You have probably heard the saying "practice makes perfect." But did you know that all practice is not created equal? Some forms of practice are better than others, depending on your level of expertise. Two practice strategies that are often compared are blocked practice and random practice. Using basketball shooting as an example, a blocked practice schedule for shooting would have you take all 10 shots from the free-throw line, then 10 shots from the right side, and finally 10 shots from the left (30 total shots). In contrast, a random practice schedule would have you alternate between free-throw, right-side, and left-side shooting until you complete 10 shots from each location (30 total shots).
Are you saying to yourself, "So what?" Well, research has demonstrated that blocked practice is good for the initial stages of learning a skill (beginners), but random practice leads to better long-term learning of skills. This also makes sense in terms of performance, because you rarely shoot 10 shots from the same place on a basketball court. So, if you are past the beginner stage in your favorite activity, add some variety to your practice by practicing skills in a random schedule instead of a blocked schedule. Ask your coach or physical educator if they know about blocked and random practice.
