6 popular misconceptions about deliberate practice

Deliberate practice is the secret weapon wielded by champions. This micro-learning strategy is highly effective, although it’s sometimes misunderstood or misrepresented. Below, we debunk six popular misconceptions about deliberate practice.

Based on

Hidden Potential by Adam Grant (Penguin Publishing Group, 2023).

1/ True or false? The key is to get underway early so you can notch up 10,000 hours of practice and become a prodigy (playing the violin or chess or riding a pony).

False! Young “prodigies” who put themselves through challenging training regimes on a daily basis soon hit a very high level… before vanishing from competitions. Putting in all these hours of practice means they lose their motivation. In fact, it’s children who try out a range of different sports or instruments who stay the course, ending up making a name for themselves in one of their chosen disciplines. Generally speaking, the best option is to pace yourself and avoid over-training, which can set you back and demoralize you.

2/ True or false? There’s no secret: you have to learn from the best in the field.

False! Experts are so infused with their own expertise that they find it hard to pass on their modus operandi. Their knowledge has become implicit and hardwired – meaning it’s difficult for them to put it into words. They’ve forgotten the classic mistakes made by all beginners and the journey they had to take. Students who start off learning a new discipline with the expert in their field obtain worse results than their counterparts who learn from a less experienced teacher.