What is Intelligent Practice?

Intelligent practice involves developing intelligent habits.
To learn we need correct information and a systematic approach
Seek help & feedback from skilled practitioners who are capable and willing to explain and demonstrate.

Make your own practice interesting, intriguing, stimulating so that it maintains your curiosity
Develop intention, awareness, structure and perseverance
Listen to own internal feedback
Babies are the most experimental spontaneous self motivating example. We learn from getting processes wrong
Self encouragement, focus on the process
Focus on what to do rather than what not to do.

See Errors as an opportunity to learn versus a mistake to be threatened by
Feedback is not criticism
Not about rewards or punishment
Not about external motivation
Strategic self praising
Be very clear that you understand what to practice
And know when you have achieved that aspect
Know & accept there is always much, much more to learn than is visible at every stage.

Do one thing at a time don’t try to do every thing at once
Small achievable steps & goals ….break everything down into small understandable steps
Concentrate on one aspect at a time; break things down into smaller and smaller components.
Sequential learning big to small, outer to inner
Use of imagery. Kinesics, visualisation

Break up the familiar – thinking we already knows something prevents us seeing something new each time.
Desire to automate vs. desire for fresh experience Beginners mind
How do we know when we know something?
Balance between repetition and keeping it fresh
Speed varying speed finds different aspects fast; natural slow allows time for internal awareness of more subtle processes

Both develop habits and break down habits
Explore how you generate questions about your own practice Exaggerate the errors, physically and emotionally, rigid pelvis, closed chest, collapsed knee, pushing, being defensive, being right, and knowing

Explore the difference between copying and making it your own
Explore the fundamentals
Ask questions, read books, read related materials like anatomy books, videos, learn how the body works, how forces more & work in the body, how the mind works.
Video yourself, use a mirror to see if you are correct close eyes open check result, ask for feedback.

Be clear what to practice at each stage, understanding constantly changes. Revisit previous understandings from the deepest level you can find.
Be aware of your strengths and limitations employ your preferred learning methods, thinking patterns and strategies.
Emotionally know how you habitually support or sabotage your own best efforts
Always take time to access your deepest most settled mind state to begin all learning from.

Jean and Dave Haines – Wigton, Cumbria, UK: http://bodymindtaichi.co.uk/