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Are people naturally talented or is it developed?

Are the great players born or made?


  • Total voters
    22

cover drive man

International Captain
Lets use the case of Don Bradman undoubtably the greatest batsmen to grace the game but how much of that was natural talent. Can we just say that the reason he was so brilliant was because he was just born with the skill or did he develop it. It also goes into a lot of other aspects of life. Was Pele naturally gifted at football? Is Warren Buffet naturally gifted with business? But lets concentrate on cricket are the great players born or made. Personally I believe that if you're lucky enough to be young and normal you have every chance to be as good or better than Bradman if you work and work.
 

PhoenixFire

International Coach
Obviously it is a mixture of both, but natural talent makes up a vast amount of what makes somebody successful. I mean, I could 12 hours a day, 365 days a year for the next 15 years and I still wouldn't be anywere near county standard, let alone international.
 

cover drive man

International Captain
Obviously it is a mixture of both, but natural talent makes up a vast amount of what makes somebody successful. I mean, I could 12 hours a day, 365 days a year for the next 15 years and I still wouldn't be anywere near county standard, let alone international.
Beg to differ, how old are you? 15 or something isn't it? If you did that there's every chance you can make something of it.
 

PhoenixFire

International Coach
Beg to differ, how old are you? 15 or something isn't it? If you did that there's every chance you can make something of it.
Yeah, I'm 15. I used to be play at a reasonably good standard, but I seem to have lost all my natural batting talent for some reason, I am pretty average now.

It's a nice idea that everyone can make it big time, if they have the dedication and will, but in real life, it doesn't really work like that. A few people manage to, through good luck and hard work, as well as being very skilled at the same time, but it's a one in a million chance.
 

cover drive man

International Captain
Yeah, I'm 15. I used to be play at a reasonably good standard, but I seem to have lost all my natural batting talent for some reason, I am pretty average now.

It's a nice idea that everyone can make it big time, if they have the dedication and will, but in real life, it doesn't really work like that. A few people manage to, through good luck and hard work, as well as being very skilled at the same time, but it's a one in a million chance.
Aah thats another point.
 

unccricket

School Boy/Girl Captain
there are some aspects to cricket that you will be born with - hand-eye coordination, athleticism, etc. that are required to be a good player.

at the same time though, it takes a lot of hard work and dedication to turn raw, natural talent into great players.
 

Woodster

International Captain
Yes I think its a clear mix of the two. You can be the most talented player in the world but if you lack the necessary hard and work and discipline to help develop your natural skills, you ain't gonna make it, and vica versa.
 

silentstriker

The Wheel is Forever
That's a bit optimistic. I would say about 70% born, 30% made. You have to have the natural talent, and then its up to you to harness it. Many are born with that talent, but few get to the very top. Regardless, you can't do much if the basic physical abilities are not there.
 

Richard

Cricket Web Staff Member
No way of putting percentages on it, and no way of saying anything is one thing or the other. There's loads of stuff where one slips into the other.

There's one or two things that are completely 100% natural, born, which cannot be improved by any means. In cricket terms, height is one of these things. But these are very few.

There's other things which have a very distinct "maximum" but can be trained more than some people might think: calibre of eye and speed of arm being the most notable two in cricket terms.

There's some things that are very mixed - the ability to concentrate. This can be trained plenty, but it's the main part of batting and if everyone could do it to the same maximum extent then everyone would be as good as Geoff Boycott.

Then there are some things - like batting and bowling technique - which are obviously to a large extent hone-able, but there's some things that get stuck and you can try with all your might to change them, thinking "I should be able to do this" and not be able to. So it's natural - and there's the element of luck in terms of what comes first to you being good or bad is sometimes difficult to change.
 

shortpitched713

International Captain
There's some things that are very mixed - the ability to concentrate. This can be trained plenty, but it's the main part of batting and if everyone could do it to the same maximum extent then everyone would be as good as Geoff Boycott.
Not giving our man enough credit there, one would think.
 

Richard

Cricket Web Staff Member
Not giving our man enough credit there, one would think.
Boycs? Nah, giving him full credit. So many people think to learn to play like he did would only take lots of hard work. True, Boycs was more dedicated than most, but there's still no way any half-decent club batsman could do the work he did and be anything close to as good as him.

One of very few who did anything remotely similar was Mark Hunter Richardson, and he wasn't even close to being in Boycott's class.
 

Goughy

Hall of Fame Member
Im not sure if people know that Boycs was a very ordinary fielder in his youth. It was a real weakness and he worked hard and applied himself to becoming a very good fielder.

Obviously not in the athletic Collingwood style but as reliable and dependable as they came.
 

Lillian Thomson

Hall of Fame Member
Bradman used to practise for hours with a golf ball and cricket stump when he was a lad (stop making up your own jokes at the back please), that must have aided the developement of his hand/eye co-ordination and reflexes.
 

Jamee999

Hall of Fame Member
Basically, you can't do it without both of them. You need to be naturally talented, but if you don't work, then it won't happen. And as Sam said, if you don't have the natural talent to play pro, then it's not gonna happen...
 

slugger

State Vice-Captain
natural talent is a miss used term.. i would call it an orchestrated talent and even then i dont think thats the right word.. but as a child grows. certain things appreal to him.. and there a moments in time when their parents/ care givers or a sibling. sometimes intentionally or unintetionally orchestrate/guide/ encourage this "talent" .. talent is pure and simply praise or looking for praise..at times this is intentional or unintetional. In the case of intentional someone like tiger woods comes to mind, in the case of unintemtional some one like elton john comes to mind (something too prove to someone) in the case of siblings brothers like the chatfields, crowes, hadlees, waughs, husseys come to mind.

thats my two cents..
 
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Athlai

Not Terrible
I reckon everyone's born with a limit, some people have larger capacities than others, and when they train can reach higher levels. You are not born a top class cricketer, you have to work to it, but some people can reach levels that others cannot. There will be thousands upon thousands who could've been top class cricketers yet never worked to it, while many who worked hard enough but just didn't have enough natural ability to reach the highest level. In a game like cricket though, it can be more mental than anything. Look at Mark Richardson, through share tenacity did this man succeed at the highest level. We all have our boundaries, the key is to push them to their limit.
 

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