Interesting top response in the previous discussion. I disagree almost completely with him.
A majority of people who play a sport (or learn any skill for that matter) are specifically not deliberate about their practice, and hence never surpass mediocrity. Within the first 50 hours or so (varies greatly depending on complexity of the skill), many of the actions required for a majority of the skill become automatic and learning slows significantly as a result. People highly skilled in something naturally (or consciously) never fully sink down in comfort and automatism, and remain deliberate and conscious about becoming better at every sub-skill within the greater.
The guy attempting the 10,000 hours (supposedly, I haven't been following him to determine if it's true) is specifically talking about this latter form of practice. The person commenting may not fully understand how much more can be accomplished with heightened focus, determination, discernment, and deliberation.
The guy attempting the 10,000 hours (supposedly, I haven't been following him to determine if it's true) is specifically talking about this latter form of practice.
Yes, he's very deliberate about it. IIRC, he has a top coach guiding all of his training, and the plan has been careful working away from the hole. So the first couple hundred hours (!) were all putting and then some chipping, doing careful drill after drill. Finally he can play most of the hole, albeit with only shorter distance clubs so far.
That is a very interesting approach. I wish I had done that when I started playing.
I have been playing the game for 20 years. My father was a semi-pro tournament player and I picked up a lot from watching him. I quickly became a "natural" (I really don't like that term, I just had a good base line to start learning from).
For years I just went out and played and did fairly good. Better than average. This year I decided to really focus on practicing so I can get to scratch and the gains I've seen in the last two months are huge. This year I have gone from hitting a 5 iron about 170 yards to 200+, consistently.
Starting to learn the game from the hole backwards is a great idea. When my game dropped off for a few years I stopped hitting anything longer than a 5 iron.
I hope he succeeds. I haven't read a real passion for the game in the posts I've read, though. Does he love it? I believe talent = passion + time spent.
What I would love to understand is where exactly he was mentally prior to starting this challenge. Is he naturally a person who strives to grow even when tasks become automatic, or has the change of mindset been part of his training, and if so how did he make the mindshift change.
A majority of people who play a sport (or learn any skill for that matter) are specifically not deliberate about their practice, and hence never surpass mediocrity. Within the first 50 hours or so (varies greatly depending on complexity of the skill), many of the actions required for a majority of the skill become automatic and learning slows significantly as a result. People highly skilled in something naturally (or consciously) never fully sink down in comfort and automatism, and remain deliberate and conscious about becoming better at every sub-skill within the greater.
The guy attempting the 10,000 hours (supposedly, I haven't been following him to determine if it's true) is specifically talking about this latter form of practice. The person commenting may not fully understand how much more can be accomplished with heightened focus, determination, discernment, and deliberation.