David Epstein is a senior writer at Sports Illustrated and author of The Sports Gene: Inside the Science of Extraordinary Athletic Performance. In this controversial and engaging exploration of athletic success, Epstein investigates the so-called 10,000-hour rule, made famous by Malcolm Gladwell, to uncover whether rigorous and consistent practice from a young age is the only route to athletic excellence. Along the way, Epstein dispels many of our perceptions about why top athletes excel. He shows why some skills that we assume are innate, like the bullet-fast reactions of a baseball or cricket batter, are not, and why other characteristics that we assume are entirely voluntary, like an athlete’s will to train, in fact have important genetic components.
Session: The Sports Gene
Wednesday, September 30
9:00 AM - 10:00 AM
Bomhard Theater, Kentucky Center
Each year IdeaFestival asks our presenters to submit a list of books that they are currently reading or any book(s) they have read in the past or at any stage of their lives that have had a major influence on their thinking.
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