Are Great Athletes Born or Made?
How does one become a world class athlete? Are great athletes born or made?
10,000 Hour Theory In 1993 K. Anders Ericsson wrote about people becoming world class performers in anything through the use of “deliberate practice”. He cited many different examples from musicians to athletes, to chess players. He believes great athletes can be developed through thousands of hours of deliberate practice that takes on average about 10 years. Malcolm Gladwell came up with the 10,000 hour theory in his book Outliers. Gladwell feels that if someone puts in 10,000 hours of practice into something, they will be become world class at it. He cited how computer programmers, musicians (The Beatles), violinists all developed world class status through 10,000 hours of practice. Geoffrey Colvin wrote in Talent is Overrated that deliberate practice is what makes people world class performers. He agrees with Ericsson that deliberate practice is the most important factor in gaining world class status. He cites how deliberate practice is very difficult, unenjoyable and time consuming. That's why most people don’t do it. Can someone outwork genetics? What if someone put in 10,000 hours? Can they be expected to become world class? Has anyone ever tried? Well recently Dan McLaughlin gave it a try. Inhttp://thedanplan.com/ , Dan is trying to become a professional golfer using this theory at the age of 30 with little experience as a golfer. Dan finished a round with his brother, and after shooting 27 over on the 9 hole course, asked his brother how hard it would be to become a professional golfer. So Dan quit his full time job and is giving it a shot. Deliberate Practice Deliberate practice involves working on a specific goal. The tasks that are being worked on should build from pre-existing knowledge. Students are asked to work outside their comfort zones. The task should be challenging enough that the student doesn’t feel bored because task is too easy or frustrated that the task is too difficult. Students need to be motivated while engaged in this practice. They must also receive immediate feedback. Reproducing the same task over and over is the the desired structure. According to Ericsson, genetics have little to do with becoming world class. Deliberate Practice is something anyone can do but few do. Most people won’t invest that much time and dedication to become world class let alone average. 10,000 hours is a long time to dedicate to one skill and only extremely dedicated people with excellent teachers and coaches can achieve. More bad news is if you didn’t start this as a child, you are already thousands of hours behind other people who started as kids. It will be interesting to see how well Dan progresses as an adult starting out at 30. Please leave a comment, share or like this. Has anyone tried this or know someone who has? Check back soon for more information regarding baseball, sports and training.
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