I hope that athletes, both pro and amateur, can experience hitting the sweet spot in whatever domain they might have chosen.
As a recreational player, I can imagine from a professional athlete’s perspective that the connection of the sweet spot represents that moment in time when proper matter ceases to exist. Sport has always personified the pursuit of excellence if not perfection. Each sport offers that one split second of timeless satisfaction.
Looking at three sports that millions have played on recreational and moderately competitive levels and comparing the top athletes in each of these domains, it is remarkable that the weekend athlete can share that pursuit with the great ones. In pursuing that timeless, magical moment where the sweet spot is hit, all eyes are on the athlete, and we lose our sense of space and time.
Courtesy Gears Sports
The Perfect Drive. Properly teeing up the golf ball with the top half just slightly peeking over the head of the driver upon setup and taking a deep breath while quickly looking straight ahead at the fairway, applying proper weight distribution with the backswing and returning through the ball with balance and precision. Making hard contact at the center of the face of the driver. Nothing is felt on impact except a slight compression lasting milliseconds upon takeoff.
As the ball elevates like a 747, one can’t help but stand back and watch it climb. Lost in time, the recreational golfer will take this moment to record the yardage and store it in memory for future gloating or just a pick-me-up thought for a rainy day. The remainder of the hole might result in a birdie or par, or the approach shot could be shanked in the fescues, leading to a snowman on the scorecard; it doesn’t matter. The feeling of the perfect drive will keep the golfer returning repeatedly to replicate that moment. We might watch Bryson DeChambeau routinely hit this type of shot whenever the driver is pulled from the bag. Knowing that we might do it similarly, just once, is enough to keep us locked in and observing as a fan or hacking away as a weekend golfer.
Photo courtesy New York Times
Pivoting to baseball, the home run is similar to the perfect drive in its feeling of near-nothingness upon impact. Barrelling up a pitched ball is enormously satisfying, and when not hit directly at someone, it usually results in a hard-hit single or extra-base hit. Every so often, though, the connection is a synergy of even weight distribution, timing, bat speed, and perfect barrel placement. This type of impact is aggressive but poetic in its tact. The ball is often heading towards previously unimaginable places when this connection is made. Amateurs are usually met with humility and disbelief when a home run of this nature is hit. The home run trot involves slowly gliding around the bases and forgetting place and time.
Will this happen again? Perhaps, but anyone who can feel it once or a handful of times is very fortunate. When MLB sluggers seem to do this regularly, we amateurs and armchair jocks can reminisce with a smile while they offer a bat flip as a statement of “just another day on the job.”
The splash of the net after tossing up a solid arch from the 3-point line also deserves the label of the sweet spot, as it might apply to basketball. Any weekend athlete can appreciate throwing a few buckets in the driveway or perhaps with friends and family at the park. When those bucket sessions turn into pickup games, basketball enters the conversation of sweet spot moments. Having only the experience of a father-son schoolyard game to relate to, I can only imagine the feeling of hitting a swish-style 3-pointer during a meaningful game.
Photo courtesy Medium
My point of reference is playing with my son and his friends, hoping to hit a few layups and grab rebounds from their missed shots. One moment, I am involved in grabbing a rebound and running aimlessly down the court, looking for an open player. With nobody open, I stepped short of the 3-point line and took a shot, feeling the ball roll perfectly from my fingertips as I lifted my heels and shifted weight to my toes. When the ball clears the rim’s circumference and splashes perfectly through the netting, I again become lost in time. I was thoroughly amazed at what had just occurred. As an amateur, I know there is no proper time and space to celebrate this feat. Still, watching The Splash Brothers routinely accomplish this feat and then often celebrate in what looks to be a choreographed fashion, I can only marvel and bow to true greatness.
Nothing like it! Whether nailing a treble 20 in a dart match, mastering the cartwheel, or placing a puck perfectly in the top-hand corner of the net after a slapshot, those are three more examples of the timeless feeling that sports can offer. And make no mistake about it, “the magic” you feel comes from repetition, preparation, and luck.
I wish everyone could experience it just once. It is truly remarkable!
