Boost your MTB practicing skills with AI-guided 'Deliberate Practice'

See MTB Practice Lab's new comprehensive Deliberate Practice outline

I first learned about the phrase deliberate practice from my favorite book about how to get better at getting better, Make It Stick, The Science of Successful Learning:

The authors mentioned Anders Ericsson when they wrote:

When you see stellar performances by an expert in any field—a pianist, chess player, golfer—perhaps you marvel at what natural talent must underlie their abilities, but expert performance does not usually rise out of some genetic predisposition or IQ advantage. It rises from thousands of hours of what Anders Ericsson calls sustained deliberate practice. If doing something repeatedly might be considered practice, deliberate practice is a different animal: it’s goal directed, often solitary, and consists of repeated striving to reach beyond your current level of performance.

Anders Ericsson published a book two years later titled Peak: Secrets From The New Science Of Expertise (Wikipedia), in which he delved deep into deliberate practice:

But like many people (for example, see this review), I found Ericsson’s explanation of deliberate practice confusing. I even found the term problematic. “Are you practicing deliberately?” as if one practices by accident or purpose.

A couple of months ago, I spent a few days querying ChatGPT about the current understanding of deliberate practice, starting with this request:

Give me a bulleted list with one-sentence descriptions of all the techniques that comprise what's commonly referred to as "deliberate practice."

After many follow-up questions and suggestions about missing elements, I asked it to:

• Summarize deliberate practice in a couple of paragraphs. See footnote #¹

• Summarize the deliberate practice 10,000-hour rule controversy. See footnote # ²

• Create a comprehensive outline of all the elements of deliberate practice. See footnote #³

Prompt AI to go deeper into one element of deliberate practice

While an outline alone does not fully convey how deliberate practice can improve your mountain biking skills, leveraging generative AI tools can provide personalized and detailed guidance.

Use a free or paid version of a generative AI chatbot (ChatGPT, Claude, Perplexity, Gemini, CoPilot, etc.) to query it about any item from my Deliberate Practice outline.

Example 1: Interleaving

Copy/paste this paragraph of text about the deliberate practice skill of interleaving (item 2a in the outline) into the query field of an AI chatbot:

I need a full explanation of interleaving as a deliberate practice strategy for learning a motor skill. Can you elaborate on it in a few pages? Include an extensive section on its rationale and the science behind it. And use examples from mountain biking to help me better understand it.

See footnote #⁴ for the response on the interleaving practice technique that I got from Claude AI.

Example 2: Ask for Different examples

If you don’t like the riding or obstacle examples provided, you can ask for different ones. I followed up the interleaving answer with this query:

Could you use different techniques and obstacles in your section 3 titled “Interleaving in Mountain Biking: Examples and Applications”?

See footnote # ⁵ for a different set.

Example 3: Ask for a practice routine

I asked for an interleaving routine specific to one of my current practice sessions:

Can you suggest an interleaving routine for a 45-minute practice session in my skills park when I'm working on skinnies, small tabletop jumps, and logovers?

See footnote # ⁶ for its answer.

Example 4: Explore other elements

Copy/paste this paragraph of text about the common myth that immediate improvement indicates effective practice (from item 5i in the outline) into the query field of an AI chatbot:

I’m learning about deliberate practice strategies for motor skills. I’ve heard it’s a myth that improvement during a practice session indicates effectiveness. If true, explain the rationale and the science behind it in detail. And use examples from mountain biking to help me better understand it.

See footnote # ⁷ for the response on this myth that I got from Claude AI.

Results?

I encourage you to experiment with these AI-driven techniques to enhance your own practice sessions. Let me know in the comments below how they work for you or if you have other suggestions about how to use AI for getting better at practicing that you find effective.

FOOTNOTES

Deliberate Practice summary

1. Deliberate Practice, a concept introduced by psychologist Anders Ericsson in the early 1990s, is a structured and focused approach to skill development that has proven particularly effective in enhancing motor skills. Ericsson's research demonstrated that expert performance is primarily the result of extended, deliberate practice rather than innate talent. In the context of motor skills, this involves breaking down complex movements into smaller, manageable components, setting specific goals for improvement, and engaging in focused, repetitive practice with immediate feedback.

Since Ericsson's initial work, the concept of Deliberate Practice has evolved across various fields. Recent developments emphasize cognitive engagement during physical practice, mental rehearsal, and technology integration for precise feedback. Studies have shown the benefits of variable practice conditions for skill acquisition and transfer. Researchers have also explored the optimal balance between practice and rest, recognizing recovery's role in skill consolidation and burnout prevention. These advancements have refined the application of Deliberate Practice in motor skill development, providing more nuanced implementation strategies.

10,000 hour rule controversy

2. The "10,000-hour rule" controversy related to Deliberate Practice stems from a popular interpretation of Anders Ericsson's research, which was later popularized by Malcolm Gladwell in his book "Outliers." This interpretation suggested that achieving expertise in any field requires about 10,000 hours of dedicated practice.

The controversy arises from several points:

1. Misinterpretation: Ericsson never claimed a universal 10,000-hour rule. This was Gladwell's simplification of Ericsson's findings.

2. Variability: The actual time required to achieve expertise varies greatly depending on the field and individual.

3. Quality over quantity: Ericsson emphasized the importance of the quality and structure of practice, not just the time spent.

4. Role of talent: Critics argue that innate ability plays a more significant role than the "10,000-hour rule" suggests.

5. Domain specificity: The applicability of this concept varies across different domains and skills.

Ericsson himself clarified that deliberate practice is crucial but not the only factor in achieving high levels of performance. The debate continues about the relative importance of practice versus innate talent in developing expertise.

3

MTB Practice Lab's Deliberate Practice outline for motor skills

1. Core Principles of Deliberate Practice

   1. Specific Goals

   2. Focused Practice

   3. Feedback

   4. Comfort Zone Push (Desirable Difficulty)

   5. Repetition

   6. Self-Regulation

   7. Rest and Recovery

2. Complementary Strategies

   1. Interleaving

   2. Spaced Learning

   3. Gamification

   4. Mental Rehearsal (Visualization)

   5. Body Rehearsal Techniques

   6. Growth vs. Fixed Mindset

   7. Intrinsic vs. Extrinsic Rewards

3. Types of Practice

   1. Time-Based Practice

   2. Repetition-Based Practice

   3. Proficiency-Based Practice

4. Cognitive and Psychological Aspects

   1. Internal vs. External Focus (Cues)

   2. Learning from Peers

   3. Managing Mistakes, Failure, and Plateaus

   4. Curiosity and Problem-Solving

   5. Thinking Like a Scientist

5. Misconceptions and Myths

   1. More Practice Equals Better Performance

   2. Practice Should Always Be Easy and Fun

   3. Talent Over Practice

   4. Perfect Practice Makes Perfect

   5. Practicing in Long Sessions is Most Effective

   6. Improvement Requires a Coach Only

   7. Skills Developed in Practice Automatically Transfer

   8. Focusing on One Skill at a Time is Best

   9. Immediate Improvement Indicates Effective Practice

   10. Practicing Alone is Sufficient

6. Structuring Practice Sessions

   1. Setting Up Your Practice Environment

   2. Planning Your Practice Session

   3. Incorporating Feedback Loops

   4. Tracking Progress and Adjusting Goals

Example #1: AI Interleaving query

4. I'd be happy to provide a detailed explanation of interleaving as a deliberate practice strategy for learning motor skills, with a focus on mountain biking examples. I'll break this down into several sections for clarity. Let me know if you'd like me to elaborate on any particular area after reading.

1. Introduction to Interleaving

Interleaving is a learning technique where, instead of practicing one skill repeatedly (blocked practice), you mix different but related skills or variations of a skill within a single practice session. In the context of motor skill learning, this means alternating between different movements or techniques rather than focusing on mastering one at a time.

For mountain biking, interleaving might involve practicing various skills such as cornering, braking, climbing, and descending in a mixed order during a single training session, rather than spending an entire session on just cornering techniques.

2. Rationale and Science Behind Interleaving

The effectiveness of interleaving is supported by various cognitive and motor learning theories. Here's an in-depth look at the scientific rationale:

a) Contextual Interference Effect:

The primary theoretical basis for interleaving is the contextual interference effect. This phenomenon suggests that introducing interference during practice (by mixing different skills) leads to poorer performance during the learning phase but better long-term retention and transfer of skills.

Research by Shea and Morgan (1979) demonstrated that while blocked practice led to better performance during the acquisition phase, interleaved practice resulted in superior retention and transfer of motor skills when tested later.

b) Elaborative and Distinctive Processing:

Interleaving forces the learner to engage in more elaborate and distinctive processing of information. When switching between different skills, the brain must actively recall and distinguish between various movement patterns, leading to stronger and more flexible neural connections.

c) Spacing Effect:

Interleaving naturally incorporates the spacing effect, where distributed practice sessions lead to better long-term retention than massed practice. By alternating between skills, each skill gets a brief rest period, allowing for memory consolidation.

d) Difficulty and Desirable Difficulties:

Bjork and Bjork's (1992) concept of "desirable difficulties" suggests that introducing challenges during learning can enhance long-term retention. Interleaving creates a more challenging practice environment, which can lead to deeper processing and better skill acquisition.

e) Schema Theory:

Schmidt's schema theory of motor learning proposes that learners develop abstract rules (schemas) for movement patterns. Interleaving may help in developing more robust and flexible schemas by exposing learners to varied contexts and parameters of a skill.

f) Cognitive Effort and Attention:

Interleaving requires more cognitive effort and attention compared to blocked practice. This increased mental engagement can lead to better encoding of motor patterns in long-term memory.

3. Interleaving in Mountain Biking: Examples and Applications

Let's explore how interleaving can be applied to mountain biking skills:

a) Cornering Techniques:

Instead of practicing only bermed turns for an entire session, an interleaved practice might include:

- Bermed turns

- Flat corners

- Off-camber turns

- Switchbacks

By alternating between these different types of turns, the rider develops a more comprehensive understanding of cornering principles and how to adapt them to various situations.

b) Obstacle Navigation:

Rather than focusing solely on rock gardens, an interleaved session could include:

- Rock gardens

- Root sections

- Log rides

- Drop-offs

This variety helps the rider develop a more versatile skill set for handling different types of obstacles encountered on trails.

c) Climbing Techniques:

An interleaved climbing practice might involve:

- Seated climbing on smooth surfaces

- Standing climbing on technical terrain

- Short, punchy climbs

- Long, gradual ascents

This approach helps the rider adapt their climbing technique to various trail conditions and durations.

d) Braking Skills:

Instead of just practicing emergency stops, an interleaved braking session could include:

- Threshold braking

- Trail braking into corners

- Brake feathering on descents

- Emergency stops

This mix helps riders understand how to modulate their braking in different scenarios.

e) Trail Features:

Interleaving can also be applied to practicing various trail features:

- Jumps

- Drops

- Berms

- Rock rolls

By alternating between these features, riders develop a more comprehensive trail skillset.

4. Implementing Interleaving in Mountain Bike Training

To effectively use interleaving in mountain bike training:

a) Design Variable Practice Sessions:

Create practice sessions that incorporate multiple skills. For example, set up a short course that includes a climb, a technical descent, a few corners, and some obstacles.

b) Randomize Skill Order:

Vary the order in which you practice skills from session to session to prevent predictability and enhance adaptability.

c) Adjust Difficulty Progressively:

Start with easier variations of each skill and gradually increase difficulty as proficiency improves.

d) Use Constraints:

Introduce constraints or variations to familiar skills. For instance, practice cornering at different speeds or on different surface types.

e) Combine Complimentary Skills:

Practice skills that often occur together on trails, such as braking into a corner followed by accelerating out.

f) Reflect and Analyze:

After each interleaved session, reflect on the connections between different skills and how they influence each other.

5. Potential Challenges and Considerations

While interleaving is generally beneficial, it's important to consider:

a) Initial Frustration:

Learners may initially feel frustrated due to the increased difficulty and seemingly slower progress.

b) Skill Level Appropriateness:

For absolute beginners, some blocked practice may be necessary to grasp the basics before moving to interleaved practice.

c) Time Management:

Interleaved sessions may require more time and planning to set up varied practice scenarios.

d) Safety Considerations:

Ensure that the interleaved practice is conducted in a safe environment, especially when alternating between high-risk skills.

Conclusion:

Interleaving is a powerful deliberate practice strategy for learning motor skills, particularly in mountain biking. By mixing various skills within practice sessions, riders can develop more robust, adaptable, and transferable abilities. While it may initially feel more challenging, the long-term benefits in skill retention and performance make it a valuable approach for serious mountain bikers looking to improve their overall riding capabilities.

Different set of riding and obstacle examples

5. Certainly, I'd be happy to provide a different set of techniques and obstacles for the "Interleaving in Mountain Biking: Examples and Applications" section. Here's a revised version with new examples:

3. Interleaving in Mountain Biking: Examples and Applications

Let's explore how interleaving can be applied to different mountain biking skills:

a) Balance and Body Position:

Instead of focusing solely on track stands, an interleaved practice session might include:

- Track stands

- Wheelies

- Manuals

- Bunny hops

By alternating between these balance-focused skills, the rider develops a more comprehensive understanding of weight distribution and body positioning on the bike.

b) Line Selection:

Rather than practicing only on smooth singletrack, an interleaved session could include:

- Choosing lines through rock gardens

- Navigating narrow ridge lines

- Picking efficient routes on off-camber sections

- Identifying the fastest line through successive turns

This variety helps the rider develop better trail reading skills and adaptability to different terrain types.

c) Pumping and Momentum Management:

An interleaved pumping practice might involve:

- Pumping rollers for speed

- Maintaining momentum through flat corners

- Using terrain features to generate speed on climbs

- Pumping through successive jumps or table tops

This approach helps the rider understand how to use terrain to their advantage in various situations.

d) Technical Descending:

Instead of just practicing steep chutes, an interleaved descending session could include:

- Navigating steep, loose chutes

- Riding through tight trees or 'threading the needle'

- Descending over wet roots and rocks

- Controlling speed on long, fast fire road descents

This mix helps riders develop a more comprehensive set of descending skills for various trail conditions.

e) Jumping Techniques:

Interleaving can also be applied to practicing different types of jumps:

- Gap jumps

- Step-ups

- Hip jumps

- Step-downs

By alternating between these jump types, riders develop a more versatile jumping skillset and better air awareness.

f) Trail Repair and Bike Handling:

Incorporate some practical skills into your riding practice:

- Quick tube changes

- Tubeless tire repairs

- Basic derailleur adjustments

- Dealing with a broken chain

Mixing these maintenance skills with riding practice ensures you're prepared for common trail-side issues.

g) Endurance and Pacing:

Interleave different types of efforts to improve overall trail endurance:

- Short, high-intensity sprints

- Longer, steady-state climbs

- Technical sections requiring bursts of power

- Recovery periods focusing on efficient, relaxed riding

This approach helps develop a more well-rounded fitness for varied trail conditions.

h) Cornering at Different Speeds:

Practice a variety of cornering scenarios:

- High-speed sweeping turns

- Slow, technical switchbacks

- Off-camber corners

- Successive S-turns or slalom-style corners

Alternating between these cornering types helps develop adaptability and improves overall bike handling.

By incorporating these varied skills and obstacles into your practice sessions, you'll develop a more comprehensive and adaptable skill set for mountain biking. Remember, the key to effective interleaving is to switch between these different skills frequently within a single practice session, rather than focusing on one type of skill for an extended period.

Alternative interleaving routine

6. I'd be happy to suggest an interleaving routine for a 45-minute practice session focusing on skinnies, small tabletop jumps, and logovers. This routine will help you improve these skills while benefiting from the interleaving approach. Here's a suggested structure:

1. Warm-up (5 minutes):

- Easy riding around the skills park

- Dynamic stretches on the bike

2. Main Practice (35 minutes):

Divide this into 7 rounds of 5 minutes each. In each round, spend about 1.5 minutes on each skill, then quickly transition to the next.

Round 1:

- Skinny: Straight, wide balance beam

- Tabletop: Focus on approach and takeoff

- Logover: Small log, straight approach

Round 2:

- Tabletop: Work on body position in the air

- Logover: Slightly larger log, angled approach

- Skinny: Narrower beam, still straight

Round 3:

- Logover: Larger log, practice lifting front wheel higher

- Skinny: Introduce a gentle turn

- Tabletop: Focus on landing technique

Round 4:

- Skinny: Narrower beam with a turn

- Tabletop: Work on pumping for speed on approach

- Logover: Practice rear wheel lift

Round 5:

- Tabletop: Attempt to add style (e.g., small bar turn)

- Logover: Combine front and rear wheel lift

- Skinny: Try a more complex shape (e.g., S-curve)

Round 6:

- Logover: Increase speed of approach

- Skinny: Attempt your most challenging skinny

- Tabletop: Focus on boosting higher

Round 7:

- Skinny: Practice emergency exit strategies

- Tabletop: Work on consistency, aiming for identical jumps

- Logover: Try your most challenging logover

3. Cool-down and Reflection (5 minutes):

- Easy riding around the skills park

- Mental review of the session, noting improvements and areas to focus on next time

Key Points:

1. Transition quickly between skills to maintain the benefits of interleaving.

2. Progressively increase difficulty within each skill throughout the session.

3. Pay attention to how skills interact - for example, how balance skills from skinnies might apply to stable air position on tabletops.

4. Don't be discouraged if performance feels inconsistent - this is normal with interleaving and leads to better long-term learning.

5. Adjust the difficulty of each element based on your current skill level.

Safety Note:

Always practice within your skill level and use appropriate safety gear. Have a spotter for new or challenging obstacles if possible.

This routine provides a structured approach to practicing these three skills using interleaving. The frequent switching between skills will challenge your ability to adapt and should lead to more robust skill development over time. Remember, the goal is long-term improvement, not necessarily perfect performance during the practice session.

Example #2: AI myth query

7. You've heard correctly - it's indeed a common misconception that immediate improvement during a practice session is always indicative of effective learning or long-term skill development. This is particularly relevant in motor skill acquisition, such as in mountain biking. Let me explain the rationale and science behind this, using mountain biking examples to illustrate the concepts.

The key idea here relates to the difference between performance and learning. Performance is what you can do in the moment, while learning refers to relatively permanent changes in your capability that translate to long-term skill improvement.

1. Contextual Interference Effect:

In motor learning science, there's a phenomenon called the contextual interference effect. This effect shows that practicing skills in a random or interleaved order (high interference) often leads to poorer performance during practice but better retention and transfer of skills in the long run, compared to blocked practice (low interference).

Mountain biking example: Imagine you're practicing three skills - cornering, bunny hops, and drop-offs. If you practice each skill in blocks (all cornering, then all bunny hops, then all drop-offs), you might see rapid improvement in each skill during the session. However, if you mix these skills randomly throughout your practice, your performance might seem worse or improvement slower during the session, but you're likely to retain and apply these skills better in the long run when you encounter them in various orders on an actual trail.

2. Desirable Difficulties:

This concept, introduced by Robert Bjork, suggests that introducing certain difficulties in practice can enhance long-term learning, even if they initially degrade performance.

Mountain biking example: Practicing on a more technically challenging trail might lead to more mistakes and slower times during the session compared to an easier trail. However, this challenge can lead to better skill development over time as you're forced to adapt to a wider range of conditions.

3. Spacing Effect:

This effect shows that spacing out practice sessions over time leads to better long-term retention than massed practice, even though massed practice might show more immediate gains.

Mountain biking example: Practicing a technical descent every day for a week might show rapid improvement, but spacing out those practice sessions over a month (with the same total practice time) is likely to result in better long-term skill retention.

4. Variability of Practice:

This principle suggests that practicing a skill in various contexts or conditions enhances overall learning and transfer, even if it might not show immediate improvement.

Mountain biking example: Practicing cornering on different types of terrain (loose gravel, hard-packed dirt, wet roots) might not show as clear improvement as repeatedly cornering on the same section of trail, but it will likely lead to better overall cornering skills that transfer to various trail conditions.

5. Effortful Retrieval:

This concept posits that the act of recalling information or skills from memory strengthens learning more than simple repetition.

Mountain biking example: Rather than repeatedly practicing a specific jump line, occasionally riding different trails and then coming back to that jump line forces you to retrieve the skill from memory, potentially leading to stronger learning.

The science behind these concepts involves complex interactions in the brain. When we introduce variability, spacing, and challenges in our practice, we're forcing our brains to form more robust neural pathways. This process often feels more difficult and might not show immediate results, but it leads to stronger, more flexible skill acquisition over time.

It's important to note that this doesn't mean that all improvement during practice is meaningless. Rather, it suggests that we shouldn't rely solely on immediate performance improvements as indicators of effective learning. A balance of challenge and success, variability and consistency, is often the most effective approach for long-term skill development.