The phrase ‘Jack of All Trades, Master of None’ refers to a person who is competent in many skills, but is not outstanding in any of them. The idiom was famously used by Robert Greene in his 1592 booklet ‘Greene’s Groats-Worth of Wit’ where he refers to William Shakespeare with this idiom. While I’m not sure how this applies to Shakespear, I do know what it means. When I was in high school there certainly were the 3 letter athletes. They were the people who played varsity level in 3 different sports. They were revered in the high athletic departments. They were considered great “all around” athletes. While some played 3 sports, usually they excelled in one. If you asked those student athletes which was their favorite, I would imagine they could tell you the one they enjoyed the most and that might differ from the sport at which they excelled.
Eventually, though, it didn’t matter. For the student hoping to use their physical prowess to advance their academic career, they would have to pick one. However, in the even more rarified air of college sports there are those who may receive scholarships for competing in 2 sports. Most often if the student wanted to go to college on a scholarship, they would have to focus on 1 sport.
Once at college, they would probably have to narrow their focus even more. The star pitcher in high school, who also played third base or shortstop, would have to pick which position. The great high school quarterback may have to turn into a receiver in college. In college they might have to focus even further if they ever hoped to go pro. The defensive lineman would become a left tackle. An infielder would have to pick short or second. Though the skills are sometimes transferable and we see that in professional baseball most often, for most part people have to specialize.
We see this specialization in most walks of life. In medicine, in law, in investing and in real estate there are all specialists and we seek them out to help us. In the best circumstances people are able to wed what they are good at with what they enjoy. We talk about “numbers people” and “people people.” (Say that ten times and it sounds funny.) Yet within each of those categories there are even subspecialties, for example the pediatric allergist or the middle relief pitcher. As we dig down we see that once again nature will play a part. Some poeple are just faster and are put in for their speed.
Just afew nights ago, the mets were playing the Phillies and Alverez, the Mets catcher and a huge influence on the mood and energy of the team hit a single. Mendoza, the manager for the Mets took him ouf the game a replaced him with Bader a much faster ball player. This increased the chances that on a single he might score because of speed. It worked out and it changed the entore momentum of the game. While Alverez brought different talents, in that moemtn speed was what was required. The job of the manager is to put people talents to their best use. Alverez could have been upset by being taking out, afterall he was the one who got on base in the firsat place. However, he just became one of the great cheerleaders.
This is the complete opposite of a Mets pitcher often refered to as the Dark Knight. Matt Harvey could have been a great hero, but as Icarus might have said he flew too close to the sun. In the 5th game of the 2015 world series he insisted on staying in the game and pitching in the 9th inning. In fron tof a crowd of 44,859 the roar of the crowd was too much to drown out and he put self over team. He had already thrown over 100 pitches and thought of himself invinsable. Of course, the Mets went on to lose. Even when we are the best at something, fine tuned that skill, practiced it over and over again on any given day are bodies may not do what our brains think they can. Knowing when to wlak away is similar to knowing which port to choose in the first place. It depends on what we are hoping to achieve.
There is a story about Jannik Sinner and his choice to go into tennis. Click here for a great article about this choice. Sinner was born and raised South Tyrol, Italy. It is on the very north border of Italy and Austria. He, therefore, speaks Italian and German but more importantly, he grew up skiing. His father worked at a ski lodge where his father was a chef and his mother a waitress. (There are similar stories about other athletes who have had exposure and access to facilities because of where their parents worked.) After school he would often go skiing and it turns out he got to be quite good. He won an Italian championship at age 8 and placed second in nationals at age 12. Then he had a few seasons where his skills dipped a little and certainly when he started competing against bigger athletes, he just weighed too little to compete.
Famously, on making the choice to move over to tennis full time he said, “in skiing if you make a mistake you are out; it’s a dangerous sport and you need to get up early in the morning and venture outside in the frigid temperatures. Tennis is a bit more accessible. (And I would add less dangerous, and one mistake doesn’t necessarily end a match.) And in the end, I think I made the right choice.”
Professional athletes are a rare breed of person. They are born with certain physical traits that help them to succeed and given gifts that others might not have. Additionally, they are endowed with a motivation that helps them to use their physiques to do things others even with the greatest motivation can never hope to accomplish.
Vincent Edward “Bo” Jackson is an American former professional baseball and football player. He is the only professional athlete in history to be named an All-Star in two major North American sports.
Deion Sanders During the 1989 season, he hit a major league home run and scored a touchdown in the NFL in the same week, becoming the only player ever to do so. Sanders is also the only man to play in both a Super Bowl and a World Series.
However, those examples are far and few between. I remember when Michael Jordan, arguably one of the best basketball players of all time, tried to play baseball. Let’s just say, it didn’t go as well as he and many had hoped.
The lesson is obvious. Pick a path in life that makes you happy and then as Sinner pointed out in that article, there are no secrets you just “have to work really hard.” For the athlete, it is more than just showing up. It is hard work. If success is what you want, start with what makes you happy and be prepared to put forth 100% effort.