There is an adage amongst martial artists where the belief in mastery is to repeat a task or technique 10,000 times. My experiences have led to a different conclusions. The 10,000 repetition to mastery is a misunderstanding of the process it takes to attain true mastery.

True mastery is not the place you reach as a result of performing monotonous repetition. Instead, mastery is in the process. The process to recreate the same thing. The process to understand what you are doing and be able to recreate it over and over again with ease.

When I was living in Japan, I had the opportunity to take some private lessons in ceramics. This was in one of the famous towns of ceramic making called Shigaraki. The ceramics teacher I worked with was very passionate and enjoyed throwing a piece of clay on the wheel to make anything. He fixed all of my “gone wrong” pieces as he helped me from start to finish. I remember distinctly after we were finishing up I commented on a few rice bowls that were sitting out to dry. He then said something I will never forget, “ya, those are pretty good. Now just about 90 more exactly alike and then on to something else.” I asked for some clarification. When he was going through a mentorship program at one of the local master ceramics, he had to make 100 of everything. The catch was they all had to be exactly the same. 100 perfect recreations by hand. I couldn’t imagine sitting in front of a pottery wheel to recreate 100 cups that were exactly the same, and then go on to make 100 bowls. If there were any variations he would have to start over from the beginning.

The 10,000 repetition to mastery is simply a misconception. Instead, it’s a fabrication of an idea that doing something over and over again will get you good at anything. The problem is if you’re not doing it correctly it doesn’t count.

The truth is you only need to do 100 repetitions. However, the trick is that those repetitions need to meet the following two conditions:

1. The 100 repetitions need to be exactly alike
2. 100 alike repetitions need to be done in a row

Now in the process of doing this it might take some of us 5,000 times. For others we might do it in 300. Everyone has a different speed at which they learn different skills to acquire mastery.

An example I like to use that might resonate more with the kids is through penmanship. The ability to write with precision. Students understand the process that in order to write well, they need to practice writing their letters. A penmanship lesson typically begins with tracing the letter, using the dashed lines as markers to help and copy the letter with as much precision as possible. Writing 100 sloppy A’s only gives you sloppy penmanship. Therefore attention to accuracy and precision is important.

So the next time you are drilling a new or old skill, pay attention to the details and take your time to do it correctly. Don’t worry about the number of repetitions you complete if you are drilling to practice a technical skill, instead focus on the precision of your body placement and the timing of how your body coordinates with your partner. Doing so will get you closer to where you want to be!

Happy Training!
Eliot Kelly