Episode 29- 'MASTERY' with Dr Carl Woods

For those of us residing in a society that prioritizes; productivity, extraction, speed, and efficiency, this episode of the Run Culture Podcast is a must listen!

."....certain non-western societies don't use the adjectives; efficient, rapid or fast, as words to describe expert performance, they actually use words like; cautious, slow, attentiveness and responsiveness. These slower adjectives are used to describe what it means to be an expert hunter...." They understand the idea of uncertainty, they take time to attend to the rich contextual ebbs and flows of information in front of them and they patiently wait for the right moment to act.

I chatted to Dr Carl Woods a scientist and researcher at Victoria University in Melbourne who enjoys exploring the concepts of; learning, knowing and skill from an ecological and anthropological lens in sport.

We discuss:

-That we live in the 'information age', where there is an excess of 'second hand information' everywhere, we have a test for this a test for that, a strategy for this and all this tech spitting out all kinds of data...Universities teach courses in siloed and reduced methods and reward an encyclopedic like recall of information as expertise... Yes, 'second hand information' can be useful...but I am also seeing a lot of un-embodied/disconnected and disempowered runners as a result.

-The importance of 'inhabitant knowledge'.....which is gained through exposure and 'primary experience', this can't simply be replaced by 'second hand information' eg. what a textbook/test or Instagram post says.

-Embracing 'uncertainty' and 'the wisdom of not knowing', 'Being prepare but not planned'

-Slow down and attend to the environment around you, be a 'wayfinder'.

-What defines mastery/a skilled performer or expert? ....the humility to say; 'I don't know' or 'I am unsure', openness, lots of exposure to a certain environment and context, to resonate with their surrounds, to 'look, feel, hear and smell' better, to know what to pay attention to- what to 'stretch towards' and when to 'wait' and be patient.