Acing the Basics: Why Fundamentals Are Everything
“All compromise is based on give and take, but there can be no give and take on fundamentals. Any compromise on mere fundamentals is a surrender. For it is all give and no take.”
-Mahatma Gandhi
Being a beginner in a new skill is hard. We often feel overwhelmed at how much we still have to learn. Especially if we haven’t properly broken down our skill into subskills, it can seem we’re attempting to summit Everest without any gear.
When I want to learn a new skill, it’s usually because I’ve watched all the cool stuff someone better than me can do. Unknown to me are countless subskills underneath the highlight reel of their work.
Further, all of those subskills rely upon at least one fundamental skill. Ironically, although the skills they use are fundamental, it’s hard to identify these key ingredients as an outsider. There are two reasons for this disconnect.
The first reason fundamentals are hard to identify is that teachers are often advanced in their craft. Consequently, they may neglect the basics which seem trivial to them. Advanced practitioners have internalized the basics and may not be consciously aware of these key skills.
As a beginner, this can lead to a frustrating experience. We don’t yet have the basis to know what we don’t know. When we seek tutelage underneath someone, we assume they’ll show us the path to get started. Great practitioners with a knack for teaching do this effortlessly, but not all practitioners are the best teachers.
If our mentor isn’t a strong teacher we may be left to discover the basics on our own.
Secondly, it’s harder to find discussions concerning the basics, either overall or of a particular craft. We often run into what I like to call the “common sense” trap. Most people understand basics are vital for success in an endeavor. Their understanding leads them to assume someone else must have already covered it, so they don’t share their knowledge.
Since it’s not talked about as often it may seem unimportant. Of course, the opposite is true. Fundamentals are so critical, but they are rarely discussed because people assume everyone understands this truth.
Why Care?
If you’ve ever heard coaches talk to their players, they’re always preaching the fundamentals — especially in practice. There’s a common understanding in sports, if your fundamentals aren’t instinctual, then you’ll have difficulty performing on game day.
While athletes may roll their eyes at being lectured about their stance for the umpteenth time, they learn the value over time.
Everything in a given discipline relies upon the fundamentals. They are the foundation from which all amazing feats are derived. Great scientists and artists alike rely upon their most basic skills to perform the feats which look like magic to us mere mortals.
I’d take a practitioner with a handful of solid fundamentals over someone with a wide range of barely touched advanced skills any day. The first person would likely be better equipped to figure out my problem or create a way to solve it.
Fancy looking advanced skills are formed from fundamentals regardless, so it’s likely the practitioner could figure out and implement them should a particular job call for it.
Secondly, perfecting the fundamentals often leads one to develop discipline. Almost any venture in life requires immense focus and discipline to have a ghost of a chance to succeed. Learning to love fundamentals is also learning to love discipline.
When we become skilled in a task and have the discipline to see it through to completion, a wide array of options open up for us. We know results come to those who have faith and refine their fundamentals until they are automatic. But what happens if we try to skip the basics?
What Happens When We Ignore Basics?
“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.”
-Bruce Lee
Usually, when a master of a given craft fails, it’s because they neglected their fundamentals. Basic skills are ultimately the bread and butter for most disciplines. Without this basic sustenance, how could we hope to do anything which requires greater attention and energy?
When we turn our back on the basics, the results are rarely good. At best, we have a small failure which humbles us and reminds us we’re not above the fundamental tenets of our chosen craft. At worst, we experience a large, public failure with profound consequences for our future goals and ambitions.
The reason for this is simple. Basics are the backbone of everything we can and will do in a given endeavor. Since we’ve spent disproportionately more time developing them — intentionally or not — they are often what we are strongest in.
Notes, chords, and rhythm/strum pattern form the fundamentals of playing guitar. In fact, by learning 4-chords in a common key you can imitate many popular songs. While these songs may not be the pinnacle of “high art” they’re fun and effective.
Even complex songs like Through the Fire and Flames still depend on the basics of chords and rhythm. Those of us who played Guitar Hero 3 know this song well. It’s easily one of the hardest final songs, and equally difficult in real life.
If we were brave enough to attack this song in Guitar Hero we ignored the game basics at our peril. For the less skilled — guilty — star power was a life saver. Additionally, over time we refined strum patterns and key patterns (in-game chords) which led us to victory.
For the Guitar Hero Gods among us, you may not be able to relate. It’s possible you walked into that end song and thought it was a joke. If that was the case congrats! Also, I guarantee you had your fundamentals down to a science. Otherwise, you would have been a sad sack like I was many times until I sufficiently improved my basic skills.
Okay, this theoretical talk may sound good, but where have we actually seen this in action? Well, I’m glad you asked! Since I love fiction, I’m going to use one of my all-time favorite series which illustrates this point nicely.
Examples from Avatar the Last Airbender
Avatar the Last Airbender was a formative show for me. If you somehow haven’t watched this show yet you should — I’ll wait.
Now, I want to use two examples featuring our favorite brooding teen — Zuko.
The first example shows the difference in outcome for Zuko when he embraced or rejected the fundamentals.
In the season one finale Zuko was finally able to grab the Avatar. Of course, he had to retreat into the wider tundra because he hadn’t yet obtained a method of escape. He quickly realized his mistake as he struggled to find shelter.
Eventually, he had to duck into a little cave which didn’t provide adequate shelter from the cold. Zuko was dying. Although he had finally accomplished his goal, he had nowhere to go and it appeared he would have to pay the ultimate price.
Desperate, he attempted to use the breath of fire his Uncle had taught him to stay alive. Earlier in the season, Zuko had insisted on learning advanced techniques instead of further improving his basics. The breath of fire was a basic, essential technique Zuko ignored as he thought it was useless in his quest to capture the Avatar.
Ironically, this basic technique was all that stood between life and death. The scenes make it clear he had far from mastered the technique. His breathing was ragged, his flame weak. If fate hadn’t intervened in the form of the Avatar’s friends, Zuko likely would have perished.
Contrast this with his efforts in season three after Zuko had grown, developed, and changed. Once again, Zuko was tested in a situation which would require the breath of fire. Attempting to escape the Boiling Rock prison, (basically Alcatraz) he got himself thrown into a giant freezer to repurpose it as a boat.
Earlier in the episode, we had seen someone else emerge from the same freezer unable to move or do anything. If Zuko was going to succeed in executing the plan, he’d need to avoid the same fate. Thankfully, his basics had improved and the breath of fire kept him plenty warm.
Because he had learned his fundamentals well and relied upon them, he was able to accomplish his mission without a hitch. Although the escape plan ultimately failed, that was because of factors outside of his control.
Zuko successfully completed the part he was responsible for and that was in his control because he trusted the basics.
The second example is his Agni Kai with Zhao. For those unfamiliar, an Agni Kai is essentially a duel to the death/yield. Zhao was more experienced and stronger than Zuko. Up until the event, we were lead to believe it would be a one-sided contest.
Just before the duel begins, Iroh reminded Zuko to focus on his basics and to break Zhao’s connection to the earth. In stereotypical teen-like fashion, Zuko brushed off the advice and attacked Zhao full force. Early in the contest Zhao easily dodged and absorbed Zuko’s attacks before going on the offensive.
Zhao rocked Zuko and had easily bested him. Fortunately for Zuko, Zhao felt overconfident and went for a fancy finishing move. This miscalculation allowed Zuko to unbalance Zhao with a timely reversal and ultimately beat him.
Of course, focusing on unbalancing Zhao was the fundamentals Iroh tried to get Zuko to perform all along. Once Zuko tempered his pride and fell back to basics, he was able to overwhelm a stronger, more skilled opponent who forgot their own fundamentals.
In both of these examples, it’s clear fundamentals mattered. Relying upon the basics allowed Zuko to do what he had to do and come out the other side alive. He ignored them at his own peril and embraced them to his benefit.
Wrapping Up
When trying to learn any new skill, the first step should be to discover and fine-tune the basics. Since most of us are going to have to adapt and rebrand ourselves numerous times throughout our professional lives, learning how to learn is invaluable.
A key part of learning any skill well is finding and sufficiently mastering the fundamentals.
Swallowing our pride and dedicating time to get the basics right is invaluable. Unfortunately, practicing the basics is easier said than done. Often, the basics are, well basic. The first things we learn in a skill are the most simple. For the uninitiated, simple translates to boring.
When we first commit to a craft we can almost see our visions of shredding a guitar solo or crafting an intricate box vanishing. We don’t know enough yet to see how these first principles connect to our wider goals. It’s difficult to not be impatient and rush into learning new skills before we’re ready.
If we give in to this temptation, there’s a chance we’ll never achieve our goals. We must find a way to temper our impatience. I choose to temper my impatience through a gentle reminder.
Our idols are able to create/do extraordinary things because their fundamentals are rock-solid. Their foundation is fully set which allows them to explore and take risks because they know they’ll always land on solid ground.
Part of the reason I wrote this article was to serve as that reminder — mostly for myself — and hopefully for a handful of you. Writing and posting on Medium is part of my quest to become a passably decent storyteller.
In an attempt to become better I’ve gone back to writing basics. I’ve also discovered a whole new set of basics for writing to an online audience. Although the process of improving and focusing on basics is a challenge, I think I can see slow improvement — 1% at a time.
Mastering the fundamentals is hard. We have to endure countless hours of tedious, thankless work. Those of us who endure this process reap the rewards on the other side. Not only do we become more capable in whatever skill we’re developing, but we also become more capable practitioners of this crazy complicated game called life.
