You know those times when you do something that just feels… right? Everything clicks. Your body is in sync with itself, muscles moving perfectly, joints flexing the right amount at the right time. It’s a good feeling, but it’s one of those things that feels so good because it doesn’t happen all the time. That’s what high-level athletes are looking to do: make every movement perfect in their chosen endeavor. It’s an impossible task, of course, but they do it because it’s not about hitting the finish line. There is no finish line. Perfection isn’t an attainable goal, but trying to attain it is the only way to get anywhere near it.
Take, for example, the first turn in the clip above from John John Florence. It’s pretty much a perfect turn. If the term “power carve” could be distilled into a few short seconds of footage, that turn might just be it. But it’s likely that John John himself could pick it apart and find a few tiny imperfections—and that’s why he’s able to do a turn like that. Because he’s constantly trying to be better.
