Bounce: The of Myth of Talent and the Power of Practice

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Or that “Klein found that for chess experts the move quality hardly changed at all in blitz conditions”. What is the magic spark that sees David Beckham and Tiger Woods soar above all their competitors, and could the secret lie in the practice regime of Mozart? Mozart did not create original works of art until he was twenty-one, and had thousands of hours under his belt in playing and composing music. Compelling and, at times, exhilarating - Bounce explains high achievement in sport, business and beyond. Syed makes an interesting point, that the talent myth is believed by so many, and that as a result it is very damaging to some institutions.

Matthew Syed's dazzling investigation of high achievement draws on the stories of sports stars and the most up-to-date science to uncover the surprising factors that lead to world beating success. What truly captivates is Syed's ability to demystify greatness, making it accessible to every reader.It's not just Federer's physical prowess with a tennis racquet (something Syed talks about in a later chapter as reproducible practice) but also the hours and hours and hours he has spent practicing reading his opponents, knowing exactly where to look and what it means. The book will teach you what form of practice actually works and what is required to achieve elite world class levels in sports, business, music, driving and pretty much anything! The thing that often separates the best from the rest is a capacity to believe things that are not true but which are incredibly effective”.

It is a must-read if you have ever wondered what sets the super-achievers and the rest of us apart - in any field, not just in sport. Fresh, ground-breaking and tackling subjects with broad appeal, Bounce is sure to be one of the most talked about books of the year. This is a thoroughly enjoyable book; it appears to be the first of two books written by Matthew Syed. When I first read the title ‘Bounce’ by Matthew Syed, I was more intrigued with the name of the author than on what the book was about.

It is the softer skills where the complex interaction with environment and opportunity mean that we have long overestimated the role of genetics. Purposeful practice is about striving for what is just out of reach and not quite making it; it is about grappling with tasks beyond current limitations and falling short again and again”.