Sports: Training: More Research That Tends to Back Up Gladwell's Points in Outliers

A recent article on CNN.com about how Cuba cultivates its young athletes tends to support many of the points Malcolm Gladwell presented in his book Outliers. 

"He believes Cuba's advantage comes from the government's ability to identify and cultivate emerging talent at a young age.'We can say with total certainty that in the farthest corner of Cuba if there's a talented boxer we know about him and are following his progress,' he said. 'So that maybe one day he might join our national team.."

"While the facilities are threadbare, the instruction they receive is world class. Vinent said most of the children at the Trejo are boxing as an after-school activity. They will pick up the basics of boxing and confidence while never achieving greatness in the ring. Vinent is looking for young fighters with drive and something to prove. Because there among the gangly youths bobbing and weaving in his classes, Vinent said, could very well be Cuba's next champion of the ring."

The article supports the idea that (although some attributes may be innate) much of what we consider to be innate talent is actually skills that have been cultivated and nurtured over long periods of time.  

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CNN.com