HOW DO YOU GET TO CARNEGIE HALL?
Practice. Practice. Practice.
How I learned to stop worrying and learned to love to practice.
I often tell my audiences to teach their grandchildren to love to practice and you will have given them endless life fulfillment,
the best present possible.
I am a dancer and the most important way a dancer succeeds is through practice. I am very fortunate. I love to practice. Because of this, my life is full of satisfaction, something I would love to share with you.
Practice basically means improving your skills (at anything) through repetition. To many, this is not pleasant. Boring is a frequent complaint. Difficulty with self discipline is often mentioned. And the rejection is painful when we realize we aren't as good at something as we want to be. So many shy away from practice, especially if we have to do it alone.
When I managed my own dance company, I used to require 2 hours of practice per week for members along with one hour and a half class. That is not a large requirement for a dance group. Professional companies require much more. But the resistance I got from members was amazing. It was hard for them to discipline themselves for 2 hours a week on their own. It's one of those tasks that generate lots of moans and groans from everyone. Just talk with anyone who has gone through physical therapy and had problems keeping up with the home program requirements. In our American culture we don't like to "restrict" ourselves or be told what to do. This causes a dread of practice. How unfortunate. Because practice is so easy, so effective and so satisfying.
Many feel that practice is boring. Doing the same thing over and over can become rote. I always come back to the theater. I was brought up in New York City and was truly lucky that my parents brought us to the theater frequently. This was in the 1950s when New York Theater was thriving with successes like Julie Andrews at 19 starring in My Fair Lady. If you are a theater actor then you have to repeat your lines and actions 8 times a week, with each repetition being more interesting than the last. I grew up understanding that: ultimately the best gift I could have ever received.
Practice basically means improving your skills (at anything) through repetition. To many, this is not pleasant. Boring is a frequent complaint. Difficulty with self discipline is often mentioned. And the rejection is painful when we realize we aren't as good at something as we want to be. So many shy away from practice, especially if we have to do it alone.
When I managed my own dance company, I used to require 2 hours of practice per week for members along with one hour and a half class. That is not a large requirement for a dance group. Professional companies require much more. But the resistance I got from members was amazing. It was hard for them to discipline themselves for 2 hours a week on their own. It's one of those tasks that generate lots of moans and groans from everyone. Just talk with anyone who has gone through physical therapy and had problems keeping up with the home program requirements. In our American culture we don't like to "restrict" ourselves or be told what to do. This causes a dread of practice. How unfortunate. Because practice is so easy, so effective and so satisfying.
Many feel that practice is boring. Doing the same thing over and over can become rote. I always come back to the theater. I was brought up in New York City and was truly lucky that my parents brought us to the theater frequently. This was in the 1950s when New York Theater was thriving with successes like Julie Andrews at 19 starring in My Fair Lady. If you are a theater actor then you have to repeat your lines and actions 8 times a week, with each repetition being more interesting than the last. I grew up understanding that: ultimately the best gift I could have ever received.
Learn to love practice and you will have a wonderful fulfilling life. Because in the end, practice really does makes you better.
Practice and the nervous system:
The action of any kind of practice is all about training the nervous system. This involves exercising the Central Nervous System and the Peripheral Nervous System, improving function between the brain and the network of systems throughout the body. Nervous system strength through practice is a primary benefit. As you repeat the action, you create and reinforce new pathways. In other words you deliberately train your mind and body in specific ways. This has lots of health benefit associated with it. It is especially important to practice with your mind to avoid potential deterioration as we age.
Practice is also a foremost element of recovery from illness or chronic condition. Gentle repetition of sturdy strength and agility training assists with rehabilitation of any injury or sensitivity. Practice of the home study program often offered by physical therapists is a hallmark of recovery. Without recommended practice, return to health is not assured.
Practice is also a foremost element of recovery from illness or chronic condition. Gentle repetition of sturdy strength and agility training assists with rehabilitation of any injury or sensitivity. Practice of the home study program often offered by physical therapists is a hallmark of recovery. Without recommended practice, return to health is not assured.
Some simple guidelines:
- Have modest achievable goals. The single biggest cause of any failure is to try to achieve too much. Take small steps.
- Focus, focus, focus - on small definitive things.
- Make certain that you improve in some way, some small way during every practice session, no matter the subject. You might not have improved in other ways. You might have actually gotten worse. But you should always feel like you got something accomplished. Focus on that achievement and build onto it.
- Practice things that have relevance to your life. If you are older, practice balance improvement. If you are an artist, cross train in a different discipline.
- Be consistent. Consistency is the most important fitness rule. The body loves consistency and thrives with it.
- Always be the very best you can be in the last thing you practice. Never give up or get sloppy at the end.
- Practice important speeches talking out loud.
- Set up a safe environment to practice within. If practicing walking, make sure there is something sturdy to hold onto like a banister or kitchen countertop. Have the floor free of clutter without scatter rugs or cords.
What kind of things benefit from practice?
- Walking: As we get older we have to walk more consciously.
- Cooking: A complex set of skills that require lots of practice.
- Coordination: Whether eye/hand in painting or eye/foot walking. Dance itself is one of the best things to practice because of the coordination of music and movement.
- Mental exercise: Whether you delight in crossword puzzles or chess or other intense mental activity, practicing thinking and solving is an excellent hobby to undertake in our older years, causing among other things a reduction in Alzheimer's risk.
- Injury recovery: Practicing the "right" way to do things is essential and powerful in recovery. You end up better that before you hurt yourself. And you learn from your experience which helps greatly in keeping from repeating it.
- Climbing or descending stairs: A great thing to practice. It is one of the most difficult skills encountered aging and learning to do it easily promotes remaining active as well as self esteem.
- Balance: This is a complex skill that requires practice. Without it balance will not improve. Every time you fall or have a close fall encounter, decide to practice at least one thing that will improve your balance.
- Public speaking: One is not born to be a public speaker.
- Music skills: Learning any musical skill is steeped in practice.
- Improvisation: An oxymoron in that the basis of improvisation is being completely in the moment and doing what comes naturally, the opposite of deciding what and how to move as one does performing choreography. Yet the ability to improvise is a learned skill. The more you do something, the better you get at it.
- Visualization: This is an excellent tool for improving coordination, actively utilized by serious athletes. The more you practice visualizing something the better you get. With visualization, the more detail, the more exact, the better the outcome.
Excellent things to practice if you are older or if you are recovering:
Practice walking:
- Practice walking looking straight ahead instead of down.
- Practice walking using your peripheral vision to detect ground clutter.
- Practice walking while holding your abdominals in.
- Practice rolling through your feet as you walk. Place your heel down first, roll through the foot and use it to push off the ground for the next step.
Practice going up stairs:
- Construct a practice setup for yourself. Include only 3 or 4 stairs, maybe fewer. Ideally have banisters on both sides. Have your hands free of clutter.
- Practice going up only a few steps.
- Look straight ahead and pull your belly in.
- Contract the bladder control muscles (the ones used in Kegel maneuvers) and hold.
- After going up several stairs, back down to the starting position.
- Repeat. Begin climbing using the other foot as well.
- See the link below for further information as well as tips for going down stairs.
Speaking your mind:
We expect to pick some things up without any practice and then are disappointed when we don't perform as well as we thought we would. Speaking your mind requires practice as much as anything does. And it is a very productive investment of your time. Becoming well spoken is a great asset in life. The action of practicing out loud is fantastic! Any anticipated conversation is acceptable, including conversations with people who are no longer with us! Something happens when you say things out loud. You have to organize your thoughts more. The action of stating your words brings importance to the endeavor.
Conversations that practice helps immensely with:
- Practice important telephone calls, to PG&E or ATT or any other business you have a contentious issue with.
- Practice asking your boss for a raise.
- Practice responding during a job interview.
- Practice speaking gracefully with challenging relatives and friends. Practice what to say to a boyfriend about something that bothers you.
- Practice making a political argument. Practice making succinct points while being composed.
- Practice any speech, including remarks to be made at a funeral.
- Practice overcoming shyness. Practice talking at a cocktail party when you feel like being a wall flower. Practice talking to famous people. Practice giving your own introduction.
I would be remiss if I didn't mention how important it is to change what you practice. Try not to get in ruts doing the same things over and over. A change in routine is especially good for the mind, challenging and improving mind/body connections. Jack LaLanne changed his workout program every month.
A person can practice too much. It can become an obsession and any obsession ultimately robs one of energy, setting us up for failure because we will never be perfect. In the end practice is simply one way of being the best we can be. A formidable and worthy goal.
Published September 26, 2022.