"Focused" Practice
The answer has to do with the quality of the practice. How many of those 10,000 hours is a swimmer just trying to get to the wall for a rest, live through a set, or finish the workout and go home? If there is no focus on technique, then that time doesn't count toward the 10,000 hours.
"Focused" practice is the key to quality training. (Focused practice has similarities to the "deliberate" practice of Anders Ericsson, a psychology professor and the expert on expert performance, and the "deep" practice of Daniel Coyle, author of The Talent Code.) Only the training hours where a swimmer is focused on the specific cues of an effective technique count towards proficiency. (A cue explains a specific orientation of body parts that a swimmer can see or feel while training.) Attending to these cues provides a swimmer with feedback about whether he/she is complying with effective technique or executing the skill with error.
There are a number of strategies for "focused" practice that expedite skill learning:
- A model of optimal technique
- Instructional cues for key body orientations and motions
- Short swims at a slow speed with limited breathing
- Instructional reminders before each swim
- Individual feedback about compliance with cues after each swim
- An analysis that explains positive technique elements as well as limitations
- Drills and exercises that isolate and allow focus on select cues