Research Insights from FIMS World Sports Medicine Congress
Debating Nature vs. Nurture in Athletic Performance
The ongoing debate of “nature vs. nurture” raises critical questions about the origins of leadership and athletic prowess. Are exceptional athletes born with innate talent, or can they develop their skills through training? This question has intrigued scientists for centuries, including Hippocrates, who emphasized the importance of diet, exercise, and genetics for optimal health. Recent advancements in statistical genetic research now offer insights that are more aligned with reality.
Dispelling Myths on Training and Performance
The adage that it takes 10,000 hours of training to achieve professional status in sports stems from the work of psychologist Dr. K. Anders Ericsson. While this theory suggests that deliberate practice is the key differentiator between elite and amateur athletes, recent findings indicate a weak correlation between training duration and athletic performance.
For instance, in professional darts, only 28% of performance variance could be attributed to training duration. A meta-analysis of 88 studies further revealed that training accounted for only 18% of variance in sports performance, with even lower percentages in education and other fields. Interestingly, deliberate practice appears to benefit predictable activities, such as running, more than unpredictable ones, like fencing, highlighting the psychological aspects of training.
Despite the lower correlation between practice and elite status, training remains crucial for many athletes. Research involving Argentinian chess players demonstrated that some required up to eight times as much practice to reach mastery compared to their peers. This suggests that while training is essential, it alone does not guarantee world-class status.
Genetics and Athletic Performance
Over the last two decades, heritability studies have underscored the substantial role genetics play in sports performance. Classic twin studies measuring VO2 max—an indicator of fitness—revealed that 93% of its variability is genetic. Modern studies have corroborated this, identifying that 72% of VO2 max variability is also influenced by genetics, indicating a significant genetic component in metabolism and fitness levels.
While twin studies reveal the genetic influence on baseline fitness, they do not clarify the interaction between genetics and training in athlete development. The HERITAGE Family Study found that variance in VO2 max was 2.5 times greater between families than within families, suggesting heredity is closely linked to training potential. Some researchers propose that training is essential for correcting detrimental behaviors and unlocking an athlete’s genetic capabilities.
Although twin and family studies affirm that heritability is tied to performance, they do not pinpoint the specific genetic differences that distinguish world-class athletes. A 2016 study by the Athlome Consortium, which sequenced the DNA of 1,000 elite athletes, did not reveal common genetic traits, though researchers remain hopeful that advances in genetic technology will lead to new discoveries.
The Conclusion: A Balanced View of Nature and Nurture
The commentary from scientists at the 34th FIMS World Sports Medicine Congress highlights the consensus that both nature and nurture significantly contribute to an athlete’s development. The role of training is seen as a means to unlock genetic potential and enhance performance-oriented behaviors. While heritability is a key factor in athletic achievement, researchers caution that these findings represent statistical averages and may not apply uniformly to individual cases.
Written by Aaron Kwong, MSc
Reference: Georgiades, E., Klissouras, V., Baulch, J., Wang, G. & Pitsiladis, Y. Why nature prevails over nurture in the making of the elite athlete. BMC Genomics 18, 835 (2017).