“But Macnamara and her colleagues found that practice explained 12 percent in mastering skills in various fields, from music, sports and games to education and

“But Macnamara and her colleagues found that practice explained 12 percent in mastering skills in various fields, from music, sports and games to education and professions. The importance of practice in various areas was: 26 percent for games, 21 percent for music, 18 percent for sports, 4 percent for education and less than 1 percent for other professions.” This is just stupid. Suppose I take a test to see how many pairs of three digit numbers I can multiply correctly in one minute. Then I practice multiplying three digit numbers for one hour twice a day for two weeks. Then I take the test again. How much will I improve? 100%, 200%, 1,000%? How close will I be to having “mastered” the skill of multiplying three digit numbers? Is 28 hours enough? Maybe I am just not able to master a skill that is so difficult to master. Let’s suppose I’ve got the right stuff and I am able to master this particular skill. Now convince me that practice explains only 12 percent of my success!