Known for the 10,000 hours rule, Ericsson has been a much revered scientist in the study of peak performance.
My intro to him came via The Talent Code by Daniel Coyle – who happens to be quoted on the the dust jacket and is the author I refer to most regarding my training plans.
Every athlete is different so it is awesome when someone helps you to get better by helping you understand the exact steps need to improve.
As an athlete, Ericsson does not inspire me as much as Coyle… but as a coach, he writes about many things that I do. I knew this already before starting the book, so I went into it as a coach. Taken in this light, there are a few tidbits worth mentioning as they confirm my coaching methods.
–> talent is not innate… it is work plain and simple. There is no magic wish granting fairy god-mother in getting good but you can definitely feel some magic happening when things all come together on performance day. Don’t depend on the spark but be thankful when you feel it.
–> real practise is not about volume, reps or distances… getting all those hours in by repeating garbage technique gets you really good at doing garbage technique. Instead a major focus must be on ‘boring’ fundamentals. Chunk down your sequence into little manageable pieces and drill them into your version of perfection. Technique needs more sessions than power.
–> go beyond comfort… doing only what you can already do does not force your brain and body to adapt. Some days you might only be able to do a small amount. But if and when you want to get better then you need to push a little and keep yourself engaged while trying to get it right. If it is only boring all the time then there will be no desire to keep going. Do games!
–> challenges can come in many forms… battling against someone you know is ‘better’ than you should not be considered a waste of time. We learn so much by challenging ourselves and witnessing others do amazing things. Just by seeing that something is possible, it can inspire and push us into the next level. If you are under-matched, then use the session to inspire them, teach them and for you to be grateful how far you have already come.
–> being good at the beginning is actually not great at all… I really sucked my first session in archery but I enjoyed the challenge. It made me want to get better so I had to learn how to do it by being patient and stubborn and very curious when something did go right or wrong. Another archer who began at the same same was so much better but then fizzled out when the ‘talent’ could not keep up with the ‘learned’ training. If you cannot do it immediately, then the process of figuring it out will actually make you understand the skill more deeply when you do figure it out. Be happy about this!
These ideas are not new to me. This is how I coach.
This book gave many examples and studies involving chess, violin, math, golf… but archery was unsurprisingly not mentioned. Of course that is OK. Archery is limited in what has been written about it which is why golf is a very good second option. If you go at this book with an expectation to get better understanding of target training, then you need to look more at what deep practice entails rather than your shot sequence technique.
His final recommendations involve training kids.
As I am more focused on Masters and adults in general, I really did not find it useful. Kids need safety, balance and time just to be kids. Resources are already so focused on youth performance in many countries, that the adults are truly the ones who need attention. If society could repair all those mistakes of the past, then kids would have many more role models from which to choose.
10,000 hours might make sense if you begin at 6 and aim for the Olympics, the conservatory, university or a Nobel… but there are so many people who did not get that chance.
Let people know that starting at 30/ 40/ 50+ is more than OK to reach a level way better than doing nothing at all. We can do amazing things when we don’t do stupid stuff. Learn how to properly train without injury by concentrating on technique and recovery. Select challenges which fit our busy lives instead of going crazy believing that painful sacrifice is the only way. And finally, accept that some people will always help you while others will pull you down. You must choose to have the right people around you on your journey because it is not automatically given to anyone no matter how nice you may be.
Peak performance is possible for those being smart about it. You might need to unlearn a few things. There is a very good reason to be optimistic if you put in the work and be truthful with whatever stage you have right now.
Do something today. Track it. Learn something new. Recover. Try again tomorrow. And have fun!
Kelea Quinn 