I've read research that showed that among people who were top 1% skill wise, it was very common for them to have had early instructors who focused on skill deve

I've read research that showed that among people who were top 1% skill wise, it was very common for them to have had early instructors who focused on skill development as play relative to the population at large. Because they learned to enjoy the process, the outcome didn't matter as much, and they could stay motivated to progress. Tournaments and other competitive activities also provide a way to maintain motivation - they're often graded so you can compete against others of a similar skill level, and competitive success can provide motivation to train harder even when absolute progress slows down.