#Practice

Practice doesn’t make perfect

Practice makes perfect, right? Well no, not really.

A lot of researchers have examined the art of practice and just doing it turns out is not enough. What’s been coined “effective practice” involves four predominant elements. Doing it (high repetition), doing a piece of it (specific scope), knowing how you’re doing it (immediate feedback) and only doing it (intense focus).

If you really wanted to effectively practice golf at the driving range here’s how you’d do it.

Pick one club. Hit a lot of balls and not just whack-a-mole style. Approach each ball like it was a shot in normal course play. You don’t talk to anyone, occasionally stop to sip a beer or take a phone call. Quit after an hour. If you’re properly focused you’ll be too mentally exhausted after an hour to continue anyway.

Spend 30 minutes today writing down how you’re going to alter your practice to be more effective. Done correctly and executed diligently you’re guaranteed to see vast improvements in your abilities.

You don’t mow your lawn with scissors so why practice without all 4 components of effective practice?