We have all seen it before. We watch someone who is an expert in their field perform difficult or seemingly impossible feats as though it were the easiest and most natural thing in the world to them.
Whether it is a professional athlete, dancer, musician, painter, martial artist; you name it.
They astound us with the ease and effortlessness of their movements.
When we behold such expertise we often respond by saying things like, “He makes it look so easy!” or, “She’s a natural.”
The truth is, both of these comments come very close to the reality as to how one attains excellence in any given field.
In order to perform any skill to the very best of our ability, we must be trained to perform that skill in the way which is most easy and natural for the mind and the body. Indeed, to attempt to perform certain skills in an incorrect or awkward way can lead to serious injury.
Ironically, our early attempts at practicing correct technique always seem to feel slow, awkward and unnatural. This is completely normal. Think of the first time that someone showed you how to play a guitar, or swing a golf club, or ride a bicycle. It wasn’t so easy was it? It may have seemed to you that there must surely be a better way; some kind of short-cut.
There is not.
A qualified instructor knows the very best way to train you in order to achieve the desired result. They know how to work with both the body’s physiology as well as the brain’s capacity to learn.
Remember that the instructor has already been where you are now. He or she has already tried the short-cuts and made many mistakes before learning to practice the skills correctly. The teacher knows how to help you to avoid those same mistakes.
A good teacher will show the correct technique involved and will show you the most efficient and effective ways to practice.
With correct daily practice those techniques will become natural to you. What once seemed to be impossible will become easy. You then proceed to greater challenges which become easy in their turn.
After countless hours of training and practice, one day you hear someone say that you’re a Natural.
You smile.
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