How To Pursue Excellence

How often one should practice depends on how good he/she wants to be. Repetition is the tool of permanent impression. If one practices their craft with enough frequency and attention to proper form, it is possible to rise to a level of proficiency whereby the execution of their practiced skill-sets becomes so fluent and effortless that minimal conscious consideration is spent performing these task(s). This is training to the point that the complex is made to look simple.

All meaningful practice should encompass the following variables:

1. Duration - time spent performing the task(s).
2. Intensity - the level of challenge needed to evoke a positive intellectual, neurological, physiological or emotional response.
3. Frequency - the number of episodes of training it takes to reach a desired goal(s).
4. Volume - how many meaningful tasks will be included with each episode of training.
5. Desire - the emotional satisfaction derived from practicing an activity.

The application of these 5 variables determines how worthwhile a practice session is. Any competitor wishing to reach the echelon of their sport must be willing to commit their mind, body and soul toward his/her goals every day, and by virtue of the process they will be rewarded. For it is the pursuit of goals that gives meaning to achievement in sport, and life in general.