Simone Biles fans’ wondered how she would compete in her first gymnastics meet in two years.

“I thought that, too, don’t worry,” Biles said with a laugh. She knew by the end of one rotation she was ready. Only months later, she was a world champion and The Associated Press’ Female Athlete of the Year. 

Biles, the most decorated gymnast of all time, had seemingly ended her career two years before on the balance beam at the Tokyo Olympics when she had to pull out of multiple finals due to “the twisties” (midair vertigo).

While Biles fought self-doubt, she didn’t let it destroy her confidence. Her sport no longer defines her identity. “Whenever I was 19, it was the end of the world if I had bad days,” she said. “Now I’m like, ‘It’s OK, it’s just gymnastics, and I’ll come back tomorrow and we’ll get it started again.'” Few athletes have come closer to athletic perfection than Simon Biles. Yet, even she realized how her obsession with perfection could hinder her performance and define her identity incorrectly. 

Nearly 50 years ago, Wes Neal wrote The Handbook on Athletic Perfection. It rocked the athletic world for Christian athletes and coaches who read it. I was one of those college athletes in the late 1970s. Wes created a biblical system or process that helped athletes find their identity in Christ and compete circumstance-free. He wrestled with the same anxiety as Biles. How can an athlete achieve perfection? Here is a condensed version of what Wes wrote in his book.

Man’s Way or God’s Way? – Matthew 5:48

One of the most penetrating statements of Jesus Christ is, “Therefore, you are to be perfect, as your heavenly Father is perfect” (Matthew 5:48). Notice that Jesus did not say that you are to be perfect with the same perfection as God Himself. An athlete can be perfect in everything he does. Keep this in mind; you will see how it works in this book. 

The world’s standard of athletic perfection is external. For the world, outward results are far more important than your attitudes and purpose. Yet God tells us, “All the ways of man are clean in his own sight, but the Lord weighs the motives” (Proverbs 16:2) 

Jesus used the word “perfect” in Matthew 5:48 to describe someone who consciously chooses to think and perform God’s way. His or her attitudes reflect those of Jesus Christ. His actions honor God because they are an outpouring of His attitudes. With this in mind, let’s put a handle on athletic perfection. 

Athletic perfection is consciously thinking and performing God’s way through the empowerment of the Holy Spirit. 

God’s standard for athletic perfection can only be achieved if Jesus Christ lives in you through the Holy Spirit. How that happens will be detailed in the next three chapters. You are on the threshold of a great new athletic experience! 

50th Anniversary Edition

Fifty years later, Wes’ writings based on a biblical foundation still affect me daily, though I’m retired from competing as an athlete and coach. I founded Cross Training Publishing and later co-founded Kingdom Sport to spread the good news about how every coach and athlete can achieve perfection through “doing sports God’s way.” 

I worked alongside my friend Wes Neal to update his two books, The Handbook on Athletic Perfection and The Handbook on Coaching Perfection, in 2024. This was the 50th anniversary of these resources. Both books are available at https://crosstrainingpublishing.com