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Thursday, March 29, 2018

Unconscious Excellence

Get your mind out of the way...

Last week we learned how to reach Nirvana. This week DJ Howard teaches us that Nirvana is not the last step of the journey. 






DJ's Weekly tip:

Last week I described the levels of development for skill sets-
  1. Unconscious Incompetence
  2. Conscious Incompetence
  3. Conscious Competence
  4. Unconscious Competence
These are very important to understand.

But there is one level I did not mention or describe. There is one more level of development and is reserved for the highest levels of performers.

You ready? The next level of development is...

Unconscious Excellence

Ever watch a concert pianist or other top musician play their instruments? Or an artist draw or paint? Their fingers seem to move perfectly without any thought to the process. Their timing, balance, and rhythm are perfect. They make a decision of which song to play or what piece or artwork to put on paper, but their body takes over and simply performs. They simply "feel" their way thru. Sounds a bit like a top athlete too, does it not? They display perfect timing, balance, and rhythm, all while appearing seemingly effortless.




This level of unconscious excellence is only achieved thru natural ability combined with multiple hours of correct technique and practice. Oh man, lots and lots of practice! 

While naturally gifted athletes are capable of learning and utilizing good technique fairly quickly in relation to the general population, there is no getting around the fact that it still takes a tremendous amount of time and effort to achieve a level of unconscious excellence.

For these highly trained athletes, their sport IS an art form. They look like poetry in motion, do they not? 

It's true for all sports. Ever see Roger Federer in a simple rally session? Steph Curry practice free throws or three point shots in open practice? (I once watched Larry Bird go thru an ENTIRE warm up for a game against the Detroit Pistons and not miss ONE shot)

Ever watch an Olympic swimmer swim laps? A pro quarterback throw to targets? A shortstop fielding ground balls in practice? A soccer player juggle the ball for over a thousand touches?

Unconscious Excellence. Perfection? Not quite. But pretty darn close. The performer's actions are automatic. Their movements are second nature.

By the way, this level of achievement is much higher quality and much harder work to achieve than most people realize. 

Sidenote: next time you wonder if pickleball has gotten to a level of quality that cannot go any higher, think again. We have barely scratched the surface of what can be achieved in this sport. Give it some more time and you'll see.

Just like a musician hits every proper note flawlessly, a top pickleball player will hit very specific targets on the court each and every time. "Just get it in" is not ever in their thought processes. There is specific intention with every shot.

Unconscious excellence. It's what separates the best from the rest. Til next time, admire those who have achieved unconscious excellence in their field and remember to keep reppin'!

-DJ




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