Technique and Convergent Evolution in Sports

Brief summer post: Complexity, evolution and technique ¿training?

The principle of minimum energy suggests that in similar physical systems, subjected to similar conditions, it is possible for the solutions or final states to be similar, as both systems tend to evolve toward a state of minimum energy.

For example, the Iberian lynx and the cheetah have bodies adapted for high-speed hunting, despite having developed in very different regions and having had no contact with each other. A similar situation occurs with the griffon vulture and the Andean condor. Both have large bodies, long and wide wings for gliding, and featherless heads to facilitate cleaning after scavenging. Although separated by the Atlantic and belonging to different lineages, they are quite similar.

This phenomenon is known in biology as convergent evolution. It is a very common process, and structures like eyes, wings, or spines have appeared repeatedly in unrelated species.

Similarly, in sports, when we observe different athletes developing very similar technical gestures, we might think this is due to copying from one another or top-down instruction (from a coach or designer who taught the athlete how to perform).

However, just as in evolution, the athlete may arrive at a solution through self-organization and exploration, leading to a similar execution method shared by many, but with subtle differences due to the unique evolutionary path each individual has taken to achieve it.