Regards -Heike
Josefa’s last post: Josefa

To continue the running analogies, when I take a break for a while, starting back up is always the hardest part. Not because of the decreased endurance, the pain, or the mental strength required, but because I know what it feels like to run fast and effortlessly, and it’s hard to operate at the proper pace for that given day, instead of months down the road.

As far as 10,000 hours goes, it’s an absurd principle.

Ever have trouble sleeping? Weird, since you should have been a “master of sleep” by the time you were 6 months old. Do you have trouble using a toilet? It’d take hundreds of years for you to get enough practice to be an “expert”, but I assume you don’t struggle with it much. Using a label like that ignores complexity, difficulty, potential, and upkeep.

There’s a saying that “practice makes perfect”. And there’s a better saying that says “perfect practice makes perfect.” Striving to do your best will improve the level you can operate at. When you change your focus, stop trying as hard, or spend less time, you won’t be playing at the same level. But, other than physical limitations, you could get back to the point you were.

Every skill requires maintenance. The more complex, challenging, time consuming, etc, the task, the more maintenance it requires. There’s a reason why Olympians keep training, why authors throw out or rewrite the vast majority of their work, and so on.

A few years ago, I took up running, from pretty much never having done any kind of physical activity. The first year was hard, because I had a very low base level of fitness and no idea what I was doing wrong. About a year in, I could run 3km non-stop if I tried really hard, but I was exhausted. I decided to train for a half-marathon (21.1km), and doing that training taught me what I was doing wrong – I was trying to run too fast, my form was bad, and I didn’t train often enough.

I finished the half-marathon 18 months ago, and I have been lax at running lately. I am still in a superior position now to the position that novice-me was at when I started running though – I know the speed that I should train at, I know how good form feels, and I know that if I keep training 3 times a week and building up my mileage, I am capable of running that distance. It is easier for me to get back to my mastery-level because of this.

I would compare this to WoW – in your current position, you have a much higher base-level of skill than a novice, and you can see that you’re not as good as you were. If you wanted to get back to master-level, you would put in the effort to min-max your gear, perfect your rotation for the new class structure, and practice, and it would be faster for you than for a novice

I try not to watch the TED talks, mainly because I find myself talking back to the screen like when I’m watching a really bad movie. Of course, that’s part of the point –to start discussion– but I’ve discovered that my opinions are formed from a lot more cynicism than a fancy Powerpoint stack.

As you discovered, it’s a bit of a rollercoaster ride trying to maintain a high level of performance. This happens in diverse activities, too: I remember when a fellow experienced coder moved to a managerial position, after about 3-4 months he discovered he’d truly lost his edge since he spent all of his time managing people rather than doing what he loved (coding). Unless you’re willing to be consistent in trainingplaying times, this sort of thing is bound to happen.

Don’t let the haters get ya, because it’s all a tradeoff. Nobody can maintain everything indefinitely, and only those too blind to see will tell you otherwise.
Redbeard’s last post: Dancing With Myself

I think that’s valid for WoW too, and it doesn’t only apply to taking breaks. It takes me a while to get used to my main even if I play an alt for a few days. I think it’s perfectly normal and to be expected… I try to take my druid for a ride in a heroic if I feel I’m rusty before a raid and it usually works. That, and telling myself: “Druid, remember, Barkskin. And HoTs. No totems. HoTs.”

(And you can forget how to ride a bike! Maybe the essentials will be there, but after a break you’ll need to relearn the “tricks” like riding with no hands.)
Jen’s last post: One month of Cataclysm

I don’t think that’s a bad thing, but it’s definitely disconcerting to have a break (for whatever reason) while you’re in a peak position to come back and find yourself re-learning some things about your class. I think this is why I tend to start new characters after a break. It gives me plenty of time to master something new instead of leaving me frustrated as I relearn a class I *remember* playing really well!
Windsoar’s last post: Minipost: Ignored