‘Early talent detection ensures success in sport’ is a time tested theory and has proven credentials. It is believed that the great success achieved by Bulgaria in the 1976 Olympics and East German athletes in the 1980 Olympics is credited to a thorough talent identification process. The talent identification process has been a subject of study not only for sport scientists but sports sponsors and organisations since decades.
Various methods beginning from objective tests that included height, running ability, endurance, coordination, further physiological tests, motor capacities, morphological attributes along with the age of the athlete and the recently introduced genetic testing which has become a more popular tool have been adopted for talent identification. However each individual is unique and the performance & skill in every individual vary.
Ayurveda has a unique system of classification of individuals based on the defined body constitutions. These Ayurvedic constitutional types are fixed at the time of conception and are expressed through physical, psychological, immunological, and behavioral traits. These prakriti’s are based on the three dosha namely Vata, Pitta and Kapha. As such there are seven different Prakriti types expressed in terms of a single Dosha or a combination of two or three dosha.
Prakriti of an individual influences the manifestations of disease, course of the disease, individual’s response to treatment, the strength and tolerance in individuals and practically every trait a person possesses. This makes the determination of Prakriti one of the basic tools for assessment.
The Ayurvedic classics narrate: Kapha Prakriti individuals have firm and compact joints and musculature and believed to be the strongest while those with Vata Prakriti are weakest. Forbearance, self control and unhurriedness makes the Kapha prakriti individuals good decision makers, while Pitta Prakriti individuals are intelligent, vigorous and fearless making wise decisions.
Kapha Prakriti persons are best suited for sports that require endurance and strength, Vata Prakriti persons preferred for sprint events and Pitta Prakriti persons best suited for sports requiring concentration and intelligence like chess etc. While these are simple examples the Prakriti of an individual is complex and is formed by a combination of doshas which further exhibit a blend of traits.
However a thorough assessment of Prakriti may definitely pave way for selecting the best suited sport based on Prakriti and design better diet and exercise regimes based on the strength and systematic practices for honing the skills of individuals in a given sport can be adopted for building a successful sporting career.
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