Usain Bolt - 9.58

[Adam12]

Nope, you don't get it. If sprinters didn't need to train, if they just "came out of mama" like that, then they wouldn't! For the same reason every 6'6" guy can't play in the NBA, every fast dude can't run a sub 10 second 100m. It's not purely who's the fastest, it's also who's had the training, ESPECIALLY in the case where tenths of seconds seperate the have's and have nots.

The push from the blocks, the proper technique (just like free throw shooting) has to be taught, learned and trained over and over again, and then refined.

[cosmic_cs]

Fastest runners = people on drugs
Usain Bolt = smashed records set by people on drugs
Usain Bolt = on drugs

No, seriously, I think Usain Bolt is the Michael Phelps of running. He seems to have a good body for running and developed the perfect technique for his particular body. It's very possible that he isn't on drugs and is simply dominating like Phelps is in the pool.

[Genjiro]

Those things help, but they don't help all that much in the grand scope of things which is what you are not getting. Form and technique in running sprints do not take all that much time to get good at, hell some football players can become very good track athletes in a short amount of time with a good trainer like Tom Shaw who trains Olympic sprinters and helps those guys prepare for the NFL combine.

Shit, this is my major in college, and I've worked with people in the lab at school at doing things like improving speed along with having talked to track/football/basketball coaches etc. In sprinting, once you have the basic running movements down which dont take all that long to get good at, they teach you other things like limiting friction by trying to get a fast pickup on your foot once it hits the track. This is why world class sprinters look like they are almost running on air, hell our lab even has a force plate which measures the pressure and duration your foot hits when it lands on it. We use this with cameras to help sprinters at school improve their form by helping them to work on form when their feet hit the plate so they reduce friction and increase speed. Coming out of the blocks is not something you need to spend a lifetime at getting good at either. I dont even know why I am arguing this with you, I should just photocopy some pages out of my biomechanics book which says all the same shit.

In the end, yes, every sport takes elite levels to be good at....sprinters take more simply because there are very few sports that are 100% pure power and speed and 95% of that is determined by your genes. No amount of hard work or practice will ever make up that difference, and no non-asshole track coach will tell you to pursue it if your goal is to win once they've seen your natural ability. The same cannot be said of many sports, like for instance where Michael Jordan didn't even play on his HS basketball team and became the best by hard work and an insane desire.

[Luthair]

Originally Posted by Genjiro

Those things help, but they don't help all that much in the grand scope of things which is what you are not getting. Form and technique in running sprints do not take all that much time to get good at, hell some football players can become very good track athletes in a short amount of time with a good trainer like Tom Shaw who trains Olympic sprinters and helps those guys prepare for the NFL combine.

Shit, this is my major in college, and I've worked with people in the lab at school at doing things like improving speed along with having talked to track/football/basketball coaches etc. In sprinting, once you have the basic running movements down which dont take all that long to get good at, they teach you other things like limiting friction by trying to get a fast pickup on your foot once it hits the track. This is why world class sprinters look like they are almost running on air, hell our lab even has a force plate which measures the pressure and duration your foot hits when it lands on it. We use this with cameras to help sprinters at school improve their form by helping them to work on form when their feet hit the plate so they reduce friction and increase speed. Coming out of the blocks is not something you need to spend a lifetime at getting good at either. I dont even know why I am arguing this with you, I should just photocopy some pages out of my biomechanics book which says all the same shit.

In the end, yes, every sport takes elite levels to be good at....sprinters take more simply because there are very few sports that are 100% pure power and speed and 95% of that is determined by your genes. No amount of hard work or practice will ever make up that difference, and no non-asshole track coach will tell you to pursue it if your goal is to win once they've seen your natural ability. The same cannot be said of many sports, like for instance where Michael Jordan didn't even play on his HS basketball team and became the best by hard work and an insane desire.

Wouldn't this be true for most track and field sports? It seems like there would be even less involved in the throwing events for example.

[Burkex]

I thought my 43.0 second 300 meter run was good. Those guys fly. That is just so impressive. At some point that time will get so low that the record will be unbreakable and it is now close to that point imo, which I put at around 9.50.

Also, I knew Bolt could break his Olympic time because if you watch that race he let up in the end and was celebrating before he crossed the finish line. This time he actually finished out the race strong and killed his time.

[Szlia]

Originally Posted by cosmic_cs

Fastest runners = people on drugs
Usain Bolt = smashed records set by people on drugs
Usain Bolt = on drugs

No, seriously, I think Usain Bolt is the Michael Phelps of running. He seems to have a good body for running and developed the perfect technique for his particular body. It's very possible that he isn't on drugs and is simply dominating like Phelps is in the pool.

It is important to mention that Bolt's morphology is very atypical for a sprinter. He might just be the first of a new era of very tall sprinters.

[Faille]

They should try running with those super swimming suits on. They shave heaps of time off world records!!

[Jozu]

There is just something about being the fastest man on the planet that seems to always rouse up the public. I remember when Mike Johnson was doing Nike commercials and shit, he was the one of the biggest things going when he broke records.

Bolt has such an awesome/ironic name too, which makes him even more interesting. The guy is so fast NFL GM's and personel people were actually interested in bringing him in to camp for workouts. Imagine if he could actually run a couple routes and catch a ball? He would fucking smoke any DB in the league, even with all the equipment on. I wonder what his 40 time is lol!

[EmpireF4i]

Originally Posted by Quineloe

I say we bring back Jousting so we can determine the truely best athletes of all time.

This might be the only time I agree with you, but just about bringing it back.

You cant really say hes the best athlete of all time when all he does it sprint. Maybe if he set records in the sprint, marathons, other long run events, he might be one of the best athletes, but hes only a sprinter for now.

Phelps did it all in his sport, and I would name him as one of the best athletes ever, but not the best.

[Mythas]

Lol bolt wouldn't last two seconds in the nfl. Jesus his body would probably shatter after one hit.

Sure sprinters are fast, however when running routes if you don't have the side to side, changing directions quickness the ability to run fast can easily be compensated for.


Throw me in on the bandwagon that putting a sprinter in the "best athlete" in the world is retarded. Decathletes are among the best athletes in the world because they can do everything. Perhaps not as good as each individual profession, but able to perform far far better at the other stuff than Phelps / Bolt. You have to remember that athlete is a generic word that encompasses the world of sports. So best athlete would be the guy that is the best all around sports guy. Not some tiny sliver of the sporting world.

[Grooverider]

Originally Posted by Mythas

Lol bolt wouldn't last two seconds in the nfl. Jesus his body would probably shatter after one hit.

Sure sprinters are fast, however when running routes if you don't have the side to side, changing directions quickness the ability to run fast can easily be compensated for.


Throw me in on the bandwagon that putting a sprinter in the "best athlete" in the world is retarded. Decathletes are among the best athletes in the world because they can do everything. Perhaps not as good as each individual profession, but able to perform far far better at the other stuff than Phelps / Bolt. You have to remember that athlete is a generic word that encompasses the world of sports. So best athlete would be the guy that is the best all around sports guy. Not some tiny sliver of the sporting world.

What you don't seem to comprehend is that if Bolt had been born in the United States, he would probably be playing basketball or football. If he had trained for multi-sports, he would probably be the best at that. He grew up sprinting because he was born in Jamaica.

He is simply a born athlete.

[SalaciousTunare]

Originally Posted by Genjiro

In this argument, nature > nurture by a much larger margin. Sorry~

A challenger appears...

[Genjiro]

And that Spud Webb pic has to do with our discussion of sprinters in what way again.....

[SalaciousTunare]

Originally Posted by Genjiro

And that Spud Webb pic has to do with our discussion of sprinters in what way again.....

I think you are one of those people who blamed every one of your athletic failures on lack of genetics. Look right there, a guy who is 5'6" and all heart, who dunked and was in the NBA.

There is no denying that genetics plays a key role, Secretariat is a perfect example. Then you look at a guy like Larry Bird who looks like he's made out of play dough and you realize there is a little more to it than just genetics.

[Lucifar]

The 100m sprint holds a special place because it is such a simple concept - raw natural speed.
Overtly or subconsciously, the idea of being faster than everyone else on the planet is just so desirable. Weather its something we converted as children, or something that comes from our hunter/gatherer roots . Being able to outrun anyone you wanted to get away from made you safe and being able to run down anyone you wanted to catch made you powerful.

Same sort of reason why Boxing has such huge appeal, although boxing isn't really a true form of combat, for a long time it was the closest mainstream thing to a 1 on 1 fight.

PS: Fuck yeah, bring back Jousting (and I toss in a vote for gladiatorial games, we have plenty enough people in the world who would relish the opportunity to fight to the death with a broadsword or mace simply for the notoriety and fame it got them before their eventual decapitation)