Effects of Training and Genetics on Elite Athletes Essay

Every elite athlete makes it look easy. Splashing through the water or striding gracefully down the track making it look effortless. Some people assume they are â€Å"naturals,† that their perfect DNA sequence is what has brought them to this level. Others argue that hard work and drive is what has made the difference, separating the elite from the average. These thoughts are the ones that give rise to the age-old nature vs. nurture debate. Countless hours of studies and research has concluded: it’s both. High performance sports consultant Ross Tucker puts it this way, â€Å"The science of success is about the coming together of dozens, perhaps hundreds of factors† (1). The relationship of such factors, including genetics, types and lengths of†¦show more content†¦In fact, there is a high probability that there isn’t one at all (4). More than likely, there is a group of genes that interact with each other in just the right way to produce a h igh-level unique athlete (4). A person’s genes are ultimately determined by their parents. Each person has two copies of a specific gene, one from their mother and one from their father. Even though both of the genes received are technically for the same trait, they can be alleles (or variants) of the gene (Chakraborty 1). This explains why all people look and act differently, even though we ultimately have the same basic genetic structure. Each unique allele that a person has will determine the type of athlete they can become, as well as their abilities (1). Tom Brutsaert and Esteban Parra, anthropologists and co-authors of â€Å"Genetics and Sports: Nature versus Nurture in Determining Athletic Ability† identify things like muscle strength and power, aerobic capacity, muscle fiber types, response to training, and body size and composition as decidedly heritable factors (11). However, simply having specific genes does not necessarily mean that they will be expresse d in any certain positive outcome (Chakraborty 2). Combinations of genes are important in determining which will be expressed and which will not, as some genes will only function in congruence with others (2). Therefore, even possessing the correct geneShow MoreRelatedWhat Makes An Elite Athlete Become Highly Competent And Possess Higher Level Of Performance Than Other Individuals1711 Words   |  7 Pagesgroups, tribes, and individuals. Today, elite athletes participate in a wide variety of athletic pursuits, competing in differing events throughout the world. What makes an elite athlete become highly competent and possess a higher level of performance than other individuals? This is the essential question that has driven multiple specialists to explore individual’s athletic ability thru a look into the genetic disposition of those individuals. 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