Why perfect practice does make perfect!

I’m currently reading, Bounce by Matthew Syed which explores and challenges the myths regarding success and the true nature of talent. It is a joy to read as it lays out how we are all capable of achieving great success if our mindset is right and we are willing to put in the hard graft!

Over many years, experts had interviewed, researched and run extensive experiments looking at top level performers from the worlds of sport, business, academia and the arts and there was absolutely no evidence of a fast track for high achievers.

What they discovered was that 10 years was the magic number for the attainment of excellence. This was based on quality practice and as it can be difficult to sustain that degree of quality practice, this 10 year rule was altered to 10,000 hours as being the minimum time necessary to acquire the acquisition of expertise in any complex task.

Psychologist Anders Ericsson referred to it as the Iceberg Illusion. When we witness extraordinary feats, we are seeing the end product of a process measured in years. What we don’t see is the countless hours of practice that have altered the anatomical and neurological structures of that performer.

This information is inspiring as it means we are all able to attain these skills given time! If we believe that attaining excellence is hinged on talent and we feel we don’t show enough early promise or progress, we are likely to just give up! However, if we feel that talent may only marginally contribute to the end result, then we are more likely to persevere, go all out to find the right coach/teacher, the best facilities and other opportunities to get us to our desired outcome.

This is borne out from my own experience of coaching juniors. The ones I’ve regularly coached (weekly) from the age of about 8/9, are usually starting to demonstrate the ability to master the technical skill sets as they are turning 15/16 years. They have laid down the foundation stones for future success and are able to compete in affiliated competitions and hold their own. The interesting aspect is they were all from different backgrounds and went into different disciplines.

So, it seems that perfect practice really does make perfect after all.