Matthew Syed puts it into perspective.

British Journalist, broadcaster and Olympian, Matthew Syed, who used to be an English table tennis international and was number one for many years, shares some information with the public on the Myth of Talent and The Power of Practice. It’s an interesting talk that will no doubt leave you swimming in confidence and drive. 

 Matthew went on to write a book called ‘Bounce’; it goes into details of The Power of Practice. To highlight the gist of it, he explains how some of the top Athletes of our time have completed more hours of practice than lower skilled athletes. The old saying ‘Practice Makes Perfect’, cannot be highlighted anymore and Matthew Syed has now given us written and physical example of this.

I remember hours and hours spent with my dear mother who was always at me to practice playing the piano. I could never get it right.  I remember getting very fed up with her and thought that no matter how hard I tried, I would never be as good as my peers, who seemed to have the natural talent. I was ready to give up and try something else. What I wasn’t aware of, was that my competitor, a young girl who had always been on top of her game, had put in ridiculous hours of practice. While I spent my weekend going to parties with friends, climbing trees and forgetting about the homework that was due on that Monday, she was practicing her skill.  And I mean seriously practicing.

Matthew states that practice must be purposeful, otherwise it is useless. It must overload the current system in order to cause improvements. Child prodigies, such as Mozart and Tiger woods back up this theory, they started intensive practice at a young age, much earlier than everyone else. So the next time you are thinking of flicking on the TV or going down to the pub, stop for a minute and ask yourself…have you put in the time to hone your skill?

Romy