Tone is in your fingers

"Guitar gurus say, "tone is in your fingers." You can buy the same guitar, effect pedals, and amplifier that Eddie Van Halen uses. But when you play that rig, it's still going to sound like you."

-Jason Fried

Most young athletes obsess over the facility they train out of and the equipment available. Like the amateur guitarist, they think the equipment can make up for lack of the essentials.  During my years training the Chinese Speed Skaters in Changchun I used to hear a phrase over and over again,

良好的设备。坏结果 (Liánghǎo de shèbèi. Huài jiéguǒ)

This of course translates into "good equipment. Bad results". Believe me the Chinese followed this one to a tee. I'm sure when you think of the big red machines training program your thinking blood lactate samples, fancy body suits and electrodes protruding out of athletes bodies ala Ivan Drago. You would be wrong.  Base programming, spartan training environments and a whole lot of guts is what I saw during my four years in country. Add to that highly motivated athletes and some damn fine professional coaching and support staff and you get a juggernaut.

Many amateur golfers seem to think that the best bag, balls and clubs are the way to a better score. News flash, the worst set of garage sale clubs wielded by Tiger Woods would destroy you.

People use equipment as a crutch. It doesn't matter, it really doesn't.  Find a place with a great training environment, be that your garage, basement, outside or in a ghetto gym (they are out there if you look). Now that you've found your place work like a dog and out work everyone else in the room. If there is no one in the room do better then your last workout. It's not the gear that matters. It's playing what you've got as well as you can. Your tone is in your fingers.