Deliberate practice has been studied to be the most effective form of practice. To deliberately practice a skill, it takes these elements:

  • you must practice something specific and it must be intentional (i.e can’t be passive learning). This means that it must be a form of practice that requires full attention and conscious actions to the task.
  • The practice regime is designed by a teacher or coach who is already familiar with the skills required
  • The practice must take place just outside the comfort zone of the skill level of the student in order to challenge their current ability level
  • There must be a well defined goal or method of measuring improvement such as how fast a piece of music can be played on the piano by slowly increasing the metronome