Practice Doesn’t Make Perfect
Why fundamentals are critical to long-term success
Repetition, And Why It Works
As the adage goes, “Practice makes perfect”, continual practice of particular activities is bound to lead to the perfection of these processes. This has been exemplified multiple times in the way I (and I’m sure many others) have been brought up.
As an example, to my fellow Singaporeans, do you remember the countless Ten-Year Series (How can there be so many different versions of this?!) papers our mothers told us to do in preparation for our examinations?
The expression, though often unsaid, is commonly exemplified in the way we approach work, studies, and life in general. The consensus is that to get better at something, we need to continue to practice and work at it to reach greater heights. I’m sure most of us can relate to having done this, be it voluntarily or otherwise!
The logic and assumption that underlies this axiom are that through repeated practice, we continue to refine that particular activity procedurally. By conducting the same activity over and over again, we begin to understand the nuances associated with it and improve it in a plethora of ways to reach maximum efficiency. As the late great Bruce Lee himself said,
“I fear not the man who has practices ten thousand kicks once, but I fear the man who has practiced one kick ten thousand times.”
Practice through repetition has been widely lauded as the key to improvement and success.
The Folly Of Repetition
Even so, there lies one more assumption that most people tend to overlook. The assumption here is that repetition will lead to improvement, but this is not always the case. There have been many times where we repeat the same action over and over again but this proves futile in the long run.
One clear example that I recall was when I was twelve. I was approaching a Mathematics problem the same way over and over again without success. It took a while before I realized that it was a mistake in my fundamentals that was causing me this grief.
How many of you have had similar experiences, where it was not repetition that resolved it but a resolution of flawed fundamentals? It would be insane to think the continued repetition of flawed practice would result in better outcomes. Ae Einstein himself puts it,
“The definition of insanity is doing the same thing over and over again and expecting different results.”
It is not that practice makes perfect, it is perfect practice that makes perfect. If repetition serves to reinforce our actions, then only perfect actions can lead to greater levels of perfected execution.
Master The Fundamentals
For practice to make perfect, we must then ensure that our practice sessions are as close to the ideal state as possible if we are to allow repeated iterations to continually refine our technique. We must master the fundamentals of any activity before putting this adage to use lest we reinforce flawed techniques for the long term.
Placing the caveat in ‘practice makes perfect’ allows us to reconfigure our mindsets towards achieving a solid foundation before committing the time and effort towards refining the activity of choice. Like cutting down a tree, it takes much less time to perfect the task with a sharpened axe than with a blunt one.
Never underestimate the importance of getting the basics right before spending countless hours practicing your art.
Practice Makes Perfect (Again!)
Do you want your practice sessions to be more fruitful and to perfect your art? Then stop what you’re doing and assess the fundamental principles behind it. Have you mastered the basics at least? Have you learned to ‘crawl before you walk’?
Oftentimes, due to the rapid pace of today’s world, we are impatient and gloss over the basics to get to the advanced items as soon as possible. We think that with sufficient practice and experience we can offset the lack of a proper foundation in that activity. What I wish to posit here is that this is not the case, and I feel that a firm base will lead to greater efficiency and productivity in your practice. So take heed, master the basics and watch your practice results improve multifold!
