The Importance of Practice
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I have never taken a class in martial arts, but I have certainly enjoyed watching Bruce Lee’s moves in his action-packed films! Let’s face it. The guy was physically amazing, but more than that, he had a way with words!
Lee was more than just a famous martial artist. He was also an actor and a philosopher with a long list of inspirational quotes tagged to his name. Many of his famous quotes are still being used today to trigger personal growth, and one of my favorites says:
“I fear not the man who has practiced 10,000 kicks once, but I fear the man who has practiced one kick 10,000 times.”
This particular Bruce Lee quote reminds me of the importance of practice. Practice, of course, is the repetition of an action with the goal of improvement. When we practice something over and over again, we naturally perform that particular skill with more ease, speed, and confidence.
According to educators, Annie Bosler and Don Greene, practice affects the inner workings of our brains. In a popular TED-Ed video entitled: How to practice effectively…for just about anything, these two teachers put together a lesson that includes four simple steps to follow. The steps include:
Focus on the task at hand. Minimize potential distractions by turning off the computer or TV and putting your cell phone on airplane mode.
Start out slowly or in slow motion. Coordination is built with repetitions, whether correct or incorrect. If you gradually increase the speed of the quality repetitions, you have a better chance of doing them correctly.
Frequent repetitions with allotted breaks are common practice habits of elite performers. Studies have shown that many top athletes, musicians, and dancers spend 50-60 hours per week on activities related to their craft. Many divide their time used for effective practice into multiple daily practice sessions of limited duration.
Practice in your brain in vivid detail. It’s a bit surprising, but a number of studies suggest that once a physical motion has been established, it can be reinforced just by imagining it.
Bruce Lee became well-known as a professional martial artist, actor, and philosopher because of hard work and lots of focused practice. As human beings, we can all benefit from applying these 4-steps to practice just about anything effectively.
