Would you like to learn two skills at once? Here’s how. Part 2

In Part 1, we learnt how Samantha learned two skills at once. It was while she was learning to play table tennis but what happened, and what was going on in her brain, applies to learning skills for other sports. And also for all sorts of other activities in the workplace and the classroom.

Try as she might, she couldn't hit a topspin forehand. But, after practising a topspin backhand, she could then hit the more difficult topspin forehand. And all without further instruction or practice.

Leaning Transfer

We now know it was an example of ‘learning transfer’. But just how does this work? Well, in Samantha’s case there were a couple of things going on. So let’s look at one of them.

In practising a topspin backhand, Samantha needed to judge the flight path of each incoming ball. This was so she could anticipate where the ball would end up.

Practice is about learning and learning is about memories 

In practising the backhand, Samantha was building up a stockpile of memories. She learned to recognize the trajectory of any incoming ball and know exactly where it would end up. This was so she could organize her arm and body to move the right way at the right time, so she could make sure her bat hit the ball.

Now you’re probably one step ahead of me here. You’ve probably realized this skill of anticipation applies not just to a backhand topspin. It’s also an essential skill in performing a forehand topspin.

Samantha used the same memories for two different skills

So Samantha, in hitting a topspin backhand, was not just practising a backhand. At the same time she was also practising a skill that was part of learning a topspin forehand. In other words she was learning two things at once.

So what Samantha did in hitting a topspin forehand, without further instruction or practice, was magical and surprising but it was not magic. It was 'learning transfer'.

But you have to develop the right memories

Now making 'learning transfer' happen is not straightforward. Not any old practice routine will do. And it's not the same as simply learning an easy skill before moving on to a harder one. There's more to it than that.

Some practice routines are better than others at giving us the windfall of 'learning transfer'. What you need to do is use ‘deliberative practice’.

This topic and others are dealt with in my articles here on LinkedIn and also on my website.

And also in my ebooks. Especially in: Table Tennis & the Strange Disappearance of Jessica’s Thundering Forehand. How to Supercharge Your Game with Deliberative Practice & Off-Line Learning.

Until next time, Roger.

I read the research so you don’t have to.