Title: The Art of Learning
Author: Josh Waitzkin
Year Published: 2007
Kind of Book: Memoir/Performance Psychology
How strongly I recommend it: 7/10
My Impressions: The title is a bit misleading. It should be called by it's subtitle "The Inner Journey to Optimal Performance" because it is mostly a book on performance psychology and what it takes to be world class in a domain. With that being said, it was still a very entertaining book and Waitzkin's insights into competition and performance psychology were profound. The book explores the mental battles athletes face as well as the strategies he has learned to be first in class in 2 different domains.
Date Read: 12/2020
Practical Takeaways
Chess
(chess) don't bring your Queen out too early
(chess) control the center
(chess) develop your pieces
(chess) if you are down in points/pieces, do not exchange pieces
(chess) Start by learning end game strategy, not opening strategy
(chess) start learning how to play King pawn vs. King, then Rook pawn vs. King, then Bishop pawn vs. King, then Knight pawn vs. King etc.
Teaching
(teaching) present yourself as more or a guide to the student than an authority
(teaching) if your student disagrees with you, have a discussion, not a lecture
Parenting
(Parenting) When your child loses, don't say that it doesn't matter. Give him a hug. Let him cry on your shoulder. Tell him you're proud of him and that you love him. Tell him that disappointment is a part of the road to greatness.
Posture
(Posture) Your head should float as though it were suspended by a string from the crown point
Injury
(When injured) avoid painkillers
(When injured) change viewing the painful sensation into a feeling that is not necessarily negative
(Injury) When taking time off to let the body heal, use that time to deepen the mental, technical, and internal side of your game
Competing
(Before competition) Relax, listen to headphones, and nap. Don't burn through your tank before stepping on the mats
(Competition) If the opponent's movement is quick, then quickly respond. If his movement is slow, then follow slowly.- Wang Tsung-yueh
(Competition) Hum a tune to "get into your opponents head" //poker, chess
After you make a huge blunder, avoid the downward spiral by taking a few deep breaths or splashing cold water on your face.
Learning
(Learning) Cultivate a child's sense of oblivious playfulness when learning
(Learning) Plunge into the detailed mystery of the micro in order to understand what makes the macro tick
General Principles
(General Principle) Start by studying the end game //chess,
(General Principle) Search for opponents a little stronger than you
(General Principle) Study form to leave form //painting, jazz>free jazz
(General Principle) Don't take on too much at once
(General Principle) Be able do something slowly before doing it with speed (you will not learn to do it correctly if you don't do it slowly first)
(General Principle) be a peace with imperfection
(General Principle) learn to use imperfection to your advantage
(General Principle) Take risks that others would avoid
(General principle) If you lose focus take a short break to recover and reset then start again
If you have worked hard and succeed at something, allow yourself to smell the roses
Become at peace with distractions
Seek out challenges as opposed to avoiding them
Regain presence and clarity of mind after making a serious error
release your current ideas so you can soak in new material. (ie. Produce output so your mind is free to gather more input)
Play with your nondominate hand for a few months //basketball players play lefty. Drummer play lefty
(Fighting) Take advantage of the moment your opponent is switching from one food to the other
(Chess/Puzzle) Get up from the Chess board 4hrs or so into a game. Go outside sprint 50yards, or climb 6 flights of stairs and then come back refreshed
(Reading) If you are reading a book and lose focus: close the book and take few deep breaths and pick it up with fresh eyes
(Writing) If you find yourself running out of stamina, take a break, wash your face, and come back renewed
Practice stress and recovery
Instead of just working out until you are exhausted and then stopping; push yourself to your healthy limit, recover for a minute of two, then push yourself to your limit again. Gradually decrease your rest periods// swimming, drumming etc.
Instead of using your breaks in-between competition to analyze your moves, take a break. Go outside, play catch, take a nap
Priming yourself to get in the zone
Think of an activity you do where you experience undistracted presence
Set a routine where you will 1) eat a light snack for 10mins 2)meditate for 15mins 3)do 10mins of stretching 4)listen to a song for 10mins 5) then do the activity. After doing this routine for a month begin to switch the activity with the one where you want to be in the zone (during a competition, during a buisness meeting) After a while begin to make the routine shorter (5mins of meditation, 5mins of stretching etc.) until you get to the point where any of those things will trigger that flow state
Eat 5 almonds every 45mins to maintain a steady state of alertness and strength if you need to focus for a long time
Always be prepared for exertion by being nourished, but not so much that your full stomach will dull your senses
Big Ideas
One must Study form in order to leave form (ie. You must learn the rules before you can break the rules)
There are two ways of taming a wild horse ie. Getting someone/something to do what you want them to do
Beat it into submission ie. Break its spirit:
Make it like you and want to do what you want it to do When the horse is
We have to release our current ideas (through writing or making a project/invention with them) in order to be able to soak in new material
Intuition is the bridge between our unconscious and the conscious mind.
The Master at something thinks less than the average player when performing that skill (ie. They are going off intuition)
The difference between being the third best at something and the best at something is HUGE
You will not learn to do something correctly if you don't do it slowly first
If you focus on openings instead of end game, you will not know where you're going
If you focus on end game instead of openings, you will be able to figure out what the beginning should be based off how the ending goes
Surprising Facts
Jackson Pollock could draw like a camera, but instead he choose to splatter paint in a wild manner that pulsed with emotion.
Tai Chi is the meditative and martial embodiment of Taoist philosophy
Michael Jordan made more last second game winning shots than anyone else in the NBA, but he also missed more last second shots than anyone else in the NBA
Russian chess players would sometimes tap a chess piece on the side of the table, barely audible, at a pace that slightly quickened their opponents mental process "This boy [A Russian chess opponent] would start to tap a chess piece on the side of the table, barely audible, but at a pace that entered and slightly quickened my mental process. This subtle tactic was highly effective and I later found out that it was an offspring of the Soviet study of hypnosis and mind control." Pg58
Unknown Terms
Pariah: an outcast or someone who's despised and avoided 2)a person who is widely shunned for some offense they have committed.
Zugzwang (Zoog swang):1)a situation found in chess and other turn-based games wherein one player is put at a disadvantage because of their obligation to make a move; in other words, the fact that the player is compelled to move means that their position will become significantly weaker. 2) When you put your opponent in a position where any move he makes will destroy his position.
Shock and Awe: The method of taming a wild horse in which one: Tie it up and freak it out. Shake paper bags, rattle cans, drive it crazy until it submits to any noise. Make it endure the humiliation of being controlled by a rope and pole. Once it is partially submissive, you tack the horse, get on top, spur it, show it who's boss—the horse fights, bucks, twists, turns, runs, but there is no escape. Finally the beast drops to its knees and submits to being domesticated.
Central Control: Arguably the most fundamental chess principle: the competitor who dominates the middle of the chess board will usually have an advantage because from this placement his or her pieces can influence the entire battle
Grandmaster: a title awarded to chess players by the world chess organization FIDE. Apart from World Champion, _____is the highest title a chess player can attain. Once achieved, the title is generally held for life, though exceptionally it may be revoked for cheating.