CF Dictionary · Practice & Mastery
Mastery
Deep, [[automatization|automatized]] skill. CF treats mastery as the goal of long-term practice.
Mastery is the state of having a skill so deeply learned that it runs automatically and reliably — including under stress, in novel contexts, and in combination with other skills.
What mastery looks like
- Automatic. Doesn't require conscious attention.
- Reliable. Works under pressure.
- Adaptable. Transfers to new contexts.
- Combinable. Works alongside other skills.
- Error-detecting. You notice when something is off.
How mastery differs from competence
- Competence. Can do it; needs attention.
- Mastery. Does it without attention; can do it under stress.
CF's mastery principles
- Long, deliberate practice.: Years, not weeks.
- Varied contexts. Not just one environment.
- Sub-skill mastery first. Build pieces, then combinations.
- Deliberate practice: Target weak areas.
- Mastery of Sentences: Even basic skills deserve deep practice.
Mastery vs. intuition
- Intuition. A felt sense; may or may not be non-refuted.
- Mastery. Reliable performance; backed by automatized knowledge.
- Mastery produces good intuitions. Bad intuitions come from bias or untrained pattern-matching.
Anti-patterns
- Confusing competence with mastery. "I know it" ≠ "I do it automatically".
- Stopping at competence. Mastery takes longer.
- Mastery without reflection. deliberate-practice requires feedback.