The "Slow" Path to High Performance: Why a Broad Base Wins the Long Game

At 15, I was all-in. I dropped everything for running because my early success felt like something that had to be protected. I’ve become a firm believer in the "long game" and recent science is beginning to show why a broad foundation is such a powerful competitive advantage.

The Power of Unstructured Play

My childhood was defined by variety. I played seasonal school sports: volleyball, basketball, soccer, and track. My summers were filled with riding bikes, making forts and swimming.

In Grade 5, I started skateboarding, often spending entire days at the park. Looking back, that time was "stealth" training. It developed the coordination and plyometric ability needed to handle my own body weight, resist gravity, and optimize ground reaction forces. This laid a resilient base before I ever decided to narrow my focus at age 15.

What the Research Suggests

It can be tempting to think that the fastest way to the top is to pick one thing and do it intensely from day one. However, research suggests a different pattern among high performers across sports, music, and science.

A recent study published in the journal Science reveals a consistent trend:

• Multi-disciplinary roots: High performers typically engage in more varied, multidisciplinary practice during their early years.

  
  

• Gradual progress: These individuals often show more gradual progress in their primary discipline early on compared to peers who specialize sooner.

  
  

• Sustainable Peaks: While early specialists often see "accelerated" early progress, those with a broader base tend to reach a higher ultimate performance level.

The Kinplus Philosophy

At Kinplus, our goal isn't to discourage hard work, but to ensure that work pays off for years to come. We focus on coordination training with appropriate resistance to build the physical literacy required for high-level movement which is complimentary to a variety of activities.

We want to help athletes play the long game.

By keeping the base broad, we ensure that when an athlete chooses to go "all-in," they have the structural integrity and the potential to reach their true ceiling. We don't simply scale down or treat them like small adults, they are unique and what they require is too.

Ready to build a foundation that lasts? Let’s focus on moving better first, so you can earn the right to do more.

This post was inspired by:

• Brad Stulberg’s insights on performance development

• Güllich et al. (2024). "Recent discoveries on the acquisition of the highest levels of human performance." Science.