“When it comes to our hobbies, we should be underqualified. When it comes to our profession, we should be overqualified.”

— Nassim Nicholas Taleb

Lebanese thinker Nassim Nicholas Taleb distills a profound truth into this brief yet incisive reflection, with implications in both personal and professional spheres. His idea offers a clarifying perspective: while we can afford to be underqualified in our hobbies without major consequences, in our profession, we must prioritize overqualification, as it minimizes the margin of error and provides security and confidence in our daily work.

This principle is particularly relevant in high-level sports training.

At least in Canoe Slalom, training and competition can be approached from two fundamental perspectives:

1. Improving athletic ability

2. Enhancing performance level

The improvement of athletic ability falls within the realm of underqualification. In this training context, mistakes are not only tolerated but embraced as part of the learning process. Here, the consequences of errors are minimal or nonexistent, allowing the athlete to experiment freely, explore new options, and develop both creativity and a broader technical skill set.

On the other hand, improving performance requires operating from overqualification. In this context, both training and actual competition must take place in a submaximal environment, where the athlete already masters the task with ease. This strategy optimizes the risk-benefit ratio, ensuring more consistent and solid execution while minimizing mistakes that could jeopardize performance or even eliminate them from competition.

Following Taleb’s aphorism, the development of sports skills aligns with the logic of hobbies and underqualification, whereas performance is driven by the professional approach and overqualification.

An effective training strategy should balance free-exploration sessions—where the athlete can experiment without pressure and refine technical skills—with structured, demanding training that reinforces consistency and competitive performance.

Ultimately, the Hobbissional approach demonstrates that the combination of underqualification and overqualification is key to optimal athletic development. A training system that integrates both aspects not only maximizes performance but also fosters continuous growth in a challenging and stimulating environment.