Perfection Does Not Exist

The need for perfection is so odd to me. Humans are imperfect. That is a well known fact so why do we train athletes to strive for it?

Gymnastics is a sport where you are literally being judged by an imperfect human. You don’t just beat someone because you are faster than them or jumped further than them. You win by the judge liking your gymnastics the best. That means your scores are very much open to interpretation. That also means that one judge could love what they see and the next one not be so much, Yes, there are rules but how judges perceive things can be very different, even with a set of rules. This is a very important thing to always remember as a coach and a athlete.

Perfection is a term very commonly talked about in the sport of gymnastics. I mean in college they score perfect 10’s all the time. I got a 10.0 on a vault in college and I can look at that vault and find at least 4 tenths in deductions, probably more. But, shockingly, judges aren’t perfect. Honestly, I don’t understand why a perfect score should ever have been attainable in the sport. There should always be room for growth.

To the coaches:

As coaches we want the athletes we coach to tap into their true potential. It is not uncommon that I see more potential in the athletes I coach then they see in themselves and pulling that out of them can be challenging. Is this why we put the idea of perfection in their heads. To push them? To try to get them to see how good they can be? Maybe, but the thing is, putting this idea of perfection in their heads will only lead them down a path of never feeling good enough.

In gymnastics there is always a correction that can be given. No matter how good something is, there is aways a way to make it better. Isn’t this how everything is? I am sure it is like this in every sport. We as coaches wouldn’t be doing our job if we weren’t giving corrections. But, it is important to note that how we give these corrections matter. It should never be a personal attack on the athletes. As coaches we need to remind them of that because it is easy for them to forget that when they are being told what they aren’t doing right all practice long.

To the athlete: 

First, to reiterate, perfection does not exist. Second,, getting a correction has nothing to do with you as a person. It is easy for us coaches to get caught up in the corrections. Our job is to make you better. To teach you everything we can. Know this is not personal. If it ever feels that way you need to communicate with your coaches. Their response should be everything I just wrote. That it is not personal and they are sorry that they made you feel that way. If you don’t get that response you should think about finding some new coaches because they aren’t coaching for the right reasons. 

Get this hoax of perfection out of your head. Strive to be better, strive for progress, but stop chasing your tail for perfection.