10,000 Hours

 

10,000 Hours?

 

There is a train of thought that says, that if you want to master something it takes ten thousand hours of practice, maybe that’s true, provided it’s ten thousand hours of perfect practice.

 

You’ve heard me ask before,

“Does practice make perfect?”

Answer;

Yes?

 

Real Answer;

No.

 

Practice makes permanent.

Only perfect practice makes perfect.

So make sure that what you are drilling is correct, not just physically, but mentally too.

 

Here’s a question to illustrate my point.

“What did you learn at class today?”

Likely answer

‘The teacher had us run a form, some drills and then we played Chi Sau’

Notice I did not say…

‘What were you taught at class today?’

I said…

“What did you LEARN today?”

As these are two very different things

 

Master Ip Chun once said to me,

“50% of your Wing Chun training will come from me, and the other 50% from you”.

 

So many times we here of parents blaming the system, the school and the teachers because their child is lower than average at reading, but what have the parents done to contribute to their child’s education?

Nothing.

 

These people are expecting to send the little ones off in the morning and have them return as some kind of genius in the afternoon.
It doesn’t work like that, YOU have to spend time with them and YOU have to read to them, don’t be lazy, help them, learn together and make it enjoyable.

 

And all too often it’s the same story for Wing Chun schools, “Teach me to defend myself” they say.

These are the students that just want to be spoon-fed.

 

Blaming the school for a lack of children’s reading ability is similar in many ways to Wing Chun schools, we hear students say, “I’m no good because the teacher didn’t teach anything”.

 

Unfortunately sometimes, this can be true, when students are restricted in their growth, prevented from seeing what else is out there or made to feel guilty for asking too many questions.

When this is the case it is often because the teacher doesn’t actually know enough him/herself to move you further?

 

Actually I am not saying that people are lazy as such, it’s just that if you want the rewards work for them.

 

If you pay your fees at a gym, and do not gain any muscles,

Do not try to sue the gym for YOUR lack of effort.

People say that certain individuals are gifted and to them these skills just came naturally, Alex Higgins, Jimi Hendrix, Muhammad Ali for instance, and while some of this may have some truth, they would be nothing without their dedication to drilling basics.

Or to put it another way, MAKING THE EFFORT.

 

Professional snooker players will practice the same shot for at least eight hours per day, Jimi Hendrix practiced guitar scales for ten hours every day and Muhammad Ali started every training session he ever did, with a thousand jabs, and this was still at the height of their success!

 

When it comes to training:

If you’re not as good as you should be,

Stop blaming and get training.

 

 

Never underestimate your basics.

Don’t short change yourself, you can be as good as you want to be.

And make the effort, it WILL be worth it.

 

Now what will you drill today?