To Understand It, Break It

In our development program for coaches, “Coach’s Prep,” we often talk about trying to “break” our ideology. One of my biggest fears, in general and with DEUCE Gym, is complacency. One strategy to push progress and prevent stagnation is to continue to ask big questions.

As a big fan of Nassim Taleb, I recently read through a Google Doc he shared with 194 “Aphorisms, Rules, and Hueristics.” Many of them are funny, others serious, and nearly all are extremely profound. Number twenty-nine reads:

29. To understand how something works, figure out how to break it. 

I could have started clapping right there in my seat. Think about this idea, though. I know I understand it, because I have found the deepest insights into human movement by noticing when and where we fail. Learning why movement breaks down is a great indicator, to me, as to how it works.

Have you noticed breaking points as critical insight into how things work in your life?

 

Logan Gelbrich

@functionalcoach