Practice Means Making Mistakes

[iacas]

Many here will remember this article:

One of those five "S" words — in fact, perhaps the most important word — is "Success." I define it in the article as:

On 12/24/2011 at 6:24 AM, iacas said:

Success - If you can have a simple, specific idea, and practice it with slow and/or short swings at the edge of your ability, constantly making small mistakes with instant corrections, you'll have success with every swing you take.

Success here, you'll note, does not mean making perfect swings each time, it means learning a little each time.

Let's make up an example of someone who under-turns with their torso and over-bends their trail elbow. If we defined "success" as "perfect," this golfer would almost never achieve success. But if the golfer exaggerates a bit too much one time — maybe they turn so much they can't see the ball, or their elbow doesn't even bend 45° or something — and doesn't exaggerate quite enough another time, they have tremendous potential to learn. Particularly if they have real-time or near-real-time feedback about the extent to which either thing happened.

At the risk of muddying the message, the whole point of this topic is to state this: "Success" is not about perfect, it's about operating at the edge of your ability so that you can learn the quickest. You'll exaggerate sometimes, under-do it other times. Go a little too fast or too far one time, a little too short or too slow another time. It may sound contradictory, but you won't learn as quickly if every swing was somehow perfect as you do when every swing is close to perfect, but with noticeable differences.

[Vinsk]

1 hour ago, iacas said:

"Success" is not about perfect, it's about operating at the edge of your ability so that you can learn the quickest. You'll exaggerate sometimes, under-do it other times. Go a little too fast or too far one time, a little too short or too slow another time.

This really resonates with me. It’s also why video or having an instructor can be so critical to learning. I’ve learned here just how significant ‘feel ain’t real’ is. So often I really thought I was making a change when after using video I realized I wasn’t even close. 

[Tepi90]

On 12/25/2019 at 3:25 AM, iacas said:

"Success" is not about perfect, it's about operating at the edge of your ability so that you can learn the quickest.

This was quite interesting video about relearning something you already "can" do.

Wish the feedback from golf swing were as radical as from riding a bike. 😄

[Vinsk]

4 hours ago, Tepi90 said:

This was quite interesting video about relearning something you already "can" do.

Wish the feedback from golf swing were as radical as from riding a bike. 😄

Well...forgetting isn’t the same as unlearning.

[Double Mocha Man]

50 minutes ago, Vinsk said:

Well...forgetting isn’t the same as unlearning.

Vinsk... didn't you already learn not to try something you learned a long time ago but forgot you had apparently unlearned???

[Vinsk]

50 minutes ago, Double Mocha Man said:

Vinsk... didn't you already learn not to try something you learned a long time ago but forgot you had apparently unlearned???

Lol...touché.

[WillieT]

On 12/24/2019 at 8:25 PM, iacas said:

Success here, you'll note, does not mean making perfect swings each time, it means learning a little each time.

No truer words spoken....since the COVID-19 30 day plan, I have focused more on correcting little things rather than sweeping changes.  Setting goals of what I want to see at each practice has helped get the most of each swing.  Slowing down - way down has been the biggest factor of change.  Make a shot, view results and make changes as needed. When I make adjustments, I do like I do when teching a guitar - make the adjustments in incremental amounts until I've over adjusted, then back up to the previous adjustment. Then work on making the most of that setting, i.e. complete repeatability.  In golf trying to do the same - find the sweet spot and then working on repeatability until it becomes automatic.