Hogan was one of the finest golfers of the twentieth century, a feat he accomplished via relentless practice. He simply enjoyed practicing. “I couldn't wait to wake up in the morning so I could whack balls,” Hogan said. I'd wake up early and hit the practice tee for a few hours, then take a break and get right back to it.” Every practice session served a purpose for Hogan. He allegedly spent years dissecting each step of the golf swing and experimenting with various techniques for each component. The end outcome was almost perfect. He produced one of the most refined golf strokes in the game's history. He had the accuracy of a surgeon rather than a golfer. Hogan, for example, struck the flagstick on back-to-back holes at the 1953 Masters. He broke the tournament scoring record a few days later. He had the accuracy of a surgeon rather than a golfer. Hogan, for example, struck the flagstick on back-to-back holes at the 1953 Masters. He broke the tournament scoring record a few days later.
Hogan cut the game of golf down into manageable bits and worked out how to master each one. He was one of the first golfers to allocate particular yardages to each club, for example. Then he thoroughly examined each course, using trees and sand bunkers as reference points to determine the distance of each shot. Hogan concluded his career fourth all-time in major titles with nine. Other golfers just credited Hogan's amazing success to "Hogan's secret" during his heyday. Experts have used the phrase "deliberate practice" to describe his method of continuous development.
What is Deliberate Practice, and how does it work?
Deliberate practice is a sort of practice that is both intentional and methodical. While normal practice may consist of thoughtless repetitions, intentional practice necessitates concentrated attention and is carried out with the intent of increasing performance. Ben Hogan was deliberately practicing when he meticulously recreated each stage of his golf swing. He wasn't simply slicing and dicing. While normal practice may consist of thoughtless repetitions, intentional practice necessitates concentrated attention and is carried out with the intent of increasing performance. The most difficult aspect of purposeful practice is staying focused. The most essential thing in the beginning is to show up and do your repetitions. However, after a time, we continue to ignore little faults and disregard everyday possibilities for development.
This is because the human brain's natural propensity is to turn repeated activities into automatic habits. You had to think about each stage of the procedure when you first learned to tie your shoes, for example. Your brain can now repeat this process automatically after many repetitions. The more we do something over and over, the more thoughtless it becomes. The opponent of purposeful practice is mindless activity. The problem of repeatedly doing the same thing is that progress becomes presumed. We make the mistake of assuming we're growing better just because we're receiving more experience. In truth, we are only reinforcing rather than changing our present patterns. It seems reasonable to assert that progress necessitates focus and effort. But, in the real world, what does purposeful practice look like? Let's have a look at it right now.
Deliberate Practice Examples
Geoff Colvin's book Talent is Overrated discusses one of my favorite examples of focused practice. Colvin discusses how Benjamin Franklin improved his writing talents via rigorous practice in his book. Benjamin Franklin's father chastised him for his weak writing skills when he was a teenager. Unlike other teens, Ben heeded his father's counsel and resolved to improve his writing abilities.
He started by looking for a magazine that was published by some of the great authors of the day. Franklin then walked line by line through each article, noting the meaning of each sentence. He then rewrote each article in his own words before comparing it to the original. Break the whole process down into segments, identify your deficiencies, test new tactics for each component, and then incorporate your learning into the whole process via deliberate practice.
Here are a few more instances to consider:
Jiro Ono is a chef and owner of an award-winning sushi restaurant in Tokyo. He has dedicated his life to perfecting the art of making sushi. Each apprentice must master one tiny part of the sushi-making process at a time.
Josh Waitzkin is the author of The Art of Learning. He is a martial artist who holds several US national medals and a 2004 world championship. "Dirty players were my best teachers," he says.
Magnus Carlsen is a chess grandmaster and one of the highest-rated players in history. Carlsen learned the game by playing computer chess, which allowed him to play multiple games at once.
Great musicians recommend repeating the most challenging sections of a song until you master them. Virtuoso violinist Nathan Milstein says, "If you practice with your head, two hours is plenty"
Basketball coach Aubrey Daniels: Player A shoots 200 practice shots, Player B shoots 50. Player A has a colleague who retrieves the ball after each attempt. If the shot is missed the colleague records whether the miss was short, long, left or right.
There are many ways to receive feedback, writes Ben Franklin. The first effective feedback system is measurement. Good coaches can track your progress, find small ways to improve, he says. In many cases, it is nearly impossible to both perform a task and measure your progress at the same time.
Humans have an amazing ability to increase their performance in almost every aspect of life if they practice properly. It's a lot simpler to say than it is to accomplish. Deliberate practice is not a pleasurable experience. It takes consistent work and focus. People who master the discipline of purposeful practice are dedicated lifelong learners who are always researching, trying, and developing their skills. Deliberate practice isn't a magic pill, but if you can keep your attention and dedication, the promise of deliberate practice is pretty appealing: making the most of what you have.