Athleticism - Is It in Our Genes?

If you have kids, you know all about the nature versus nurture debate. Some parents are paying to find out if their babies have all the right genetic stuff of an athlete. So what do you think? Were you born to be an athlete? Or did practice and hard work make you skilled at your favorite sports?

There's no doubt that certain body types have advantages in certain activities. Height is practically a requirement for elite basketball players, serious runners tend to be long and lean and would Nastia Liukin have been able to flip so elegantly if she were 5'9'" and heavyset? There are three extremes for body types:

• Endomorphs are pear-shaped with wide hips and shoulders.
  
• Mesomorphs have broad shoulders and narrow hips.
  
• Ectomorphs are tall and thin with a narrow body.
  

While most of us don't fall into any one extreme when it comes to body type, we certainly lean heavier in one of the categories. Someone who's predominantly an endomorph may not be built to jump hurdles but could be great at strength sports. Someone who's predominantly an ectomorph may not be signing up for weightlifting but could fly over the high jump.

But, when it comes to athletics, are you stuck with the genetic mix you were born with?

Certainly you can't change your height or the width of your shoulders. But with diet, exercise and serious practice, can you condition your body to being skilled at a sport you're less than ideal for genetically? Wrestlers often add/restrict calories and train appropriately to enter a different weight class. And it's not unheard of for people to really excel at a sport their body type doesn't predetermine them for.

There's no reason to restrict yourself to certain sports based on your body type. Unless you're aiming for the Olympics or want to sign a multi-million dollar deal with a pro team, sports should be about enjoyment, healthy competition and physical fitness. Even if your body type works against you to a certain degree, practice and training can still help you become skilled at a sport.

What do you think? Is athletic prowess more influenced by nature (genetics) or nurture (practice/training)?