What is an example of deliberate practice?

Drilling the hard bar: A musician repeats the four seconds they keep missing — not the whole easy piece again.

Where do you see deliberate practice in everyday life?

Drilling the hard bar; Film and correct; 20 years isn't 20 years; Coding katas; Speaking past your level.

Don't just log hours — spend them struggling at the specific things you can't yet do, with feedback after each attempt.

Peak · Anders Ericsson

Curated by Paulo de Vries · reviewed 2026-05-31

Deliberate practice is focused, uncomfortable, feedback-driven reps at the edge of your ability — not just time logged. Examples:

Drilling the hard bar
A musician repeats the four seconds they keep missing — not the whole easy piece again.
Film and correct
Athletes review each rep on video, targeting one specific weakness with feedback.
20 years isn't 20 years
Someone who's 'driven for two decades' isn't an expert driver — comfortable repetition isn't practice.
Coding katas
Repeating a hard problem deliberately and reviewing each attempt beats churning out easy code.
Speaking past your level
Language learners improve fastest just beyond their comfort zone, with correction — not by re-reading vocab.

Don't just log hours — spend them struggling at the specific things you can't yet do, with feedback after each attempt.
Isolate your weakest sub-skill and drill it slowly at the edge of your ability, where it feels effortful.
Build a feedback loop (a coach, a recording, a metric) so practice corrects you instead of grooving mistakes.

That's just how memory works. Lock deliberate practice in with a 5-minute active-recall session — spaced repetition, no signup.

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