Aptitude + Desire = Talent
I recently wrote about Sport Specific Physical Aptitude (SSPA) as a better way of explaining what we actually mean when we generally describe 'Talent'. But that doesn't answer what 'Talent' actually is. If aptitude for the sport is only part of the picture, then what is the rest? The answer is Desire, and it is measured (probably not the right word) by the relationship between what you think you are sacrificing and what you think you are gaining. Now, this seems like it would be the same for all people, but it is not, it is very individual. I was fortunate to be on the coaching team of a team who came 5th at the Olympics in beach volleyball. A few years later, shortly after retirement, one of the players was doing a school talk. She was asked by one of the kids to explain what she had sacrificed for her career. She thought about it and told the kid that she hadn't actually sacrificed anything. A couple of nights later she was at dinner when the waiter a