Have you ever tried your hand at golf, only to find it challenging to hold the club and line yourself up correctly for a good shot? Or do you find yourself easily adjusting to the recommended form?

Part of having good form in sport—a key component of overall technique—can come from hours of extensive practice. Yet some people may naturally have genetic components that boost their ability to develop good sport form. An AncestryDNA^® + Traits test can reveal whether your genes could influence your sport technique.

Why Is Good Technique Important in Sport?

Your overall sport performance is a complex blend of skills, technique, and overall athletic ability. Good sport technique—the right physical form—allows you to execute a motion efficiently and safely. For example, good running form means using the correct posture, holding a golf club in a specific way can lead to smoother swing, and mastering a type of swimming stroke might make it easier to move through the water.

Having the correct sport techniques matter whether you plan on individual exercise activities like running, swimming, or yoga, or if you enjoy team sports like soccer, baseball, or cricket. It also relies on more than just practising one movement over and over again. Many techniques require you to layer several abilities to create the complete movement.

For example, swinging a tennis racquet to connect with the ball requires you to know how to hold the racquet, how to stand, how much power to put into the swing, and how to direct the ball at the correct angle. All of these, plus other factors, culminate into the total technique.

Using good techniques can also help prevent injury by ensuring the body is aligned in ways that avoid unnecessary stress. Without the right techniques, you open yourself up to accidents or sport injuries. For example, tennis elbow (lateral epicondylitis) causes swelling in the tendons that allows your wrist to bend away from your palm. Its primary cause is having poor backhand technique while playing tennis.

Outside of sport, having good physical form can be important for tasks and activities like lifting heavy objects, chopping up vegetables, or sitting at your desk in an ergonomic way.

Genetic Influences on Sport Technique

You might be inclined to think that sport form is entirely environmental, resulting from extensive training. But, AncestryDNA^® scientists discovered strong genetic influences when they compared the DNA of over 213,000 people who answered the question, “When you exercise or play sport, how good is your form?” In fact, they found over 560 DNA markers related to sport technique.

The scientists also calculated a polygenic risk score, which allows them to see if your DNA is making it easier or harder for you to develop good form. But having the genetic markers associated with good form doesn’t mean you’ll have good form—it just might give you a slight advantage. Training is the primary factor determining sport technique. In fact, only about 9% of the variation in sport form between people can be explained by differences in their genetics. Most of the variation comes from differences in practice. Someone who practises more, even if they don’t have the associated genetic markers, will likely have better form.

What Else Impacts Sports Technique?

Additional performance traits can affect your ability to develop your sport technique and maintain good form. Interviews conducted with Olympic athletes and other successful athletes highlight the importance of characteristics like:

• Optimism
• Persistence
• Goal-setting
• Self-motivation
• Focus

Of course, practice goes a long way in developing the correct technique. While you might learn passively by watching other people perform, it's usually more effective to work directly with a specialist or coach to develop a better grasp on the proper technique. For example, if you want to lift weights, a weight trainer can ensure you're lifting correctly and keeping your body aligned properly to avoid injury.

Interesting Facts About Sport Technique

As well as training yourself to develop specific performance-related traits, according to a review of international studies you can also improve your sport technique by practising mindfulness. Mindfulness is the act of keeping an in-the-moment awareness of your thoughts and feelings, as well as the surrounding environment, without judgement. By improving focus and emotional regulation, players can improve their body perception, which leads to improved form and performance.

Ready to learn if your ability to develop sport technique might be easier or more challenging, based on your genes? Taking an AncestryDNA^® + Traits test reveals what your genetics say about sport form and a host of other traits. If you've already taken a test, your results can be viewed with your Ancestry^® membership.

 

References

Gould, Daniel, Kristen Dieffenbach, and Aaron Moffett. "Psychological Characteristics and Their Development in Olympic Champions." Journal of Applied Sport Psychology. 2002. doi:10.1080/10413200290103482.

"Lateral Epicondylitis (Tennis Elbow)." Johns Hopkins Medicine. Accessed August 1, 2024. https://www.hopkinsmedicine.org/health/conditions-and-diseases/lateral-epicondylitis-tennis-elbow.

Lesyk, Jack J. "The Nine Mental Skills of Successful Athletes." Ohio Center for Sports Psychology. Accessed August 1, 2024. https://www.sportpsych.org/nine-mental-skills-overview.

Lindsey, Crawford. "The Ingredients of Maximum Shot Speed." Tennis Warehouse. Accessed August 1, 2024. https://twu.tennis-warehouse.com/learning_center/maxshotspeed.php.

"Prevent Injuries with Proper Form During Workouts." University Health Centre, National University of Singapore. July 8, 2021. https://www.nus.edu.sg/uhc/articles/details/prevent-injuries-with-proper-form-during-workouts.

Wang, Yan Wang, Si-Man Lei,and Jingjing Fan. "Effects of Mindfulness-Based Interventions on Promoting Athletic Performance and Related Factors among Athletes: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis of Randomized Controlled Trial." International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health. January 22, 2023. doi: 10.3390/ijerph20032038.

"Weight training: Do's and don'ts of proper technique." Mayo Clinic. November 29, 2022. https://www.mayoclinic.org/healthy-lifestyle/fitness/in-depth/weight-training/art-20045842.

"What Is Mindfulness? The Greater Good Science Center at the University of California, Berkeley. Accessed August 1, 2024. https://greatergood.berkeley.edu/topic/mindfulness/definition.