whole idea of mindset was not something I was aware of until I read this. It made me reflect back to my Circus Classes, where almost everyone is some kind of contortionist. I've seen different people with different body types have the core strength to do things I've been trying months to achieve. Sometimes they are people who've trained for years, while others get it on their first day. When it talks about how Muhammad Ali researched his opponent and 'figured him out', It reminds of how I've recently been trying to 'figure out' my handstands. When I practice, or watch others, I can begin to put things together as to what works for me. Sure, practicing everyday is bound to make me better, but not solely because of just practice, but by thinking about the differences in a handstand where I stayed longer versus one which I couldn't stay up for a second, and testing out different techniques.
