In his riveting new book, The Art of Learning, Waitzkin tells his remarkable story of personal achievement and shares the principles of learning and performance that have propelled him to the top—twice.
Josh Waitzkin knows what it means to be at the top of his game. A public figure since winning his first National Chess Championship at the age of nine, Waitzkin was catapulted into a media whirlwind as a teenager when his father’s book Searching for Bobby Fischer was made into a major motion picture. After dominating the scholastic chess world for ten years, Waitzkin expanded his horizons, taking on the martial art Tai Chi Chuan and ultimately earning the title of World Champion. How was he able to reach the pinnacle of two disciplines that on the surface seem so different? “I’ve come to realize that what I am best at is not Tai Chi, and it is not chess,” he says. “What I am best at is the art of learning.”
With a narrative that combines heart-stopping martial arts wars and tense chess face-offs with life lessons that speak to all of us, The Art of Learning takes readers through Waitzkin’s unique journey to excellence. He explains in clear detail how a well-thought-out, principled approach to learning is what separates success from failure. Waitzkin believes that achievement, even at the championship level, is a function of a lifestyle that fuels a creative, resilient growth process. Rather than focusing on climactic wins, Waitzkin reveals the inner workings of his everyday method, from systematically triggering intuitive breakthroughs, to honing techniques into states of remarkable potency, to mastering the art of performance psychology.
Through his own example, Waitzkin explains how to embrace defeat and make mistakes work for you. Does your opponent make you angry? Waitzkin describes how to channel emotions into creative fuel. As he explains it, obstacles are not obstacles but challenges to overcome, to spur the growth process by turning weaknesses into strengths. He illustrates the exact routines that he has used in all of his competitions, whether mental or physical, so that you too can achieve your peak performance zone in any competitive or professional circumstance.
In stories ranging from his early years taking on chess hustlers as a seven year old in New York City’s Washington Square Park, to dealing with the pressures of having a film made about his life, to International Chess Championships in India, Hungary, and Brazil, to gripping battles against powerhouse fighters in Taiwan in the Push Hands World Championships, The Art of Learning encapsulates an extraordinary competitor’s life lessons in a page-turning narrative.
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The Art of Learning: An Inner Journey to Optimal Performance Paperback – May 27, 2008
by Josh Waitzkin (Author)
4.4 out of 5 stars 942 ratings
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Editorial Reviews
Review
"This is a really superb book, one I wish someone had given to me long ago. The title is accurate -- at a profound level, it's about real learning from hard conflict rather than from disinterested textbooks. It will take a ferocious interruption to make you put this book down." -- Robert Pirsig, author of Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintainance
"We all remember the portrayal of Josh Waitzkin in Searching for Bobby Fischer. He was a very impressive child who continues to impress with The Art of Learning. Through a unique set of experiences, Waitzkin has formed an original and outstanding perspective. From chess to Tai Chi, he provides tools that allow all of us to improve ourselves every day." -- Cal Ripken, Jr., 2007 Baseball Hall of Fame Inductee
"Waitzkin's in-depth look into the mental side of his success in both chess and martial arts is an inspiring and absorbing read. I strongly recommend it for anyone who lives in a world of competition, whether it's sports or business or anywhere else. It's also a great training tool for kids aspiring to reach the pinnacle of their chosen fields." -- Mark Messier, 6-time Stanley Cup Champion
"Josh Waitzkin's The Art of Learning is a testimonial to the timeless principle of 'do less and accomplish more.' Highly recommended for those who want to understand the power of consciousness." -- Deepak Chopra
"Absolutely brilliant immersion into the phenomenon of human mastery. Waitzkin brings laser clarity and penetrating insights into the delicate mind, body, spirit interactions fundamental to extraordinary achievement in most any area of life. This is a journey worth taking." -- Jim Loehr, Chairman and CEO, The Human Performance Institute, and coauthor, The Power of Full Engagement
"The Art of Learning succeeds on every level, combining a truly compelling auto-biography with profound philosophical and psychological insights all wrapped in a practical how-to framework. This is a must-read for anyone wishing to achieve that rare combination of success and fulfillment." -- Paul Blease, SVP, Director, Team Development & Consulting, Citigroup Smith Barney
About the Author
Josh Waitzkin, an eight-time National Chess Champion in his youth, was the subject of the book and movie Searching for Bobby Fischer. At eighteen, he published his first book, Josh Waitzkin's Attacking Chess. Since the age of twenty, he has developed and been spokesperson for Chessmaster, the largest computer chess program in the world. Now a martial arts champion, he holds a combined twenty-one National Championship titles in addition to several World Championship titles. When not traveling the country giving seminars and keynote presentations, he lives and trains in New York City. He can be reached at www.joshwaitzkin.com. For more information about Chessmaster visit www.ubi.com.
Product details
Paperback: 288 pages
Publisher: Free Press; Reprint edition (May 27, 2008)
Customer reviews
4.4 out of 5 stars
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Top reviews
FromVancouver
5.0 out of 5 stars Negative reviewers may have missed the point. The theories in this book are valuable and teachable.
Reviewed in the United States on May 30, 2018
Verified Purchase
Reading through some of the low reviews, I didn't know what to expect going into this book. Some people felt that it was too much of an autobiographical book, bragging about his accomplishments in chess and martial arts with little to do with actual techniques on learning.
I'm very glad that I picked up this book, because it has truly inspired me.
What people are missing is that Josh is not bragging about the level he achieved in chess. The point he was making was that, even though he was a child chess prodigy, the style of learning and teaching had held him back from being the very best in his profession. Having been paired up with coaches that taught chess in a very rigid and forceful way, and not being able to deal with the stress of change or pressure eventually became overwhelming to him. It was only later in his life when he took on martial arts that he was able to apply his own theories and philosophies on learning, taking micro to macro steps, cultivating a foundation for learning rather then forcing structure. Through his experiment on self learning, he was able to take a brand new skill set, and evolve into a world level competitor in a shockingly short amount of time.
I know that everybody can benefit from this book and it's contents. It really does have the formula to take you from mediocre to a high level performer but be warned, the techniques are not a quick fix solution. It's about taking a skill set, breaking it down to simple steps, then breaking down the simple steps down into micro steps (micro steps being the foundation of the skill sets) and then practicing those micro steps to perfection before moving back to the macro steps and so fourth where you can finally put everything together.
If you are looking to develop you skills or talent in your career, a martial artist, a musician etc.. it's about breaking apart everything you know, and starting over from the foundation-up to build the steps that will eventually help you evolve into a top performer.
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katarinaism
VINE VOICE
4.0 out of 5 stars this is an excellent memoir/philosophical book about the author's journey from a chess ...
Reviewed in the United States on December 17, 2016
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Though not quite what I was expecting (more of an advice book on approaching the learning process and pursuing self-growth), this is an excellent memoir/philosophical book about the author's journey from a chess champion to tai chi martial arts champion, and the parallels he draws between his training of the two. Those who are fans of books such as Malcolm Gladwell's "Outliers" will appreciate this book written by an undeniable outlier not only in one field, but in two seemingly unrelated ones. However, Waitzkin points out the similarities between his preparation for competing in tai chi as well as chess, and outlines the pitfalls he faced early in his career (allowing himself to be affected by mind games, becoming easily flustered, having difficulty maintaining focus) and how he remedied them. It was interesting to read about his journey unfold as he matured into an adult and began pursuing martial arts, and how the calm, focused demeanor he developed helped him realize how to learn and grow more efficiently. It is inspiring to read, but those looking for an advice book will find the advice buried deeply in metaphor.
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Eleanor Kolossovski
1.0 out of 5 stars Where is the art of learning?
Reviewed in the United States on November 15, 2017
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A catchy title, but this book is mostly about how the author went through countless numbers of international tournaments outsmarting his opponents. Although the life of a 29-year-old chess master and Tai Chi champion is fascinating and can be inspirational for some people, the book rarely touches on the principles and methods of learning. If you are searching for the Art of Tai Chi and Optimal Performance, I would recommend Dan Milman’s Body Mind Mastery or Ways of Peaceful Warrior, Ken Cohen’s The Way of Qigong, Jim Loehr’s The Power of Full Engagement, Mark Cohen’s Inside Zhan Zhuang, and Don Greene’s Performance Success.
75 people found this helpful
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B. Le
1.0 out of 5 stars but it's honestly a boring memoir w/ mediocre writing
Reviewed in the United States on February 21, 2018
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the only thing 'the art of learning' has taught me is that i ought to read negative reviews prior to purchasing any book.
personally, i don't have much respect for tai chi in terms of it being an effective martial arts for self-defense, but josh waitzkin is also a marcelo garcia black belt in brazilian jiu jitsu which is no accolade to scoff at. between that and his chess accomplishments i expected some insightful approaches to learning, but it's honestly a boring memoir w/ mediocre writing.
do yourself a favor and skim through the 1 star reviews as they sum up my sentiment on this book pretty well. deceptive title, no groundbreaking insights on learning. you'll see mine posted up and available on the 'used books' section soon enough.
30 people found this helpful
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Susan Seymour
5.0 out of 5 stars Read it in one sitting
Reviewed in the United States on April 18, 2017
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The book is truly engaging. This is non-fiction, and I read it through in one sitting. I was fascinated by Josh Waitzkin's experiences in chess and in Tai Chi, especially by how he used the lessons learned in each discipline to inform his perception and understanding in the other. I'm handing these out like popcorn to anyone I think will enjoy the book. His attentiveness to his life experience and the essential understandings he draws from them are compelling. Personally, I hope to make active use of his insights in my own life. Thank you, Mr. Waitzkin.
22 people found this helpful
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bennessey
5.0 out of 5 stars I'm speechless!
Reviewed in the United States on December 17, 2017
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This was one of the most incredible books I have ever had the opportunity to read, written by the closest thing to a superhero this world has ever witnessed, in my humble opinion, though I realize I can only say this once! Inspirational would be the right word here, but I don't think there is an appropriate word in the English language for what Josh Waitzkin's life story meant to me. If I must give any criticism it is that the reader will struggle to feel like any of this is possible for a mere mortal. What it takes to be the best in the world in anything seems to go way beyond natural talent, and the level of detail Waitzkin shares with us in such seemingly unrelated areas of his mastery (chess and martial arts) is the real gift of this book. I am absolutely humbled and inspired, and I believe if you read this book it just may change your life!
17 people found this helpful
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JenK
3.0 out of 5 stars More like the "art of competition"
Reviewed in the United Kingdom on March 21, 2018
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...or possibly a modern "art of war". Perhaps my expectations were too high but I can't help but be a bit disappointed with this book. The chess and tai-chi aspects appealed to my analytical sensibilities and experience in martial arts so I assumed these elements would better impress the ideas around "learning" in this book.
I didn't get a lot practical advice that I didn't already know from this, though I admit someone new to this kind of content may well benefit. BUT, if I were still operating in a competitive environment, be it in sport or work, I would find this book much more applicable. A lot revolves around conquering an adversary through conquering the self. I do find that the "art of learning" as a title is a bit of misnomer. Also, Waitzkin often gets very detailed with his chess and tai chi examples and they do not, in my opinion, translate well to the written word or to someone who has little experience with either of these practices.
7 people found this helpful
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Samuel Winterbottom
5.0 out of 5 stars Deep, nuanced and insightful.
Reviewed in the United Kingdom on April 6, 2017
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To me this is an example of a really solid non-fiction book as it tells a lot and explores many concepts through stories in and around Josh's life. It is well written but perhaps misses some elements of practical application.
It would be very easy to write a lot this book of as unspecific and non-actionable however i think that is just wrong. What you have to understand is that this is a very nuanced topic. Since the focus is on very advanced high level performance. If you are thinking about getting to the top 10% of your field this book perhaps isn't for you, however for those going beyond, it will certainly have more relevance.
3 people found this helpful
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Harry Twain
3.0 out of 5 stars Good
Reviewed in the United Kingdom on February 18, 2015
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Enjoyed the read was entertaining and insightful especially when performing your best amidst distractions and annoyances, the only thing I thought he was behind on when it comes to preparing for an event is having anchors or personal triggers to get yourself into your peak performance state/zone within seconds.
Josh does talk about other rituals that you will create to get into the zone but they are not always practical and can take much longer depending on the routine you create for yourself, such as periods of medidtation, breathing, and walking around. To get yourself into peak performance state within seconds I would recommend Dennis Waitely Winning, and or Tony Robbins Personal Power.
But other than that don't let this put you off its a great entertaining read especially his story/journey, can spark some insights if you compete at competition level in any field you will be able to relate to some of the principles in your own field
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rony seamons
3.0 out of 5 stars More story than learning
Reviewed in the United Kingdom on March 4, 2018
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I chose this book with a hope of finding lots of practical techniques for learning. And while learning about Josh 's fascinating chess and martial arts stories offered some insight into his learning, for me there wasn't enough practical tools I could take away. Nevertheless a great insight into the mind of a world champion and 2 totally different disciplines, an incredible achievement
3 people found this helpful
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Carv4
5.0 out of 5 stars Would recommend even if you dont like chess
Reviewed in the United Kingdom on April 29, 2018
Verified Purchase
This book really resonated with me-as well as having some great stuff on learning it's also part biographical. I'm not into chess at all but really enjoyed the sections on Josh's past tournaments etc.
I watched the movie 'In search of Bobby Fischer'and loved it too and also some of the Tim Ferriss podcasts featuring Josh and found them a great help in deconstructing the learning process.
One person found this helpful
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Josh Waitzkin quotes Showing 1-30 of 97
“The key to pursuing excellence is to embrace an organic, long-term learning process, and not to live in a shell of static, safe mediocrity. Usually, growth comes at the expense of previous comfort or safety.”
― Josh Waitzkin, The Art of Learning: A Journey in the Pursuit of Excellence
tags: learning, personal-growth62 likesLike
“Growth comes at the point of resistance. We learn by pushing ourselves and finding what really lies at the outer reaches of our abilities.”
― Josh Waitzkin, The Art of Learning: A Journey in the Pursuit of Excellence
36 likesLike
“If I want to be the best, I have to take risks others would avoid, always optimizing the learning potential of the moment and turning adversity to my advantage. That said, there are times when the body needs to heal, but those are ripe opportunities to deepen the mental, technical, internal side of my game. When aiming for the top, your path requires an engaged, searching mind. You have to make obstacles spur you to creative new angles in the learning process. Let setbacks deepen your resolve. You should always come off an injury or a loss better than when you went down.”
― Josh Waitzkin, The Art of Learning: A Journey in the Pursuit of Excellence
24 likesLike
“In my experience, successful people shoot for the stars, put their hearts on the line in every battle, and ultimately discover that the lessons learned from the pursuit of excellence mean much more than the immediate trophies and glory.”
― Josh Waitzkin, The Art of Learning: A Journey in the Pursuit of Excellence
15 likesLike
“One idea I taught was the importance of regaining presence and clarity of mind after making a serious error.”
― Josh Waitzkin, The Art of Learning: A Journey in the Pursuit of Excellence
13 likesLike
“It is rarely a mysterious technique that drives us to the top, but rather a profound mastery of what may well be a basic skill set.”
― Josh Waitzkin, The Art of Learning: A Journey in the Pursuit of Excellence
13 likesLike
“One of the most critical strengths of a superior competitor in any discipline—whether we are speaking about sports, business negotiations, or even presidential debates—is the ability to dictate the tone of the battle.”
― Josh Waitzkin, The Art of Learning: A Journey in the Pursuit of Excellence
12 likesLike
“Everyone at a high level has a huge amount of chess understanding, and much of what separates the great from the very good is deep presence, relaxation of the conscious mind, which allows the unconscious to flow unhindered.”
― Josh Waitzkin, The Art of Learning: A Journey in the Pursuit of Excellence
10 likesLike
“A key component of high-level learning is cultivating a resilient awareness that is the older, conscious embodiment of a child’s playful obliviousness.”
― Josh Waitzkin, The Art of Learning: A Journey in the Pursuit of Excellence
10 likesLike
“The secret is that everything is always on the line. The more present we are at practice, the more present we will be in competition, in the boardroom, at the exam, the operating table, the big stage. If we have any hope of attaining excellence, let alone of showing what we’ve got under pressure, we have to be prepared by a lifestyle of reinforcement. Presence must be like breathing.”
― Josh Waitzkin, The Art of Learning: A Journey in the Pursuit of Excellence
9 likesLike
“The human mind defines things in relation to one another—without light the notion of darkness would be unintelligible”
― Josh Waitzkin, The Art of Learning: A Journey in the Pursuit of Excellence
9 likesLike
“In the end, mastery involves discovering the most resonant information and integrating it so deeply and fully it disappears and allows us to fly free.”
― Josh Waitzkin, The Art of Learning: A Journey in the Pursuit of Excellence
9 likesLike
“The fact of the matter is that there will be nothing learned from any challenge in which we don’t try our hardest. Growth comes at the point of resistance. We learn by pushing ourselves and finding what really lies at the outer reaches of our abilities. *”
― Josh Waitzkin, The Art of Learning: A Journey in the Pursuit of Excellence
8 likesLike
“Of course there were plateaus, periods when my results leveled off while I internalized the information necessary for my next growth spurt, but I didn’t mind.”
― Josh Waitzkin, The Art of Learning: A Journey in the Pursuit of Excellence
8 likesLike
“we cannot calculate our important contests, adventures, and great loves to the end. The only thing we can really count on is getting surprised. No matter how much preparation we do, in the real tests of our lives, we’ll be in unfamiliar terrain. Conditions might not be calm or reasonable. It may feel as though the whole world is stacked against us. This is when we have to perform better than we ever conceived of performing. I believe the key is to have prepared in a manner that allows for inspiration, to have laid the foundation for us to create under the wildest pressures we ever imagined.”
― Josh Waitzkin, The Art of Learning: A Journey in the Pursuit of Excellence
7 likesLike
“He landed on cheap shot, but I knocked him out of the tournament.”
― Josh Waitzkin, The Art of Learning: A Journey in the Pursuit of Excellence
tags: cheap, learning, martial-arts, tai-chi-chuan, tournament7 likesLike
“Mental resilience is arguably the most critical trait of a world-class performer, and it should be nurtured continuously.”
― Josh Waitzkin, The Art of Learning: A Journey in the Pursuit of Excellence
6 likesLike
“When uncomfortable, my instinct is not to avoid the discomfort but to become at peace with it.”
― Josh Waitzkin, The Art of Learning: A Journey in the Pursuit of Excellence
6 likesLike
“The real art in learning takes place as we move beyond proficiency, when our work becomes an expression of our essence.”
― Josh Waitzkin, The Art of Learning: A Journey in the Pursuit of Excellence
6 likesLike
“I was unhindered by internal conflict—a state of being that I have come to see as fundamental to the learning process.”
― Josh Waitzkin, The Art of Learning: A Journey in the Pursuit of Excellence
5 likesLike
“Instead of running from our emotions or being swept away by their initial gusts, we should learn to sit with them, become at peace with their unique flavors, and ultimately discover deep pools of inspiration.”
― Josh Waitzkin, The Art of Learning: A Journey in the Pursuit of Excellence
5 likesLike
“Great ones are willing to get burned time and again as they sharpen their swords in the fire.”
― Josh Waitzkin, The Art of Learning: A Journey in the Pursuit of Excellence
tags: investment-in-loss, self-improvement5 likesLike
“there are clear distinctions between what it takes to be decent, what it takes to be good, what it takes to be great, and what it takes to be among the best. If your goal is to be mediocre, then you have a considerable margin for error. You can get depressed when fired and mope around waiting for someone to call with a new job offer. If you hurt your toe, you can take six weeks watching television and eating potato chips.”
― Josh Waitzkin, The Art of Learning: A Journey in the Pursuit of Excellence
5 likesLike
“At the highest levels of any kind of competitive discipline, everyone is great. At this point the decisive factor is rarely who knows more, but who dictates the tone of the battle. For this reason, almost without exception, champions are specialists whose styles emerge from profound awareness of their unique strengths, and who are exceedingly skilled at guiding the battle in that direction.”
― Josh Waitzkin, The Art of Learning: A Journey in the Pursuit of Excellence
5 likesLike
“Finally, we learn to be completely self-sufficient and create our own earthquakes, so our mental process feeds itself explosive inspirations without the need for outside stimulus.”
― Josh Waitzkin, The Art of Learning: A Journey in the Pursuit of Excellence
5 likesLike
“I knew how to block out my issues in a sprint, but in marathons I ran out of gas. Consistency became a critical problem. On days that I was inspired, I was unstoppable. But other days I would play bad chess. The time had come for me to learn the science of long-term, healthy, self-sustaining peak performance.”
― Josh Waitzkin, The Art of Learning: A Journey in the Pursuit of Excellence
5 likesLike
“I found myself calculating less and feeling more,”
― Josh Waitzkin, The Art of Learning: A Journey in the Pursuit of Excellence
4 likesLike
“Not only do we have to be good at waiting, we have to love it. Because waiting is not waiting, it is life. Too many of us live without fully engaging our minds, waiting for that moment when our real lives begin.”
― Josh Waitzkin, The Art of Learning: A Journey in the Pursuit of Excellence
4 likesLike
“Musicians, actors, athletes, philosophers, scientists, writers understand that brilliant creations are often born of small errors.”
― Josh Waitzkin, The Art of Learning: A Journey in the Pursuit of Excellence
4 likesLike
“To walk a thorny road, we may cover its every inch with leather or we can make sandals. Anger.”
― Josh Waitzkin, The Art of Learning: A Journey in the Pursuit of Excel
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COMMUNITY REVIEWS
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Average rating4.09 · Rating details · 14,396 ratings · 1,034 reviews
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V.
Jan 09, 2013V. rated it it was ok
Shelves: read-reviewed-2013
Clearly as a chess player and a martial artist, Josh is an accomplished and well regarded expert. As a human being, however, he’s a bit of a dick.
He goes to the Tai Chi Chuan Pushing hands World Championships in Taiwan (their national sport) and through hard work and an obsessive pursuit of excellence, he becomes World Champion despite cheating and rule bending by the Taiwanese.
Only, he never considers that this small nation has hardly anything else to call their own. And with their huge Imperial neighbour squashing their every attempt at a cultural identity, to have their beloved sport taken from them by a cocky, privileged American who’s never done a real job, not surprising they try to cheat.
In fact I was in their corner shouting ‘Sweep the leg!’
He’s so competitive and so self-unaware that the irony of doing a martial art about balance and tranquillity, and using it to go to an incredibly unhinged extreme completely passes him by.
So, anyway, the book is about learning, and there are a couple of useful ideas here, particularly in the third section. But a lot of it is to do with focus and training. Something that comes easy if you’re insanely competitive to an autistic level like the author. And if you aren’t, it’s hard to motivate yourself to do the things he suggests. Like most books of this nature, if you have the ability to be as single-minded as you need to be, you probably don’t need to read the book, and if you don’t have it, the book won’t really help.
A lot of the book is more memoir than insight, and pretty dull. But then I found the memoir parts of Stephen King’s On Writing pretty dull too (although the bits on writing were great).
So I’d say this book is vaguely interesting and you might pick up an idea or two, but that’s about it.
Another example of his spectacularly selective self awareness: In the chess section he describes how he was an attacking player, but as he got older teachers tried to teach him the Karpov way, more defensive etc, but it turned him off the game. Learning is about going with your natural flow, he tells us. Later when training in Tai Chi, he discovers opponents who are stronger and faster, what to do? The Karpov Way! Never occurs to him he’s going against what he said earlier. Whatever works seems to be the lesson. Win at all costs. If you can fool your opponent, who cares how you do it.
The thing is, he’s clearly a bright, focused young man, but natural abilities aren’t as easily transferred as this book might suggest. He claims to have a natural gift for learning, which I think is true, but sadly not for teaching. And he’s so full of himself it’s astonishing. If there’s a chapter where he doesn’t mention there was a film made about him then I must have missed it. Now he’s taken up Brazilian jiu jitsu and I can only hope someone gives him the sound thrashing he so richly deserves.
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Timothy Chklovski
Jan 07, 2011Timothy Chklovski rated it it was amazing
Very good book about achieving world-class mastery of a skill and the attendant phenomena (like slowing down time).
it teeters on mysticism early on, but if you get past that, there are rewards in sound arguments and interesting observations
Some key highlights:
- using simplified/limiting drills to understand key concepts more deeply/fluently
- a very compelling model of skill acquisition as layering, one pass at a time, your conscious understanding on top of automatic mastery, and turning the learned into the automatic
- the concept of "making smaller circles" -- ie mastering something in its slowed-down,
simplified form
- superimportance of the right coaches/environment
- importance of finding new challenge, new depth in perfecting the basic skills
- clear examples of perfecting a throw, or chess intuition
- extreme examples of attention management (slowing down time)
- possible example of "constraints being liberating" (making the best of a broken arm to learn to deflect with one and later attack with another)
- great example of ethos of picking the biggest challenge / toughest opponent
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Riku Sayuj
Feb 12, 2012Riku Sayuj rated it liked it
Shelves: pedagogy, biographies, sports
A good look into what goes on in the minds of high-performance athletes at the top of their game. A bit spiritualized and fuzzy here and there, but I kept thinking that we are lucky to have this rare athlete writing to us, who combines the qualities of high performance, intense self-observation, intellectualization of development and finally communication of that entire learning experience to the normal people who might go through their entire lives never stretching themselves to those extreme limits where such discoveries about learning and performance always seem to lie. (less)
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Ruzz
Jul 21, 2010Ruzz rated it it was amazing
Shelves: philosophy, ebook, kobo, biography, 2010
it's unaccountably rare to find someone who can perform at the highest levels of human capacity (mentally or physically) who can articulate much meaningfully about how they do it. You can survey top performers, and many have, and most won't have a concrete framework of thought behind that performance and most of it is intuitive. the underlying principals are essentially a mystery.
Josh Waitzkin has performed at high levels both mentally (through world class junior chess) and physically (through world class martial arts competition) and has systemized his process and has a very clear understanding of how he's achieved the things he has.
He does a fairly effective job of communicating this to readers. I say fairly effective because quite honestly some of the conceptual stuff is pretty difficult to translate. How would you go about explaining a highly advanced concept built on the backs of hundreds of other highly advanced concepts to someone at the starting point?
in much the same way you can read a book one year and get one subset of points from it that resonate with you then read it again the next and get a secondary set despite the content remaining unchanged, so it is with explaining intricate conceptual information. You will come away understanding only the parts you are ready to understand despite the possibility there's a dearth of additional information there.
on that front, i recommend you read the book and see what you come away with. however, what i think most people will universally come away with is a strong sense that people like Waitzkin are operating on an entirely different plane of experience than most of us.
the level of attention to detail, discipline, commitment and just plain work is far beyond that of the average person and it seems to catapult them to positions where the difference between first place and third is roughly equal to that of third place and not entering a competition, skill wise.
all the advanced conceptual stuff aside it's very hard to come away from this book feeling you've been taking anything at all seriously in your entire life. And quite possibly that insight may bring light to a question some of carry about why some people seem to be so much more productive (apparently naturally) than the average. It also challenges the belief some people are just "better" at something than others.
more likely, some people are more focused and committed. playing the game (whatever game that is) on a level that makes 99% of the population look like dilettantes. this isn't about type 'A' anality and drive, it's about engagement and devotion of the self to some particular thing consistently over long spans of time.
it's not about working yourself to death in the pursuit of something. or labouring endlessly toward a particular deadline, or goal. it's about an intense fundamental focus on minute but critical parts of process which can elevate one person's performance heads above another.
Watizkin makes plain, despite a mild stink of self congratulatory biography, that the thing that separates the best from the rest is generally speaking how serious one takes their pursuit and how engaged they are in improvement.
There's a conception out there that time and experience will trump most everything. Simply enduring and spending large blocks of time specialized in a particular area will separate you from the pack and in some sense this is true. Drawing on my own experience as a programmer I see this at play every day where junior developers make core mistakes because the way the conceptualize problems suffers from a lack of experience. they see the problem wrong from the outset because they've not enough experience with problems in general to unify common structural elements and avoid those problems implicitly.
I have an edge there through experience. However, the order of difference between the work i do and the work people who are changing the programming world do is dramatic, and those inexperience developers will catch up to me and surpass me in time. It's unlikely either of us will catch up to or surpass those few top programmers because we're playing an entirely different game.
One topic that never comes up is how Josh is able to devote himself so entirely to his particular goals without concern for money or facing the distractions and constraints of normal existence costs. And it's an important thing to consider, and an important thing to leave out.
Most of us have obligations that supersede our own focus. many of us are obligated by the constraints of reality to put our focus in a particular place (which may or may not enhance us) whether we want to or not because the consequences of not are felt in very concrete financial terms.
On the whole, the book was insightful and challenging. In interesting look into the motivations, thought processes and experiences of a top level performer, but i fear much of the book is abstract, and impractical for those of us trying to earn our daily bread while improving our selves.
if i took nothing else away from the book, I took a subtle understanding of the mental dynamics involved in being a top level performer which i previously had little insight into. Whether I can (or want to) realistically integrate much of that insight into my own life remains unclear.
The inertia of personality, and habit are great and trying to motivate oneself on rewards that are hard to internalize (but easy to imagine) is slippery ground. Josh had the benefit of beginning living his life in a micro to macro focus from very early on and developed strong habits and techniques as a young chess champion that define his expectations of experience. For those of us with a more normal upbringing and more normal expectation there is the added requirement of throwing off years of habit, experience and perhaps greatest expectation about what a day may contain to qualify as a good day.
none of this was addressed, and perhaps he didn't need to address it. But these are real problems for people who want to take anything from what he's shared and neglecting them makes the book less vital and less engaged to it's own purpose. (less)
flag29 likes · Like · 1 comment · see review
Maxim
May 28, 2009Maxim rated it it was ok
If you're interested in gaining insight into the mind of a child chess prodigy turned adult martial arts champion, this is a decent book. It's reasonably readable and has a lot of interesting stories about the author's chess and marital arts careers. As an inspirational or how-to book, though, it falls short. Maybe it would be helpful if you're interested in single-minded, highly-focused training in chess, martial arts, or another highly technical, subtle, and competitive pursuit. But, despite his claims that his road map for learning can be applied to any discipline, the author is unable to illustrate his ideas with examples from outside his own two fields. He also does a poor job of pulling the ideas together into specific, actionable advice. Instead, he goes on at length about the philosophy and abstract principles and how they helped him achieve his chess and martial arts goals. I kept reading, hoping it would get better, but it never did. Overall, a disappointment. (less)
flag26 likes · Like · comment · see review
Rob
May 27, 2014Rob rated it liked it
Shelves: nonfiction, memoir
I picked up this book because it was recommended by Tim Ferriss, who described Josh as the "metalearner's metalearner". A man who had risen to the peak of his field in the world in TWO highly competitive disciplines: chess and push hands (martial Tai Chi).
I was expecting a book that spends a tremendous amount of time on philosophies about learning with examples from his life and others.
There are some thoughts about learning, but they feel more reflective than prescriptive, since this book is really a memoir.
Frankly, the only *real* think he says about learning is to do so incrementally and to encourage students to think about it as an incremental process vs. something that works because either you're good or bad at it. He goes through great pains in his own life to separate ego from failure, and treats failure as an essential part of the learning process vs. a problem in itself. He even goes so far as to push this as a life philosophy (it's the journey not the destination that is life kind of thing), which I completely agree with.
All of this is part of the incremental theory of learning, which is very simple but powerful, and he spends very little of the book talking about it.
However, he has a lot to say about what it means to become export/world-class at a thing, and he says those things while basically giving his life story to age 29. I really enjoyed reading about his tournaments in both chess and Tai Chi, but here's the problem about using those examples on how to learn.
Both of his careers were illustrative of what happens if you take incremental learning to its absolute limit (for example, chess is what he did with the vast majority of his time for more than a decade, and then Tai Chi is what he did with his time). Most of us have jobs, kids, key relationships to nurture, etc., that together preclude spending many hours a day on any one thing.
In general I'm much, much more interested in Tim Ferriss's minimum-effective-dose, 80/20, fast path to success style than to Waitzkin's obsessive, singleminded, one-thing-for-years-at-a-time depth. Just a personal style as I'd rather do 20 things pretty well than 1 thing world class. It's more fun! (less)
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Sid Hancock
Dec 25, 2012Sid Hancock rated it it was ok
Most people seem to love this book. It was enjoyable but it felt more like an autobiography than a book about the learning process. You could essentially break his points down into a quick-reference card and have just as much scientific/analytic support for them.
flag19 likes · Like · 1 comment · see review
Isk
Jul 05, 2009Isk rated it it was amazing
Part I: The Foundation
Chapter 1: Innocent Movies
Josh discovers chess in the park. Lessons with Bruce: first lessons establish camaraderie.
Chapter 2: Losing to Win:
Loses first nat'l championship. Summertime is off to the sea -- the little breaks from competition are important for success, since they allow a new perspective and new energy.
Back to life, he's a mess. Bruce realizes he needs fun more than chess. Wins national tournament.
Chapter 3: Two Approaches to Learning
Entity theorists (innate ability, skill can't evolve) vs. incremental theorists (hard work). Josh began by focusing on endgame (first focus = king + pawn vs. king), opponents on opening variations (= winning fast and easily -> entity theorists, big fish in small pond afraid of breaking illusion of excellence). Analogy: if gymnast always thinks that must have perfect body ready for performance, how to handle injuries or life after gymnastics career?
Chapter 4: Losing the Game
Style on chessboard is direct expression of personality.
Chapter 5: The Soft Zone: "Lose Yourself"
Earthquake -> "in the zone"/higher state of consciousness. He starts looking at nuance pyschology, or how to trigger states of creative flow. His first step is learning to avoid getting districted by random events.
Chapter 6: The Downward Spiral
Don't let mistakes end up in a spiral of more.
Chapter 7: Changing Voice:
Started training with a new teacher who wanted him to become more conservative. After tournaments where he had positions he didn't understand or where he made mistakes, he'd enter the moves into a computer, note thought processes and emotions at the time, and analyze these positions.
Chapter 8: Breaking Stallions
Child has no fear -- if you fall off, just get back on. AS you get older -- fear of injury, falls are humiliating. Key to high-level learning is a resilient awareness that is the older, conscious embodiment of a child's playful obliviousness.
Relationship to your pursuit must stay in harmony with your disposition. Parallel: how for lifetime rock guitarist to learn classical music? 1) From classical composer who despises rock n' roll, or 2) ex-rocker who fell inn love w/ classical music? Mind defines things in relation to 1 another (e.g., what's light w/o dark?)?
Part II:
Chapter 9: Beginner's Mind
Reads On the Road, The Dharma Bums -> meditation, Tao Te Ching, Tai Chi -> Push Hands.
Chapter 10: Investment in Loss
*****
"I have long believed that if a student of virtually any discipline could avoid ever repeating the same mistake twice -- both technical and psychological -- he or she would skyrocket to the top of their field. Of course such a feat is impossible -- we are bound to repeat thematic errors, if only because many themes are elusive and difficult to pinpoint. For example, in my chess career I didn't realize I was faltering in transitional moments until many months of study brought the pattern to light. So the aim is to minimize repetition as much as possible, by having an eye for consistent psychological and technical themes of error."
Allow yourself not to be at peak performance, so that you can learn/try new things to improve.
Chapter 11: Making Smaller Circles
Depth >> breadth. Complete mastery of basic skill set.
Chapter 12: Using Adversity
Breaks right hand -> forced to cultivate weaker side.
Chapter 13: Slowing Down Time
*****
Importance of really knowing the fundamentals, to internalize them as building blocks.
Chapter 14: The Illusion of the Mystical
Psychological manipulation/battles. You can take advantage of your opponents' blinks, e.g., by noticing (perhaps subconsciously) that his cheek twitches before he blinks.
Part III: Bringing it all Together
Chapter 15: The Power of Presence
Always be clearheaded.
Chapter 16: Searching for the Zone
Learns how to maintain long-term, healthy, self-sustaining peak performance. Don't have to hold state of feverish concentration every second of chess game -> renewed energy. Just need brief recovery period/improve ability to recover.
Stress + recovery. Interval work.
Chapter 17: Building Your Trigger
Being able to trigger moments of intense concentration/performance.
Chapter 18: Making Sandals
Convert passions/anger into fuel.
Chapter 19: Bringing it all Together
At the highest levels of any competitive discipline, everyone is great. So you need to take advantage of your unique specialties.
Chapter 20: Taiwan
Competition details.
(less)
flag16 likes · Like · 2 comments · see review
Bartosz Majewski
Jan 23, 2019Bartosz Majewski rated it it was amazing
Shelves: business-and-pleasure
Around 10 years ago i've read a book by Polish author Jacek Santorski. It was called "Humans against humans". I vaguely recall it now but one idea stuck with me throughout the years.
He digressed into it by saying (i'm paraphrasing) that economic reserves in developed countries are shrinking so there will be less room to manouver for people that are focused on experiencing without contribution. The rest of us will have to embrace something he called "The way of the Samurai" with much more uncertainty and performance expectations for business executives that were reserved to top athlethes. The book was published in 1997. That's impressive foresight.
This thought came back to me multiple times when i've read Waitzkin's book. It was one of my most meta-readings in recent years. Waitzkin is trying to synthesise his competition and performance experience from Chess and Martial Arts so that it becomes universal and applicable to other areas of life in which we need to perform on highest levels. He knows what he is talking about. He was among the best in the world in both those areas.
If you are just starting out this is probably not the right time to read this book. But if you have 3,5,10 years of experience and looking for new frames on how you can be better at what you do - this is the right book for you. I bet that people who are into chess or martial arts (i'm not) would get even more value and fun out of it.
Thank you, Bartek Pucek for recommending me this one. (less)
flag8 likes · Like · comment · see review
Reya Kempley
Jan 12, 2012Reya Kempley rated it it was amazing
Recommends it for: anyone involved in competitive sports or games, fans of chess and Tai Chi
Shelves: autobiography
As someone who has been seriously involved in a highly mental competitive sport since the age of nine, I deeply related to so many of Josh Waitzkin's experiences and mental strategies he's developed. While the level of fame I have realized (so far!?) is very small when compared to Josh's, and only exists within a small circle of competitors and enthusiasts, my struggle to excel in competition parallels so much of what Josh describes, from the mistake of denying emotions completely (leading to collapse of technique under pressure) to breakthroughs of thought (when success feels easy). There is a dynamic flow of energy, emotion, and thoughts that one becomes very aware of when involved in high-level competition, and is very difficult, if possible, to ever master. It is a skill that requires constant evaluation and effort to move toward the focus and confidence that will allow a competitor to win. This book provides excellent stories and philosophical tools that will assist one's progress on that endless path of learning any skill, by learning about yourself, and improving your ability to win. It doesn't matter whether it's in chess and Tai Chi like Waitzkin, or anything else competitive in your life! I believe this is a highly worthwhile read. (less)
flag7 likes · Like · 2 comments · see review
Brent
Aug 16, 2019Brent rated it liked it · review of another edition
Shelves: nonfiction, on-hand, cognitive-science
An autobiography presented as a reference on peak performance. The stories are interesting, but it is not clear how to replicate the author's success.
flag6 likes · Like · comment · see review
Marcus
Jun 16, 2008Marcus rated it it was amazing
Recommends it for: sethdiviney@gmail.com, danathomas76@gmail.com, jennyvorwaller@gmail.com
Despite not being very interested in either chess or the martial arts, this is one of the most interesting and insightful books I have read. Josh is one of the few people that has become an expert at something and maintained the ability to understand and share exactly the process that led him to expertise, then abstract the process to make it applicable to learning almost anything. His writing style is clear and engaging. He's a great teacher--he subtly reviews as he goes along without making the book seem repetitive. The concepts are simple and powerful. Already I've been able to apply them to endeavors in my own live and I've seen results. (less)
flag6 likes · Like · comment · see review
----
習得への情熱―チェスから武術へ―:上達するための、僕の意識的学習法 (Japanese) Tankobon Hardcover – August 18, 2015
by ジョッシュ・ウェイツキン (著), 吉田 俊太郎 (翻訳)
4.3 out of 5 stars 39 ratings
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¥3,135
Points Earned: 31pt
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¥2,880
かつてチェスの“神童"と呼ばれ、長じて卓越した武術家(太極拳推手の世界選手権覇者にして、黒帯の
柔術家)となった著者が、トップクラスの競技者になるためのart of learning(習得の技法)を語る。
技能を倦まず開墾し続け、競技者としては千人に一人、あるいはそれ以上の領域を目指す、
「超」能動的な学習術である。
優れた競技者になるための内的技法は競技の種類によらず驚くほど共通していると著者は言う。
「インスピレーションを得るための公式や型紙は存在しない。だけど、それを得る自分なりの方法を
発見するために辿るべきプロセスならある」(第18章)という表現に象徴されるように、鍵となるプロセスを
意識的に辿ることが、より高い集中力、より高いパフォーマンスレベルでの学習につながっていく。
チェスを武術に、武術をチェスに翻訳できるこの著者ならではの離れ業を用いて、「数を忘れるための数」
「より小さな円を描く」「引き金を構築する」といった上達の足掛かりとなるプロセスが、印象深く描出されている。
著者が他ジャンルのトップアスリートやそのメンタル・トレーナーから授けられた洞察も、ここには注がれている。
本書が提示する学びへの開かれたアプローチ、学ぶ喜びについての衒いのない、ひたむきな語りは、
読む者に自らの可能性を顧みさせる力をもっている。
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Product description
内容（「BOOK」データベースより）
「インスピレーションを得るための公式や型紙は存在しない。だけど、それを得る自分なりの方法を発見するために辿るべきプロセスならある。」ハイレベルの競技者たちが心理的に取り組んでいる課題とは?チェスと武術に通底する高度な習得プロセスから見えてきた、自己最高のパフォーマンスを引き出す学習術。
著者について
[著者略歴]
ジョッシュ・ウェイツキン(Josh Waitzkin)
1976年ニューヨーク生まれ.少年時代はチェスプレーヤーとして数々のトーナメントで活躍,16歳でインターナショナル・マスター(IM)となり,全米ジュニアチェス選手権(21歳以下部門)2年連続優勝,世界チェス選手権(18歳以下部門)ベスト4をはじめとする優れた戦績を収める.
父親のフレッド・ウェイツキンが幼年時代のジョッシュを主人公に,チェスプレーヤーたちの人間模様を描いた著作Searching for Bobby Fisher(Random House, 1988)〔邦訳『ボビー・フィッシャーを探して』若島正訳,みすず書房(2014)〕は映画化もされ,大きな注目を浴びた.
1998年から太極拳の一部門である推手を習いはじめ,数年のうちに全米選手権および世界選手権のタイトルを獲る実力となる.2004年にはこの競技の最高峰の闘いの場である中華杯国際太極拳選手権(台湾)で二部門を制覇.その後はブラジリアン柔術に力を注ぎ,2011年には世界屈指の柔術家であるマルセロ・ガッシアの下で黒帯となる.本書で語っている習得の心理的技法については全米各地の教育機関へ講演や助言を提供しているほか,柔術と教育の両方への関心を生かして,ガッシアの道場Marcelo Garcia Academy in NYCのオンライン版MGinaction.com(トップレベルのグラップラーたちの詳細なテクニックの動画をアーカイヴしたウェブサイト,www.mginaction.com)をガッシアとともに立ち上げた(2015年現在,継続運営中).定評あるチェスのコンピューター・ゲームChessmasterの最新版(ver. XI,Chessmaster: Grandmaster Edition)には,チュートリアルを提供している.
[訳者略歴]
吉田俊太郎(よしだ・しゅんたろう)
翻訳家.1965年東京都生まれ.早稲田大卒.英国と日本を頻繁に行き来しながら,映画・映像芸術・広告を中心分野に翻訳活動をしている.
訳書にM・オンダーチェ『映画もまた編集である──ウォルター・マーチとの対話』(2011,みすず書房),J・ヴァン・シル『映画表現の教科書──名シーンに学ぶ決定的テクニック100』(2012),ダグ・チャン『SFデザインテクニック──ダグ・チャンの世界と造形哲学』(2013),J・F・ミルバーン/R・ニコデマス共著『minimalism ~30歳からはじめるミニマル・ライフ』(2014)(以上フィルムアート社)など多数.趣味は柔道で講道館柔道二段. 本書に触発され,数年前から英国で太極拳教室(基本套路/対練/推手)に通っている.
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Product details
単行本: 312 pages
Publisher: みすず書房 (August 18, 2015)
Language: 日本語
ISBN-10: 4622079224
ISBN-13: 978-4622079224
Release Date: August 18, 2015
Package Dimensions: 7.6 x 5.2 x 1 inches
Customer Reviews: 4.3 out of 5 stars39 customer ratings
Amazon Bestsellers Rank: #14,501 in Japanese Books (See Top 100 in Japanese Books)
#4 in Combat Sports & Self-Defense (Japanese Books)
#654 in Sports (Japanese Books)
#2093 in Nonfiction (Japanese Books)
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ぷくぷくちゃん
3.0 out of 5 stars 読み方を考えよう
Reviewed in Japan on May 21, 2018
Verified Purchase
・良い点
何かを練習〜勉強して結果を出すまでのプロセスが具体的に説明されている。何歳からでも試せる素敵なアイデアばっかりだし、他人や環境にイラつかないための練習なんかは、どの立場にある人にも役立つはずだ。
・悪い点
長い。前半まで僕はていねいに読んだが、太極拳やチェスの試合の話は、わりと飛ばしても大丈夫だった。後半もあまり役立ちそうに無い部分はすっかり飛ばした。
======
真面目に全ページを読むと、かなり面倒くさい。
自分にとって有益な情報をつまんで読むといいと思う。ただ、ネット上の「要約」なんかではなく、自分で読んで、自分に合った読み方をする必要がある。値段は高いが、それだけの価値がある。
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さだはる
5.0 out of 5 stars 二つの世界で頂点を極めた人物の学習法
Reviewed in Japan on January 9, 2018
Verified Purchase
チェスと太極拳という全く異なる世界でチャンピオンを経験している著者が物事を習得、上達させるために必要な思考、方法論を自身の体験をもとに書き記した本。
著者曰く、分野が違えど優れた競技者になるための内的技法は驚くほど共通しているという。
この習得へのプロセスを言語化するために著者ならではの「数を忘れるための数」「より小さな円を描く」などの用語を用いて詳細に解説されている。
印象に残った方法論を書き記すと、
習得するための取り掛かりとして大事であるのはやはり基本であり、基本を分解、分析し頭で理解する。そのうえで、頭で理解せずとも身体が勝手に動く、覚えるほどまでその作業を繰り返すことが大切。
プレッシャーや重圧、怒りなどの感情によってパフォーマンスが低下しないように、あえてそのような状態を作り出し鍛錬する。
一瞬のひらめきや最高のパフォーマンスが発揮できた瞬間を偶然と捉えず、分析し理論づけを行う。
身体的インターバルトレーニングによって精神面での安定を図ることが可能。
ミスをすると意識がそこで止まってしまう。それによって更なるミスが発生するという悪循環に陥りやすい。そのため、絶対的な時間軸と自己の心の在り様の時間軸が乖離せずに一致するよう努め、いま、ここに集中する。など。
基本が大事であるなどは当たり前のことであるが、著者の場合、習得のための反復が常人ではなく取り組む姿勢に驚嘆せずにはいられない。
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太極拳com
4.0 out of 5 stars 今までにない太極拳本？
Reviewed in Japan on July 10, 2017
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チェスの世界チャンピオンで推手の世界大会の２冠。
非常に興味深い経歴の方の書かれた書籍ですが、今までにない太極拳本？でした。
帯にこっそり記載されていましたが、ニューヨーク・タイムズの「The Top 100 Best-Selling Education Books of 2014」に選ばれた一冊のとのこと。あらゆることに適用できる上達のプロセスは、太極拳だけではなく、他のスポーツ競技者やビジネスにも生かせる内容ですばらしいです。
冒頭からチェスの話が1/3ほど続きます。太極拳だけの本として購入すると、がっかりするかもしれません。
そこまでやるのか！？といったレベルの肉体と精神の鍛錬方法について非常に勉強になりました。と同時にやる気を触発されます。
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mizno
5.0 out of 5 stars 卓越したスキルを身につけるために参考になる実践的な本
Reviewed in Japan on November 27, 2019
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本書は全米チェスチャンピオンになり、推手と呼ばれる太極拳の大会でもチャンピオンになることができた著者の体験記を交えたスキル習得の本になります。
知的競技のチェスと、肉体や身体の技術を鍛錬しなければならない太極拳という一見すると全く違うと思える二つの競技で卓越した技術を実際に習得できた著者の本というだけあって内容は想像以上に濃いものになります。
まさに知行合一という言葉が合っているのではないでしょうか。著者は、習得に役立つ科学的な実験結果や古典や哲学書までも読み漁り参考にしながら自らのスキルを客観的に評価し、スキル獲得に必要なことを模索した非常に知的な性格の方だと文章から読み取れます。
普通、若くしてチェスで全米ナンバーワンにでもなれば「俺は天才だから」なんて考えがちなものですが、かなり謙虚な姿勢が見て取れます。練習を重ねることはもちろんのこと、直感やフロー体験、馬鹿力のようなものまでも意識的に再現できるように実験と検証を重ねており、覚悟を決めてスキルの習熟を本気で求めていたのか、成長する上での「正しい姿勢」のようなものを重視されていたのではないかと思われます。
「型を忘れるための型」や「超現実的な形で共存」など、とにかく難しい表現が多用されます。これは翻訳が下手くそなのではなく、そういった卓越した技術を習得することを表現するための絶妙な言い回しなのだと思います。あっさり書かれると正しい表現にならないからこそストーリーを用いたりして工夫して表現されています。
単に武術を極めたい方が読んでも参考になるとは思いますが、成長論を把握するのも難しいし、それをやろうとしてもその方法は王道です。裏技みたいなものではないため「いや、こんなに時間使えねーよ。すぐに上達はしないのか」みたいな失望を抱く感想になってしまう人がいるのではないかと思われます。
一読しただけじゃ理解できないです。何度か読んで自分も頑張ろうと思える圧倒的な良書。
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SM Neuron
5.0 out of 5 stars あらゆるもの全てを学びに昇華するマクロ、ミクロ学習プロセスを体系的に学びたい方に役に立つ内容
Reviewed in Japan on June 5, 2020
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本書は、著者自身が身に付けた、頭で思考しない方法 ( 断片的な知 )を、
体系的に頭で考えてまとめ ( チャンク化 )、
文章 ( 内省の文脈変換 ) 化するといったことを成し遂げている本であり、【訳者あとがき】
チェス、太極拳、海、人、環境などのあらゆる対象物から、
著者自身が内省を経ながら、あらゆるもの全てを学びに昇華させ、
それをさらにチャンク化、さらに新しい知を得ていくといった内容である。
ex、右手を骨折した時、試合をどう制すか？
などの、あまり経験できないような局面を経験した著者の内省からヒントを得て、
俯瞰 → 内省 → チャンク化 → if then 設定 → あらゆる環境、駒を利用する、、といった流れを取ることで、
知識のフローに、あなたも入れるかもしれない！
【memo】
１－３を繰り返す。
１－３に新たな知を組み込み、チャンク化する。
１、【俯瞰知識利用】
( マクロの盤面から観た、自分という駒を眺める観点の獲得、それを動かす為の体系的知識、断片的知識の獲得 )
・無知の知への好奇心、開放性、知的謙遜
・「静」無抵抗の獲得
・俯瞰された観点の獲得 ( あらゆる感情を利用しメリットに転換する )
・物理法則と身体との関係性、心理プロセス、原則、パターン知識のチャンク化
・ニューロン再配線
２、【資源、環境、戦略知識利用】
( マクロの盤面から観た、自分や他人というミクロの駒の効力最大化の為の体系的知識の利用 )
・相対的に見た駒 ( 自分、他人 )の効力を最大限する為の戦略、それを知るための内省、知識、使い方
・駒の心理プロセスの俯瞰
・小さな円で、大きな効力
・戦略の組換え
・ある環境下でのマインドワンダリングからの、ひらめき、真戦略の発明、戦略明確化 (メリハリ)
３、【if then設定、効力のフィードバック】
( 知識、学習プロセスの複利化の為の引き金設定 )
・if then設定、行動発動、効力のフィードバックと分析、データ化
・チャンク化した動作の獲得、さらにif then 行動に落とし込み
・目的に向かって駒を進める
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Amazon カスタマー
2.0 out of 5 stars ほぼ自伝です
Reviewed in Japan on July 30, 2020
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学習法と書かれてますがほとんど自伝です。
しいて学習法部分として抜粋するなら
1：一度にたくさん理解しようとしないで焦点をしぼり少しずつ小さな円を広げるように覚えていく。
2：ゾーンに入る方法、4～5個ほどの集中するための「儀式」を自分で作ることで
この儀式を行えば反射的に集中モードに入るようになる(鈴木裕氏の「ヤバい集中力」の方が詳しくかいています)
3：勝負師であるこの人の場合勝負事には必ず精神を乱すアクシデントが発生する
それらによる激昂などの精神の乱れをいかに受け入れてすぐに集中しなおすか
これには短～中時間の激しい運動と休息を繰り返すことで少ない休息時間で回復できるようになると
それがそのまま精神の乱れから落ち着きを取り戻すまでの時間の短縮につながっている
ゾーンに入る方法ならその手の専門書の方が詳しく書いてあります
先のように大半が自伝なのでこの人そのものに興味がある人なら良いと思います。
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5.0 out of 5 stars とても素晴らしい
Reviewed in Japan on July 22, 2017
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初心者から上級者まで誰にでも勧めたい一冊。
学習の考え方を書いてある本。
普通に読書するぶんにも楽しい。
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吉本 正博
5.0 out of 5 stars 達人とは素直さと倒され続けることからも学ぶ人
Reviewed in Japan on January 21, 2019
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著者の武術への取り組みが、細かく記述されており、意外に師の導きのまま素直に従順に従って行動していることや繰り返し繰り返し倒され続けることも進歩上達に欠かせないプログラムだと自覚し練習に打ち込んでいる状況、チェスも含め試合中の心理描写箇所など興味深く、励みとなる本でした。
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