Style Skins Cats

I love teaching the tire flip. I particularly like it, not because it looks cool or is a personal favorite exercise of mine, but because it makes a point about movement that is universally true. That key point is that while there are some principles and best practices, there’s never just one way to execute a movement.

The size and shape of the tire and the size and shape of the person flipping it create a unique respect for this universal truth. As a coach, I cannot expect a six-foot-four man and a five-foot-three assume the same form to flip the same tire, for example. At the end of the day, the subject will need to accommodate the challenge presented in front of them. In some cases, it accomplishing the task might not be possible if she is mimicking the exact grip, stance, and execution as the person next to her.

This shouldn’t stop with tire flipping, either. As an aspiring author, it always blew me away at the rigidity of what constituted the approach of a “real writer”. Everyone always says, “You must write everyday.” Others would remind me that if you didn’t write two hours a day that you weren’t a real writer. To which I’d second guess myself because, while I write a great deal, I definitely don’t have a set-in-stone writing practice every day or a mandatory time limit. Some days I write a little, some days I write a ton, and other days I don’t write at all.

In my opinion, this is a matter of style. Tire flipping, book writing, and countless other faux single-style-efforts can be done beautifully in a multitude of ways. There is no manual. While over time best practices emerge and approaches begin to look similar, it’s important to recognize the presence of style. And, as long is there an opportunity for style, there will be countless ways to skin a cat.

 

Logan Gelbrich

@functionalcoach