How Long Does It Take To Master A Skill?
In Malcolm Gladwell's new book, Outliers, he suggests that 10,000 hours of practice are necessary to master a skill. Just for the sheer hell of it, I thought I would estimate how many hours so far I'd spent practising Wing Chun, and how much longer it would take before I achieved 'mastery'.
A Poor Work Rate
I've been studying Wing Chun for three years now, and if we estimate that I've attended one class per week, that should take into account the highly motivated weeks where I went twice and also the demotivated weeks that I didn't go at all. So 52 x 1 x 3 = 156 hours. Oh dear. Away from class I have done at most 15 minutes per day so that's an additional 15 x 7 x52 x 3 = 16,380 minutes = 273 hours. My grand total of 429 hours of study in 3 years is less than one twentieth of what's necessary to become a master (according to Malcolm Gladwell).
At my past rate, I would need a total of 60 years to reach this coveted level. Err... started a bit late for that...
The New Regime
However, my new training regime means that I go to 3 classes a week, and use my current 'gym time' to instead practice Wing Chun. This gives me 7 hours of Wing Chun practice per week. To accumulate the remaining 9,571 hours of practice, I now need only another... 26 years! In 2035, I will be ready. Nobody said it would be easy.
The Gift Of Residential Courses
I realise now the importance of the residential courses that our centre holds every year. I've not been to one yet (how foolish), but intend to go in 2009. The residential consists of 4 days of intense Wing Chun teaching. I don't know what the hours are yet, but if we assume a conservative 10am - 4pm then that's 5 hours a day (anticipating an hour for lunch). I'm told, though, that participants usually chi sau until the late hours so if we add a couple of hours on to the day's total for this chi sau, that makes 7 hours a day. 28 hours per residential. Nice. Also, this kind of tuition will be better than a one hour a week class, as there is the unbroken continuity. Also, there will be a mass of new hands I've not touched yet - invaluable.
I've got my mathematician's head on now, and I'm looking at the seminar schedule for 2009. In addition to the residential course, there is the Wing Chun Instructor's course (10 hours), which I'm attending, a chi sau day (6 hours) and two touching hands days (12 hours). The touching hands days involve the Chen students trying (clumsily) to beat up the Wing Chun students. The total 'extra' hours for 2009, then, are 56. If this is typical for all years then that reduces my apprenticeship to 23 years.
I obviously need to give up my day job.
January 19th, 2009 at 11:23 am
Hi there,
Jut a quick email. I suggest you buy and read ‘On Single Combat’ By Keith Kernspecht. He goes into this in great detail. He suggests that to fully master one single movement takes approx 10 hours of full practice on that movement alone. So basically if your system has 10 movements then you’ll master that system in 10×10hrs = 100 Hours.
The book goes more into detail than this saying how Wing Chun is more effective as it has less movements than things like Karate etc.
It’s interesting stuff.
Like the site bu the way, Been training in WC for just over a year myself, At present I do forms 1 & 2 daily about 10 times each throughout the day and about 1-2 hours of Chi Sau a week.
January 19th, 2009 at 7:03 pm
Hi Paul
Thanks for the info on that book, I’ll check that one out. I’m impressed with the chi sau practice you’re doing – is that outside of class with a training partner? I know from my experience it’s hard to find a spare pair of hands!
February 10th, 2009 at 10:03 am
the aussie guys living in HK who were already pretty good under sifu jim’s school have been there for 2 years spending 6 hours a night five nights a week. just standing and learning to relax under chu tsui ting. 6 hours just getting the stance correct. they are still going.
apparently chu tsui ting mastered the SLT in 2 years doing 14 hours a day. But he is a freak and no one since has got it to that level or understanding.
10,000 hours is i reckon spot on. those guys in hk are doing approx 30 hours a week x 52 x 2. 3000. odd hours. once you ahve the stance and nim lik the rest becomes pretty easy.
February 10th, 2009 at 11:23 am
6 hours a night 5 days a week is really good. Presumably that’s after a full day’s work so it must be hard going. Still, what an opportunity! After 14 hours of SLT a day, chu tsui ting must have been Shaky Legs Man!
This kind of commitment is inspiring.
February 23rd, 2009 at 10:44 am
Hi again,
Yes the 1-2 hours a week Chi Sau is outside of my normal training. I get together with a friend for my Chi Sau.
I need to get more practice in soon with just the basics.
Paul
February 25th, 2009 at 11:26 am
Yes, practice is the key and it’s all about the hours you put in (assuming you’re practising correctly). My sifu’s favourite phrase is “more practice”!
I actually bought the Outliers book I mentioned and I’m reading it now. It’s pretty good. In it the author says that given the same opportunities, the main factor that differentiates those that succeed from those that don’t is teh amount of time they each invest. Common sense really.
June 20th, 2009 at 8:09 pm
I may have a training tip that could increase your level of ability, read it, take it or leave it, it’s up to you. Rather than do the whole form from start to finish, over and over again, try this, for example, turning in Chum Kiu, just practise turning, do it twenty times, but not repetitively, do each turn with focus on every aspect, balance, coordination and weight distribution through the hips and stance, relaxation, find the groove, this means out of twenty turns you may if you are lucky get one that feels absolutely smack on, this one turn will be in the zone, that one turn you have to chase, that one perfect turn is what you are looking for, where everything comes together for one split second. Some people say I have done 1000 punch’s today, I say how many where right, how many ginged?
Hope this helps, some one, kind regards, Keo.
June 21st, 2009 at 8:51 am
That’s good advice Keo, and not something I do nearly enough. I know in the past when my sifu has told me that something was wrong with my form, I’ve just focused on that one thing over and over so that when I do the whole form, that element is better. I used to make one part of the form, for example like you say turning, the theme for a week.
Thanks!