Chunks should be borrowed from experts

Limits of working memory may limit improvements from practice.

How might we use our limited working memory capacity more effectively? One of the ways to improve our working memory capacity is by Chunking.

When I was trying to improve my badminton game, there were many points that I needed to pay attention to:

• Where my opponent are and where my shuttle is going
• Predicting what my opponent is about to do
• Where the shuttle is going to land
• I need to remember to do a split step
• My split step timing needs to be correct
• etc

Given my Working memory limits, I won't be able to pay attention to all of these at the same time. The chunk that I discovered from experts is the word "anticipation".

Given that Practicing is an exercise of moving from System 2 to System 1 by rehearsing, I repeated the word "anticipate anticipate anticipate", and that becomes my all encompassing attention to cover all the points above. It also becomes the word I would recall repeatedly when I practice, carrying the same effect to coaching notes (Coaching notes allow students to focus their individual practice).

Without an expert knowledge, I wouldn't have discovered this chunk. And when you borrowed the chunks from experts, it's more universal to be used, hence easier to be searched.

Some chunks, such as "error rates", can be detrimental depending on the Practice-Perform duality. Measuring error rates may reduce performance.