The conventional wisdom says that a guy of 1.96m (6’ 5”) can’t run the 100m well. His limbs are going to be just too long and that means that by the time he has got out of the start position, through the acceleration phase and into his stride then he will be too far behind to catch up. There is a reason that many of the top 100m sprinters are between 1.78m and 1.88m (5’ 10” and 6’2” tall).
But what if you find a way to re-write the rules?
Usain Bolt started life as a 200m runner – he was tall even as a kid, hitting his peak height by the age of 16. But when he turned his mind to the 100m he worked on his start technique to reduce that handicap of being tall. He adjusted his race tactics to get upright in less time than the conventional wisdom says is ideal for the 100m and ultimately that enables him to unleash his top speed sooner and for longer.
The effect of re-writing the rules of 100m sprinting we witnessed for a decade, with his c.41 strides taking him clear of the competition time and time again.
The question is, what conventional wisdom (rules) do we adhere to that could be ripe for re-writing?