> What is a healthy amount of pushing vs too much? David Epstein somewhat tackles this question in Range[0]. The issue come down to the type of 'learning envir

> What is a healthy amount of pushing vs too much? David Epstein somewhat tackles this question in Range[0]. The issue come down to the type of 'learning environment' of the activity you are trying to get the kid into. 'Kind Learning Environments' are ones like golf or chess. The rules are clear, the feedback is rapid, standings are knowable, and the skills are uniform. For Kind learning environments, you just grind out the hours. Here you can use Gladwell's 10,000 hours to shine. 'Unkind Learning Environments' are ones like tennis, business, or poker. The rules are murky, the feedback is delayed, standings are at time undiscernible, and the skills are varied. For unkind learning environments, you have to graze on a lot of other disciplines to shine. Just grinding out the hours won't result in great results. Epstein specifically uses Ospedale della Pietà as an example of greatness in music. He says that concert musicians use the learning styles of Kind environments, while jazz musicians use Unkind styles. A great union of the Kind and Unkind was in Venice at Ospedale della Pietà where female orphans became some of the best classical musicians in history due to the unique factors at the orphanage. So the answer, per Epstein, to your question is that it depends (sorry!). Do you want an orchestra music playing child? Use the Kind learning environment techniques of grinding away 10,000 hours. Do you want a more jazz music playing child? Use the Unkind learning techniques of many other disciplines and getting through the 10,000 hours in fits and spurts. Epstein's book goes into waaaay better detail than my comment's haphazard and poorly remembered accounting. If you're serious about the question, I'd buy it and read it. [0] https://www.amazon.com/Range-Generalists-Triumph-Specialized-World/dp/0735214484 https://www.amazon.com/Range-Generalists-Triumph-Specialized... [1] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ospedale_della_Piet%C3%A0 https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ospedale_della_Piet%C3%A0