deliberate practice

January 9, 2009

Over the break one of the books I read was “Talent is Overrated” by Geoff Colvin. The author has conducted an extensive review of the literature on exceptional performers—Mozart, Tiger Woods, Michael Phelps, Yo-Yo Ma—and reached the conclusion that, as the title says, talent is overrated. By this he means that the research does not support the popular idea that certain people are born with natural talents, be it art, music, athletics, or leadership. Rather, the most reliable predictor of exceptional performance in any field is the amount of practice one engages in, or more precisely, the amount and kind of practice one engages in, what researchers call deliberate practice.

Deliberate practice is working on specific areas of performance in precise ways. This kind of practice is often done alone and requires intense concentration. For example, a guitarist who plays the same song from start to finish is practicing, but not in a deliberate sense. Deliberate practice, in this example, might entail working on the transition from the D chord to the G chord and making sure that the change happens with the whole structure of the hand rather than one finger at a time. Another example is the basketball player who shoots everyday as practice, just moving from spot to spot. Deliberate practice in this example of improving shooting accuracy might include making sure the elbow is aligned correctly and that the index and middle fingers guide the release to create the right backspin on the ball.

Both of these examples illustrate that deliberate practice requires much more thought, precision, and concentrated attention. This kind of practice (and lots of it) is what makes for exceptional performances. As I mentioned in a letter last summer, the research agrees that it takes roughly 10,000 hours of practice to achieve mastery in any particular area. (Or as researchers say: 4-6-10. That is, four hours a day, six days a week, for ten years.)

Deliberate practice is a learned skill. It requires specific feedback delivered in a way that students can hear. That is, it must be supportive while also pointing out how to improve. As parents and guardians, whether we realize it or not, we have numerous opportunities each week to teach our children about deliberate practice. Whether it is in kicking a soccer ball, doing a math problem, sounding out a new word, understanding grammar, or working on a dance routine, we can guide our children towards learning the value of deliberate practice with our feedback.

“I like the way the joy of the music comes through you as you dance…the only place I see it waver is when you do the spin. Want to try just the spin a few times?” Some kids will take you up on this offer, others will not. No matter whether they act on your suggestion, just by being precise in a supportive way you are pointing out the path to more deliberate practice. This is also where you have to trust that, when the time is right, they will pick up on all those “lessons” you thought they missed, and they will, eventually. That is, and this is huge, if you push your feedback too hard it becomes a power struggle, in which case the lesson is lost. So, when in doubt, say less.

The goal of introducing kids to deliberate practice is not to make every child an exceptional performer, rather it is to equip them with the tools to achieve better (maybe even exceptional) performance when they discover the areas that ignite their passions and inspire them.

Welcome back!

Mike