Article: The Expert Mind

[Paladin]

THE EXPERT MIND (link in PDF format)

At first glance this article may not seem to apply to guns. The article is based on
studies of the mental processes of chess grandmasters. But at its core this is an
article about how to become an expert at just about anything.

I believe the article has relevance to folks looking to improve their gun skills.

Some of the key points:

"To accumulate this body of structured knowledge,
grandmasters typically engage in years of effortful
study, continually tackling challenges that lie just
beyond their competence. The top performers in music,
mathematics and sports appear to gain their expertise
in the same way, motivated by competition and the
joy of victory.

...the one thing that all expertise theorists agree on is that
it takes enormous effort to build these structures in the mind.
Simon coined a psychological law of his own, the 10-year rule,
which states that it takes approximately a decade of heavy
labor to master any field.

...Ericsson argues that what matters is not experience per se
but “effortful study,” which entails continually tackling challenges
that lie just beyond one’s competence. That is why it is
possible for enthusiasts to spend tens of thousands of hours
playing chess or golf or a musical instrument without ever
advancing beyond the amateur level and why a properly
trained student can overtake them in a relatively short time.
It is interesting to note that time spent playing chess, even in
tournaments, appears to contribute less than such study to a
player’s progress; the main training value of such games is to
point up weaknesses for future study.
Even the novice engages in effortful study at first, which
is why beginners so often improve rapidly in playing golf, say,
or in driving a car. But having reached an acceptable performance—
for instance, keeping up with one’s golf buddies or
passing a driver’s exam—most people relax. Their performance
then becomes automatic and therefore impervious to
further improvement. In contrast, experts-in-training keep
the lid of their mind’s box open all the time, so that they can
inspect, criticize and augment its contents and thereby approach
the standard set by leaders in their fields.

...motivation appears to be a more important factor
than innate ability in the development of expertise.

The preponderance of psychological evidence indicates
that experts are made, not born."

To me these seem like valid ingredients to become an expert with a firearm.

I'm curious what our resident expert shooters think?

[seamusTX]

Well, I'm no one's idea of an expert shooter, but I'll bump this thread for further consideration.

Simon coined a psychological law of his own, the 10-year rule, which states that it takes approximately a decade of heavy labor to master any field.

Maybe it depends upon one's defintion of master, but 10 years seems pessimistic and potentially discouraging.

Most physicians spend less time than that in medical school and internship, and then they are licensed to do anything that a physician legally can do. Granted, most then join in practices where they have some oversight for a while.

Even in the field of chess, teens have been earning Grandmaster status since the 1950s (Bobby Fischer at age 15 in 1958).

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chess_prod ... andmasters" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

In the physical sports, players frequently peak in their teens or early 20s and burn out by age 30.

Even the novice engages in effortful study at first, which is why beginners so often improve rapidly in playing golf, say, or in driving a car. But having reached an acceptable performance—for instance, keeping up with one’s golf buddies or passing a driver’s exam—most people relax. Their performance then becomes automatic and therefore impervious to further improvement.

True, generally.

However, if I think of my own experience, two narratives come to mind:

• I got three traffic tickets in a little more than my first year of driving (nearly losing my license), and that was driving only occasionally. I had fewer every year, and now have gone 27 years (half my entire life) without one, and 15 years without a traffic stop. That is experience combined with more mature judgment.
• I learned to ride a horse when I was 19 years old. I probably fell off or had runaway situations a dozen times the first few years. The last time I fell off was in year 16 of my riding career (1990). I never fell off in the following 19 years.

My point being that in activities that can get you killed, the truly incompetent are weeded out early, but the rest continue to improve in skill until old age or disease takes its toll.

Shooting is a lot more like driving than chess. I doubt anyone died or killed another player during a chess game.

I think it's possible to become a competent shooter in a year of frequent practice (weekly or more frequently) and study.

If you want to become a ranked IDPA or skeet winner, yeah, you are looking at many years of competition with a strong drive to excel, unless you happen to be supremely gifted.

- Jim

[BobCat]

All the people who started shooting Highpower when I did are either Expert or Master now, or dropped out. I'm fighting poor eyes and worse trigger control, and am only Sharpshooter - a few points short of Expert each match, but improving (slowly, with effort and focus).

I downloaded the article and will read the whole thing, but base on the excerpt and Jim's ideas about how fast some people get to "the top of their game" - I agree 10 years is indeed pessimistic.

Andrew

[seamusTX]

Presbyopia plays havoc with the ability to shoot bullseye without a scope. There are various aids that can keep one going after that point.

(Ironically, I started shooting handguns right around the time I needed bifocals. I wouldn't even try to shoot 100 yards with open sights.)

However, the other physical skills required for accurate shooting should continue to improve or at least be maintained, along with judgment and steadiness of mind.

We see this in police work. Young officers are more likely to make career-ending mistakes than veterans, even though the older officers may not be as strong or fast as someone in his 20s.

Maybe I'm not making a reasonable comparison here. A single skill like chess, shooting, or driving is something that you can learn from focused study, lessons, and practice. Being a police officer is a profession and requires all sorts of knowledge and judgment that you can only gain from experience.

- Jim

[casingpoint]

Is it possible after ten years of due diligence in the field to be a sexpert?

[WildBill]

All experts agree that the correct number is seven years.

[casingpoint]

the correct number is seven years

You mean I did three years in that grinder for nothing???

[Paladin]

Gentlemen,

Thanks for the comments.

Overall, the article appears hopeful, as it states "experts are made, not born".

I think we're on the same page that becoming an expert does a considerable amount of effortful study. How many years is an open debate. BJ Penn only took 3-5 years of training to win the World Jiu-Jitsu Championship... so clearly 10 years is not written in stone. I've heard of folks achieving IDPA master in 5 years.

For those striving to become the best they can be, it seems that formal training, competition, "effortful" study, and a focus on continuous improvement are key success factors.

[seamusTX]

Overall, the article appears hopeful, as it states "experts are made, not born".

I think there's a spectrum of inborn talent, opportunities, and hard work.

Some people are virtually "born on third base," like the aforementioned Mr. Fischer, Michael Jordan, or the boxer Muhammed Ali. But no one gets to the top of the game without training and hard work.

OTOH, a man who is five feet tall and 110 pounds is never going to be a professional football or basketball player or heavyweight boxer.

With regard to shooting, the good news is that as long as you have one eye and most of a hand, you can get pretty good at it with practice, and you can continue to improve. It does not require a certain stature or supremely sharp reflexes -- though of course those are an advantage in action games.

And I think the saying, "old and smart beats young and fast" applies.

- Jim