Practice Makes Perfect?

Anybody can play the violin – badly!

I like this saying, as I do this anecdote. A young musician once asked a performer: ‘How do you get to Carnegie Hall?’ To which the answer was: ‘Practice. Practice. Practice!’

When I teach my students juggling, I always bring to their attention that ‘Perfect practice makes perfect. Wrong practice becomes permanent!’ There is a danger when training is over-rated and smart training is under-rated. I cannot over-emphasise the relevance of getting professional coaching advice.

I have become a stickler for proper technique. Although I appreciate shortcuts to results, I still believe that hard work matters. I surveyed runners who use Vibram Five Fingers shoes and found that they still experience sore calves after using them. I appreciate that running biomechanics is vital, and learning how to run with Chi Running or P.O.S.E. Method is relevant. It takes time to learn how to run again. In learning, we consider the processes of learning, unlearning and relearning. Learning sleight-of-hand magic (which I think is the purest form of the Art) involves these decisions and diligence. You need to be able to discern that which is useful for leading you to your results, and that which does not.

Test out theories. Avoid taking things at face values. Facts change. Paradigms can shift. Most bestseller books are based on dated research, and their idea postulated may be relatively untested in some industries. Too often the models proposed are based on specific industries, or confined to a particular geography. What works in the West may not be easily integrated into the East. It would be convenient for these theories and models to flourish abundantly elsewhere. Communication, including education involves generalisation, distortion and deletion.

This weekend was a revealing one for me, with many Eureka moments. I have integrated Ironman disciplines into my predominantly running-based session. I believe that my muscles became too comfortable in the gross biomechanics of pure running. Thus, I injected intervals into my mainly tempo-based menu. I still pay close attention to my running gait, noticing any discomfort and injuries that may surface. I also included swim drills and cycling recently. Yesterday’s 2-hour ride on my road-bike was exhilarating as I discovered I did not loose too much cycling fitness. In fact, I was capable of short bursts of high-cadence pedaling. What surprised me was after a midday interval session followed with an evening cycling session I was able to complete my 18km run with Team Fatbird (whose members were preparing for the Army Half Marathon in a fortnight’s time) the next morning.

Practise what you preach. Practise till you achieve Personal Mastery in something.

Photo-credits: Team Fatbird, Operation Kingfisher. The team trains at least twice a week, assisting neophyte runners aspiring to complete their first endurance run.