Best Sports & Physical Activities II

"Atlas" by Boris Vallejo

It seems to me that the best approach is to do well in every area. Train in all things, testing your physicality in all aspects. Have no weaknesses. Develop extra ability where you possess need, desire, or talent. Practice exercises and activities from cartwheels and handstands to traveling tuck jumps and bear crawls, among others. Try everything that is out there, if it adds to your overall athletic prowess, practice it. Go for the all-around approach. Of course, make sure to exceed in the standard athletic acts of the bench press, 1 mile run, and so on, above normal levels. This is not difficult to do, so see how far you can go. The hard part will be to do well in comparison with those who train much more exclusively in specific areas. But this is also possible, to match or perhaps even to exceed them, if you are smart and train well. Obviously, one cannot reach the highest level in all fields, in terms of competing in the finals for dozens of events at the Olympic games, but one can develop substantial overall prowess nonetheless. Then you can specialize in whichever specific area or sport you like. You can get good performance and capabilities out of your body. This is the general aim. A state of high fitness is fundamentally a good thing to have. You must be consistent in your training. Dedication to athleticism, the striving for physical perfection, this is the attitude that produces success, if it is willful and genuine. Find a sport to be passionate about, and excel in it. The strength, the speed, the endurance, the reflexes, the versatility and power are all at your grasp if you develop them.

There is an addendum to the Octathlon idea, and that is the change to the 200 meter sprint, and the triple jump for men and women. I think this would be a better set-up because it avoids redundancy with the other multi-sport events. Oh, and also the throwing event will be the hammer for both. In regards to that particular throwing event, there should be some modification. The current Olympic hammer is a wire and ball, but I find the Scottish hammer (from the Highland Games) or cane and ball set-up to be more appealing, perhaps because the chain and ball type item seems chaotic or dangerous in some ways. In addition, I have been considering a maximum height throw rather than maximum distance, as it tests different muscle groups and seems like a nice addition variety-wise for throwing competitions. There could be 2 new events included, both for height rather than distance perhaps. So, perhaps a short hammer and some kind of heavy sack/bag throwing event could be added, which adds variety and which one or both are height throws instead of distance throws. So a current revised model is as follows, Men: 200 meter sprint, 5 km run, triple jump, hammer (perhaps modified to cane), freestyle wrestling, table tennis, weightlifting, 100 meter freestyle swim. Women: track and field same as men, judo, tennis, archery, 100 meter freestyle swim. The structure could be more of an elimnation-tournament style, where perhaps the top 1/3 will continue on after the track and field portion, the top 1/3 again after the 3 non-grappling events, and the top, middle and bottom 1/3 of score totals placed into the gold, silver and bronze medal brackets respectively. Then the final grappling events will determine the medal recipients, with perhaps 1-2 golds, 2 silvers, and 3 bronzes awarded out in total. There will be no weight classes in the Octathlon. Also, I had the idea (which may not be that original) of awarding platinum medals for truly outstanding performance, such as multi-medal winning, multi-olympics spanning achievement. Or maybe a platinum ribbon for record breaking in 3 or more events.

There should also be consideration for diet and health. One should obviously try to maintain a healthy diet and engage in health-promoting activity, not just through exercise. I have been fairly remiss on these matters and perhaps I shall improve in this area.

Best Suite of Skills to Possess

The answer to the title of this post is dependent on what one is looking to accomplish and to a lesser extent their own circumstances, as ideally one seeks to maximize the benefits of their environment too. Specifically, in regards to this question, I do not have a specific answer in how to put together the absolute best possible skills suite. However, there is certainly a great source of information and hints available from a self-evaluation and there are many opportunities that one can seize and create for themselves.

I suppose one needs to have a desire for what they pursue, a true passion, or at least keen interest. Only if one does not possess an iota of potential or talent in what they like should they consider not pursuing it. At the same time, there are doubtless cases where one has exceptional potential in some field, if only they had an iota of desire or interest to pursue it. There are tremendous potential talents that have not been realized in all of the fields, and great works or performances which have been produced by those with relatively minor talent, but tremendous dedication and passion. So it is a fine balance that one should consider when pursuing his own skill set.

I would like to portray an example of perfection, from the realm of fictional characters. Batman, the great detective, scientist, athlete, and martial arts crime fighter. Here is a list of some speculative statistics he may possess: Mental- IQ of 150 or higher, world class investigator and forensic scientist, strategist and tactician of highest caliber (Napoleon would suck his balls), polymath (has solid skills in multiple areas in the arts and sciences, such as drawing, history, psychology, chemistry, even singing), fluency in perhaps 5 languages and proficiency in 5 more, R & D engineer, highly exceptional general knowledge (would beat 8/9 jeopardy contestants), acting and impersonation skill at highest level and impeccably performed. Physical- world class gymnast and acrobat, elite ninja abilities (stealth, parkour), world class fighter (boxing, muay thai, shotokan karate, freestyle wrestling, brazilian jujitsu, judo, kickboxing), if competing would place in the top 25 in the world at most olympic events and in sports like the decathlon would almost certainly take gold or silver, strength conditioning at highest level (can bench press perhaps 575 pounds), stamina and speed superb (reflexes topnotch, for size possesses remarkable speed like Bo Jackson running 4.12 in the 40 yard, also exceptional stamina for size), agility at exceptional level (balance, hand-eye, motor skills superb).

The above example is in order to illustrate the limits, or perhaps beyond, what is humanly possible to reach. So what I have done or am going to do with my tetrahedral plan is going to be something beyond what the vast majority of people have accomplished, but I think I can do it. I am not at a real to life same level of capability as Batman, but maybe I can reach something vaguely comparable to it. This is my general hope anyway. What I intend to do would place me in perhaps a 1/1,000 category of men, in terms of overall development (or higher). There are also the elements, the big elements, of attaining moral principles, of societal achievements, of family and community health and protection, personal prosperity goals, advancement and development of one's life in general. So none of these things are to be ignored. The journey of existence is to be savored, zestfully embraced and lapped up into the senses. See, feel, do, venture, experience, and much more. I strive to do my best in these endeavors.

Musings

I find the area of human motivation an interesting one. It relates to the skill of psychological tatics that I am working on. There is for example negative incentive versus positive incentive, one where there is compulsion or punishment, the other in which there is reward and positive encouragement. Incentive as a subject of study, understanding what motivates people and specific to individuals, what effects incentive has in a social environment as well as at the macro level, in terms of societies as a whole, can be beneficial. 

The great advantage of "western" societies is that they are fundamentally mixed, of different ideas, cultures, languages, races, religions, and everything else. Therefore, it is often the case that the most efficient or most effective of these eventually becomes the standard.

How to defeat writers' block? Or, how to get into writers' flow more often. Perhaps it is simply better to wait to get into the mood in the case of writing?

In a sense, the Metistonic Order is a fitness junkies' club, an intellectual society, a poly-trade association and a multi-cause organization.

One can achieve superior performance from sharper, more penetrating insight into a matter. Greater understanding and knowledge certainly helps in any endeavor. In regards to everyday life, you can achieve an edge, maybe a huge one, from a few extra hints and tips. In the four areas, superior know-how and understanding can make a big difference, in terms of what to practice on that most do not, how to do what you do better, etc. Let us say that no one knew anything about parkour. In such a hypothetical world, if you had extensive practice and know-how in this area, you could possess mastery of impressive feats of acrobatics that no one else could match at the time. Another example could be performances of legerdemain and magic that would awe those who did not know any of its secrets, as the indian rope trick so impressed those who first encountered it. Doing something in a particular way, using certain techniques and methods that no else one is using or is privy to, can also make a huge difference. The Olympic high jump for example was attempted by employing a certain technique for a while, until someone came up with a better one which has now become the standard, because it produces superior results. Seek that which can give you an edge, master that which gives you extra power and capabilities.

I imagine various beautiful works of art in and around the Metistonic HQ, statues, mathematical art pieces, symbolic architecture and features like a path of reason hallway.

Perhaps there should be a sacred oath for tradesmen, similar to the Hippocratic oath for medical doctors. Along the lines of "I shall make certain all work is sound" or akin to that. 

Rankings

One could rank the level of competition in sports, and which sports are more competitive and less so. They can do this by using the total amount of players who try out for college and pro level teams for one example. Also by the statistically average amount of hours in training for most minor league and college level players before they go to the elite level. I suspect that to reach the pro level in the sport of lacrosse may be relatively easier than to reach the NFL. Thus, a number will be attached to this, such as for example the pro lacrosse league maintaining a 4.3 and the NFL ranking 5.9 in difficulty/competition level.

Powers of 3 can be used to denote level of exceptionality. A person who is the best short-medium distance runner out of 243 athletes may be ranked a 5 (3 to the power of 5) in short-medium running. Someone who is the best knife fighter out of 81 tournament entrees would be rank 4, the best performer out of 27 in overall strength tests would be rank 3 in overall strength.

The Limits: What are They?

Once in a while in any skill building or training pursuit, you ask yourself the question, "what are my limits" in that particular endeavor. Often, we assume a limit that is set by our own assumptions and the perceived evidence up at present time. My assumption is that the world records in the Olympics, and human performances such as a world-class ballet, are about where the near-peak of human capabilities reside. I do not believe that the best performance possible necessarily is what is portrayed in the highest recorded IQ scores, or the highest rated opera acts, but I think it is safe to assume that if one is tying to become a kind of universal man, capable in various areas, physically and mentally, morally and in the mastery of crafts, then the current records that exist are an excellent guideline for what is possible and what is not possible for one to achieve. The records may be striven to be broken if one has the greatest passion or specializes in that specific area, so the idea to be the absolute best in every area is in the realm of fantasy.

Another interesting point is that sometimes we are limited by the social system we grew up in. Sometimes, cultural practices and ways of living can hinder us. There are modes of thinking and doing that are not the best way. One can imagine a superior system almost always, by other nations' examples or by our own reasoning and creativity. Do not allow yourself to be limited by the social system you are used to, as much as you may be aware of it anyway.

It has been proven that one can become a Heisman Trophy winner and Rhodes Scholar (Peter Miller Dawkins). It has been proven that one can pursue a career as a medical doctor and attain the olympic gold medal twice (Sammy Lee). There are examples of men who have achieved incredible things throughout the course of their lives, and of men who have experienced the human existence to the fullest. It seems to be about attitude and dedication.

How much can you bench? How fast can you run? How many sit-ups can you do in one sitting? What is your IQ score? Which games can you achieve expert level of mastery in? How many books can you read in a month? Which social, political, and economic achievements can you attain? How many skills can you master, which morals can you perfect? There is a plethora of such questions that faces the Metiston, but the key is finding the right approach for each individual. Balance out where you feel you should, specialize where you have great talent, and maximize the value of the whole package.

Naming the Movement

I have been considering the term Metiston or Meticist, to describe the samurai of the tetrahedron. The movement could be called Meticism. In Esperanto, you would need to add some o's. The name is from ancient mythology of course, of Zeus's first consort, mother of Athena. I find it an apt source for a name, since she was supposed to represent wisdom, skill, craft, a kind of great cunning and power. A new form of science could be Metistology, the use of scientific method and effective approaches to problem solving and various other efficiencies in terms of gathering knowledge, employing information gained properly, techniques of reasoning, planning, systematic approaches to employ that finds the most successful method of doing something, etc. The order could be called the Order of the Metiston, or the Metistonic Order. Members follow the Mestistonic Path.

In terms of Metistology, some examples of this subject area could include concepts such as options space, which is the universe of possible options that one can act upon in a particular situation, game, or circumstance, also defining the natures of open structure vs fine structure problems (no set solutions vs observably clear logically deducible solutions), the algorithmic vs heuristic approaches to solution attaining, common irrational fallacies and tendencies to watch out for, and so on.

Best Sports & Physical Activities

In terms of universal transferable application level, what are the best exercises and sports to train in? I suspect that weightlifting is one of them, because it involves mainly strength but also other elements which can carry over easily into many other areas. So I am really looking for those activities to train in which can be transferred to yet more physical areas, universal physical attributes.

I think the Octathlon for men should be: 100 meter sprint, 5 km run, long jump, javelin, 400 meter swim freestyle, weightlifting, table tennis, wrestling freestyle. For women: 100 meter sprint, 5 km run, high jump, discuss, 400 meter swim freestyle, archery, tennis, judo. Perhaps a couple sports can be worth double points.

In regards to general physical activities, perhaps various forms of ninja-style climbing and gymnastics training may be very beneficial.