Athlete Brains: Dai Tamesue's "Fluid Pacing" vol.27

A serial interview column where Mr. Dai Tamesue freely discusses "things on his mind right now." The only set theme is "What is autonomy? What is tolerance?" Faced with unreasonable demands from a mysterious "interviewer," Mr. Tamesue shares his thoughts on various "things on his mind." Well now. What kind of stories will come out this time...? Stay tuned.

──Thank you for joining us again this time.

Tamesue: Thank you.

──Today, I'd like to interview you on another rather unusual theme: "What is sense?" Have you ever been told in middle or high school club activities, "Hey, you over there. Go buy some sweet bread. Use your sense"? What exactly is that "sense"?

Tamura: You always come up with such intriguing themes. I'm actually writing a book called "The Theory of Mastery" right now, and one of the themes I cover is "Fast and Slow." Human abilities come in two types: one is "rough but fast," and the other is "slow but precise." Both are important abilities. I think "sense" refers to the former ability.

──Like intuition, right? You've mentioned before how crucial this ability is for athletes.

Tamesue: Returning to the "sweet bread" story, I feel sense is about grasping "that person's uniqueness." This "uniqueness" has two meanings: one is "their own self." Choosing this sweet bread is so Tamesue-like.

Tamura: The other is "the ability to discern the other person's preferences." So, if you buy a sweet bread that matches the preferences of the senior who told you to get one, they'll say, "Hey, Tamura, you've got some sense after all."

──I totally get that. Working in advertising, especially on creative projects, I see both sides. Leaning too far either way is no good. Whether you just push your own sense or over-speculate on someone else's taste. When you pitch a plan like that, it always ends with, "Well, I just don't feel the sense here. Please take it back."

Tametsu: That's absolutely right. Take caricatures, for example. They don't necessarily depict the person exactly as they are. In my case, if you exaggerate certain features—like the shape of my eyebrows or the way my cheekbones stick out—people instantly recognize, "Oh, that's Tametsu." I think that's what sense is: capturing the defining characteristics that make someone uniquely themselves.

──I get it. If a car company or a beer company says, "That expression looks like it's from such-and-such competitor. We're not that kind of company," you're completely stumped. It's like, "My apologies."

Tamese: I think I've mentioned this before, but when analyzing track athletes' form, we place markers all over their bodies—elbows, knees, necks—and analyze them with computers. We reduce those markers to the absolute minimum. Then, the essence emerges: "Ah, this is Tamese's running style." I believe "eliminating the unnecessary" is also a form of sense.

──You're taking us from "sweet bread" to this deep discussion? You're absolutely right. Cream bread, jam bread, sweet bean paste bread, donuts... which one is the right choice? It makes you agonize over sense, sense, sense.

Tamesue: Intuition isn't just a random thought. I believe past experiences and data are always there. Then, in an instant, you decide, "This is a jam bun."

──That applies to everything, right? Love, business, anything. People who ask, "Hey, what do you feel like eating today?" are usually pretty dull.

Tametsu: Maybe so (laughs).

(Interviewer: Web Dentsu Inc. News Editorial Department)

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From Hibi, Athlete Brains Production Team

This time's theme is 'Sense.' It's a keyword inseparable from the world of sports. At the same time, I feel it's also a very important keyword in the 'creative domain' where Dentsu Inc. conducts its business. Sense is also about 'eliminating the unnecessary.' Typically, when asked "What is sense?", people tend to define it as "an innate quality one possesses." Within this context, Mr. Tamesue arrived at the definition of "eliminating the unnecessary" by interpreting it through his experience in track and field. I felt this was a prime example of how an athlete's actual experience can lead to a definition and interpretation that is anything but commonplace.

Athlete Brains Production Team Dentsu Inc. / Akinori Hibi (3CRP) · Genta Arahori (Late Bureau)

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Athlete Brains, centered around Mr. Dai Tamesue.
For details on this team that connects the knowledge cultivated by athletes to solving challenges in the world (businesses and society), see here.