4 ms·
I find it super interesting when a new efficient technique breaks into professional sports. As it is described in the article, there is always push back from th
by SkeuomorphicBee 3y ago
I find it super interesting when a new efficient technique breaks into professional sports. As it is described in the article, there is always push back from the establishment, with even accusations that the new technique is cheating, then in some cases the rules are changed to ban the new technique and in some cases the technique makes its way into mainstream. Some interesting examples from the top of my head:
- V-style in ski jumping: when it appeared in professional ski jumping in the 80s it was considered inappropriate by judges, and athletes had to avoid it to not be penalized with low style points. But at some point in the 90s it became so much superior in distances achieved that athletes started winning with that even after penalties, so it became recognized as valid by judges and took over.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ski_jumping_techniques#V-style https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ski_jumping_techniques#V-style
- Fosbury flop in high jump: this one didn't receive much push back, it was kind of a Columbus egg, once Dick Fosbury won the gold in the 1968 Mexico Olympics, it spread quickly and in no time all major athletes were using the technique.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fosbury_flop https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fosbury_flop
- front flip on long jump: this one was quickly banned from competition, due to safety concerns. It is theoretically more mechanically efficient and has potential to produce longer jumps, but since it was never allowed to be perfected in high level competition we will never know how far it could go.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Long_jump#Action_in_the_air_and_landing https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Long_jump#Action_in_the_air_an...
- dunking free throws in basketball: this is other one that was quickly banned. Once a young Wilt Chamberlain demonstrated he could in fact dunk from behind the free throw line in a low league sort-of demonstration game, a rule banning it was created in the low leagues, and when Chamberlain made into the NBA the rule soon followed.
https://www.sbnation.com/2022/3/26/22996516/wilt-chamberlain-dunked-from-the-free-throw-line-and-terrified-the-rule-makers https://www.sbnation.com/2022/3/26/22996516/wilt-chamberlain...
- xenadu02 3y agoAnother one: Soccer (football) style kicking for field goals in American Football. Pete Gogolak introduced it to the AFL in the 60s and by 1980 the traditional kicking style had disappeared entirely.
- kristianp 3y agoVideo of the long jump somersault: https://youtu.be/RJ6ySgqjONI https://youtu.be/RJ6ySgqjONI
- onetimeuse92304 3y agoOn the pushback. It is easy to understand. A LOT of people have invested A LOT of their life into learning something. And now somebody comes and basically says "the thing you were doing is worthless now". And assuming most people identify with what they do, what they are also hearing is "you are worthless now". There is for example a new theory that the cancer is not, in fact, a genetic disease. That it is actually a metabolic dysfunction of certain cells and the genetic abnormalities are A CONSEQUENCE of the metabolic dysfunction (driven by huge increase in free radicals). Here more information: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KusaU2taxow https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KusaU2taxow But a huge number of people have devoted their entire lives to fighting cancer based on assumption that it is a genetic disease. And when you come with a proposition like that, almost all people become deaf to your arguments and the only thing they hear is danger to your identity.
- lukas099 3y agoThe butterfly stroke in swimming was originally a faster variant of the breaststroke, demonstrating another possible response of the establishment: containerized adoption.