10,000 Hours or Ten Years of Deliberate Practice

               I posted the question on my facebook if 10,000 hours of deliberate practice made an expert or a master. Out of the votes I got the results broke down to 63% saying no. We can debate the correct answer for years but to me, based on my research, this was the correct answer. Let's face many parents, coaches, and players are great to throw the phrase out, "10,000 hours of practice makes perfect." This is based on the research based on Ericsson (1994) and Gladwell (2008) where both of these physiologists did research on experts in music, chess, and sport to figure out what made an expert. Their studies found that all of the greats had these 10,000 hours of deliberate practice. Deliberate practice is the key to mastery however it isn't the only factor in making someone great. The poling results from facebook gave me 63% agreeing that 10,000 hours doesn't make a master. That 37% that is completes the 100% is what I believe is the amount of natural talent an athlete needs for the sport he or she wants to be a master in. Nature plays a larger role in being elite then most people want to believe. Remember we are talking masters and elite players here. Deliberate practice makes up the rest of the athlete to be elite. Deliberate practice isn't just practicing in your back yard. This style of practice is defined as:

Deliberate practice refers to a special type of practice that is purposeful and systematic. While regular practice might include mindless repetitions, deliberate practice requires focused attention and is conducted with the specific goal of improving performance. (Ericsson et al., n.d.).

            Deliberate practice is the key part here. If an athlete isn't doing deliberate practice then he or she most likely isn't getting better. As a coach, it is our job to make sure the athletes are getting pushed to the limit in deliberate practice. Knowing how to set up a strong practice that is based in excellence and pushing the athletes to be the best. As parents, it is your job to select programs that have smart talented coaches that are going to push your athlete in deliberate practice. Parents it is your job to select a job that isn't just pretending to be a coach and just filling space. Coaching education is important and is easy to access. Allowing a coach to coach your athlete that is just breathing body (most likely a parent wanting to be a coach) is not acceptable. Demand coaching education from your coaches. Get what you pay for. After all, practice isn't enough. It needs to be deliberate practice and if it isn't then the athlete is messing out.