It's easy to win multiple Olympic gold medals.
It's also easy to hit a golf ball 300 yards.
How about scoring 50 points in an NBA game? Yep. Easy.
Throwing a baseball 100 mph? That, too, is easy.
Watching American Olympic swimming hero Michael Phelps doing his thing in Beijing - proving he's one of the greatest athletes the world has ever seen - brought to mind something I've noticed over the years watching others who have extreme talent. His movement through the water as seen on underwater cameras was so graceful that it almost seemed he was taking a leisurely swim in a backyard pool.
Watching the smoothest athletes in the world demonstrate their supreme strength and muscle control can give the false impression that they're hardly trying.
Phelps seemed to exert himself more during his celebration after the U.S. men's 400-meter freestyle relay team set a world record Aug. 10 than he did while swimming his leg of the race. I was afraid he was going to pull a muscle as he reacted to seeing his teammates finish in first place.
I always got the same impression - easy effort - whenever I had a chance to watch high-level college tennis teams such as the University Texas compete in person. Even though they aren't professionals, their anticipation, coordination, timing and footwork is so excellent that they seldom seem hurried in returning shots.
This "relaxed" appearance also can be seen in other top-flight performers - singers, actors and even public speakers.
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I had always thought that the few elite baseball pitchers who can hurl a ball 100 mph look as if they are only throwing about three-quarter speed. I learned a little lesson about that.
Once while attending a Texas Rangers game, I tried my hand at their setup where fans could pay for the privilege of throwing a baseball and having the speed measured. My first two throws were disappointing, to say the least. "The speed gun calibration must be off," I thought.
On my third attempt, I was anticipating blowing out the machine with one final, mighty heave. "I will break you," I thought. "Stand back, everyone," I thought.
I pinned my ears back, because I'd always wanted to try that. Arms, legs, sweat and snot flew eight different directions as I leaned into it and unleashed The Throw of Throws. And the speed gun registered . . .
On second thought, I take back my claim that throwing a baseball 100 mph is easy. After all, scouts will tell you that controlling the location of your pitches is more important than raw speed.
Column written by Mark Wilson, originally published Aug. 20, 2008, in the Wichita Falls Times Record News.