2016 Japanese Relay Race Team

In the 2016 Rio Olympics, the Japanese relay team were the underdogs. None of their athletes accomplished the 100m in under 10 seconds barrier. While every team in the final (besides Brazil) had at least one athlete that can do that.

Ryota Yamagata (24), Shota Iizuka (25), Yoshihide Kiryu (21), and Aska Cambridge (23)

Yet, the Japanese team astonishingly enough, won the silver medal. Coming in second to the juggernaut Jamaican team that had the world’s fastest man, Usain Bolt.

What they lacked in speed, they made up for in technique. The Japanese team experimented with a new baton pass method that was more efficient than the competition, shaving seconds off their time. This is an example that shows technique trumping prowess.

In whatever craft or skill your pursuing how can you improve your technique?