{"id":61199,"date":"2022-03-12T00:39:00","date_gmt":"2022-03-12T04:39:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/?p=61199"},"modified":"2022-03-14T10:44:03","modified_gmt":"2022-03-14T14:44:03","slug":"how-to-develop-a-skill","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/how-to-develop-a-skill\/","title":{"rendered":"How to Develop a Skill: The Science of Skill Mastery"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

How do you develop a skill in the most effective and efficient way possible? Is there a method to make mastering skills easier? <\/p>\n\n\n\n

According to Josh Waitzkin, the author of The Art of Learning<\/em>, the fastest and most effective way to master a skill<\/a> is to build individual elements of the skill into memory \u201cchunks.\u201d Memory chunks are combinations of multiple elements, like how to shuffle, deal, and count cards\u2014and networks of chunks.\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Here’s how to develop a skill<\/a> and make it stick, according to Waitzkin. <\/p>\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n

Start With the Fundamentals<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n

With any skill, there are better and worse ways to begin learning. Waitzkin recommends a patient, step-by-step approach to the fundamentals.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

First, avoid beginning with rigid, quick-fix strategies that only work in specific scenarios. For example, Waitzkin explains that many young chess players learn aggressive sequences of moves that aim to overwhelm an unskilled opponent. However, these players don\u2019t understand the inner workings of their strategies. So when they face situations that surpass their knowledge, and their strategies fall apart, they aren’t equipped to adapt. This sort of player has a brittle, one-dimensional game plan.  <\/p>\n\n\n\n

(Shortform note: Many language learning programs, like Duolingo and Rosetta Stone, make the mistake Waitzkin cautions against: They teach you set phrases and sentences that apply only if people speak precisely what you\u2019ve learned. Since people don\u2019t speak so rigidly, this knowledge can quickly fall apart, just as Waitzkin argues. In contrast, Gabriel Wyner explains in Fluent Forever<\/em><\/a> that we should learn languages from the bottom up, starting from the sounds, moving to single words, to grammatical patterns, and interspersing conversation practice to tie it all together.)<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The better approach, according to Waitzkin, is to start by studying the basic elements of your skill. Any skill is composed of simple, elemental chunks of know-how. For example, you\u2019d learn how to dribble a basketball, how to pass it, how to catch it, and so on. <\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Study each element in isolation, one by one, <\/strong>taking the time to thoroughly understand each one. In chess, Waitzkin first studied king-pawn versus king, a basic situation that teaches the simplest principles. Afterward, he moved on to rook-pawn versus king, and so on, through each basic chess position. In basketball, you might first learn to dribble, then to pass, to set up a shot, to pivot, and so on\u2014giving each your undivided attention.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

(Shortform note: Though Waitzkin doesn\u2019t say it explicitly, this approach is much like deep practice<\/a>, a method of refining one technique at a time through focused practice. In The Talent Code<\/em><\/a>, Daniel Coyle gives a similar explanation, saying that deep practice<\/a> combines single-element focus with a tight feedback loop, enabling you to adjust and refine one skill at a time. For example, you would learn a piece of music one bar at a time, practicing each repeatedly and correcting your mistakes until you can perform it properly. Focus on refining that element until you\u2019ve got it down\u2014otherwise, you risk sloppy, unrefined execution.)<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Patiently practice each element until it becomes intuitive<\/strong>. Waitzkin calls this form to leave form, referring to the process whereby a conscious effort gradually becomes unconscious, or automatic. For example, if you drill 10,000 free throws, your form will eventually become second nature. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Once each element is intuitive, start combining them<\/strong>. Continue to practice until you can unconsciously coordinate multiple basic elements of your skill. For example, you might train basketball techniques until you can stop on a dime, catch a bounce pass, dribble to the three-point line, and shoot a jump shot. Practice these one at a time, and you\u2019ll build smooth, coordinated skillfulness. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

(Shortform note: In The Talent Code<\/em><\/a>, Coyle also discusses how deep practice develops myelin more efficiently than unfocused practice. Myelin is a tissue that wraps around neurons or nerve cells, speeding and smoothing the signals that travel along those cells. The more myelin you\u2019ve grown, the more automatically you can perform a practiced behavior. In other words, myelin makes your skills habit, or intuitive<\/em>. This is the neuroscience of Waitzkin\u2019s \u201cform to leave form\u201d: Dedicated practice of individual skills develops myelin, and well-myelinated skills feel like natural instinct.)<\/p>\n\n\n\n

This method has two major benefits:<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Benefit #1: <\/strong>It builds resilient<\/em> skillfulness. Because you\u2019ve trained the basic elements of your skill in isolation, you\u2019ve set yourself up to combine them in new ways when you encounter new situations<\/strong>. So when the obstacles get tougher, you\u2019ll be able to adapt.<\/p>\n\n\n\n