What is deliberate practice? 08.21.18

Deliberate practice is characterized by five main elements:

It’s designed specifically to improve performance, often with a teacher’s help.

Full-time teachers have the knowledge of decades or centuries of study about how performance is developed and improved. Anyone who thinks they’ve outgrown the benefits of a teacher’s help should at least question that view. A teacher is invaluable, because he or she can see you in a way you cannot see yourself. In sports, it’s literal.

It can be repeated a lot.

High repetition is key. Having the mental focus to ensure technique is followed, like in jiu jitsu, or ensuring you are listening to spoken words and body language, like in jury selection, is what makes proper repetition difficult.

Feedback on results continuously available.

A teacher is key, so having someone there in real time, through FaceTime or Skype, or watching a recorded video then providing feedback will improve success. Finding someone who is genuine and helpful is difficult so stay vigilant and ask for many, many opinions and use alternative routes.

It’s highly demanding mentally, whether the activity is purely intellectual or heavily physical.

Deliberate practice is above all an effort of focus and concentration. Deliberate is distinct from the mindless playing of scales or hitting of tennis balls that most people engage in. You must seek specific elements of the performance.

It isn’t much fun.

Identify the painful, difficult activities that will make us better. After each repetition, we force ourselves to see — or get others to tell us — exactly what still isn’t right so we can repeat the most painful and difficult parts of what we’ve just done. We continue that process until we’re mentally exhausted. This process is not inherently enjoyable.

The above information is from Geoff Colvin’s book, Talent is Overrated. If you want to know how to protect your civil rights after an injury, call Anthony Paglia Injury Lawyer LTD at 702.830.7070 for a free consult.