Training vs. Practicing

As I mentioned before in another post I've spent the past couple of days in conversations with performers, and an athlete or two, embroiled in some really awesome conversation.

Training vs. Practicing came up.

The athletes, especially, have been saying training comes with coaching, sometimes a price tag and enhancement of performance ability. The performers say this is where they use a coach or teacher to pick up a new skill set.

Practicing is where you work through the skills you already have.

Involved in this have also been those who view training as working without supervision or guidence on new skills and practicing is going over "old" skills.

What are your views on this?
What is training to you?
What constitutes practicing?

This can be for anything from programming to poi.

Just thought it was interesting to think about.

Just want to say to start off, because there have been cases in the past of original posters being unhappy because of misunderstandings:

Are you talking semantics? Or philosophy?

Yes, Rouge, both.
It's a personal view point thing and one that is neither right nor wrong so I can say the original poster won't get unhappy because it can go either way.

I view them as one and the same.

Then again, I'm a swimmer. There are very few skills required for swimming.

But to master them is quite a journey.

The way I've always looked at it, training is the business of getting better, whereas practicing is the act of not getting worse...

I think the semantic aspect and the philosophical aspect are linked: When you're told to "Get out there and train!" it's a very proactive thing, where you're of the mind of becoming better, whereas when you think "Practice, practice, practice," it's the repetitions that drive your training home. Maybe it's a focus thing. With our without a coach or teacher, training is highly focused - goal-oriented. Practice is a general thing to do.

I guess in general usage most people would say they're more or less interchangeable, but I think "training" has a different attitude from "practice." In Doc's case you can't just "practice" swimming at random points in the day, unless you live under water, whereas anybody with a lanyard and car keys or shopping bags and apples can "practice" poi for two minutes waiting for coffee to brew, whereas when you go to "train" you use your proper gear and slide into a real poi-learnin' attitude.

That made sense as I wrote it, I swear!

Ya know Doc, I think you need to give yourself/swimmers more credit. I think there is a tremendous amount of skill that is involved in swimming, especially specific strokes.
Knowing people that don't know how to swim and watching them in the water...skill is definately involved I think.

Interesting examples Mucky, and thoughts. I can completely see where you are coming from. Thanks!

I see it in another way: (never really thought how many different possibilities there are for this!)

I see training, as something for a specific purpose, i.e., training to get fitter, training to teach, training for a performance (whether as an athlete or performer!) I guess you would train if you were a professional (semi - whatever!). Training I guess, is more likely to be a structured, focused learning.

I see practicing as a more general thing, not for a specific event, but just to get better in general. Or to practice a new move. Practice would be more random, no set routine, less obvious patterns, e.g. practicing one move for a while, before going off to have a random spin in the flow.

There are serious flaws in that way of thinking, that I am aware of, but I'm struggling to put into words at the moment, so I'll have to have a think and come back.

I guess the definitions overlap quite a lot.

Interesting one though, and something that I had started to think about without realising, so thanks for bringing this up

my pleasure pricklyleaf.

It really does get the mind cranking, doesn't it?

I think the same as you, and then realize there are flaws in it for me as well, but at the same time, it seems logical to me and so in that, not as flawed.

I just don't know! lol

Hmm, well I guess for me training is when I use a session for actual improvement - I'll know what props I'm using in which order and generally the order of the types of moves to train. Everything is worked through in a structured way and I'll almost always see improvement.

Practice is training when I can't be arsed with structure but I'm still aiming for improvement over the session.

Playing is just messing around, feeling the flow and not worrying about how much better/worse you're getting.

Few thoughts (so likely to be conflicting) in terms of sport which is where my background is:

I think training is stronger than practise
When I played junior tennis, I went "to tennis practise", but then when I started pursuing elite rowing I went "to training".

But I also think of training in terms of physical conditioning, and practise in terms of technical conditioning. I would practise a technique but then train to heart-rate.

Um, so in terms of poi?
I think of poi as "practise" because I cannot see it as an elite sport *waits for people to jump on me for this*
But if I had to give it something, I'd think you practise flowers, but train so that your shoulders don't get sore when you do them.

i think i do both, train and practice. when i am training it is generally because i dont have music on and i have to make my own flow so to speak, this means i can stop and work on one move or its transition into another move and really tighten things up. when music is on i tend to practice, i let the flow take me and other than trying the intial swallowing up of new moves, i generally just go with the flow and allow the music to let me dance.

As for importance, i think both are very important, to me, training is learning a new trick, practice is putting it into context with other moves and really sharpening it up.

for me Training can be refered to as the enhancement of muscle memory where you "train" new movements I have to agree on the fact that practice is based upon already learned movements and using them in various different ways or known movements in various different orders whereas training can be construed as improving a number of aspects from endurance to strength of new movements.
I learnt that basically:

Training = attempts to improve various aspects of fitness (mental or physical ) or learn new skills. also known as conditioning. Most commonly done with the help of anothers direction and skill.

Practice = Repetition of known actions/thoughts at a comfotable rate so as to reinforce learning and bring about proficiency. Most commonly done using personal knowledge

we were taught to remeber the difference by remembering:
a person can be trained but cannot be practiced.

I agree with Rouge to the extent that a sport or skill can be practiced but it's the body that is trained.

Kinda along the same lines as others....but viewed exclusivly from contact staff.

When i think of training i think of a more drill based session. Small, short exercises done over and over to gain control/muscle memory/style. So gernerally training would be done to aquire new skills.

Practicing is putting those drills together and polishing them while incorperating older skills with the newer ones.


this brings on a question....why are they training wheels and not practicing wheels?

To my mind practicing is simply repetition of a task in order to improve performance in that task e.g. practicing for public speaking would involve reading out loud your speech in order to learn the content and to deliver it naturally and in a fluid manner to minimize the effects of stage fright etc.

Training on the other hand would involve working on the skills required to complete the task so for the public speaking example one might do voice projection exercises, work on diction and clarity of speech as well as practicing the actual speech your going to give.

So for poi (in my mind at least) practicing would involve repetition of a move or routine in order to weed out the mistakes and to make it slicker/smooth and more tidy.
Training (similarly to what poje said) for poi could involve breaking things down e.g. learning a new move step by step in a thought out manner, working on your non dominant hand, or not using poi at all - working on arm flexibility/movement for something like behind the back weave, or working on balance and stability so people aren't distracted from your great new move by your flailing around with all the elegance of a Giraffe on ice

I'm with Rougie when she says that training is more serious than practising.

I consider it practising when I go to the park for an hour or so with my poi because it's a causal, informal time I spend on improving my skills. If I were spending say the whole day or weekend there, learning from a more experienced twirler, I'd consider it training - because for me training implies the presence of a teacher, even in the form of a DVD or book.

Also in a way I think Geoffon is right in terms of the physical difference between the two, but I think this is largely a difference in semantics.

what about active application of theories.. where would these fit in..

my example in mind has to do with ideas that have been explained by another person, but the final outcomes have not been specified, nor is the extent they are applcable to limited by a glass ceiling.. if the person then goes off on their own, and actively thinks about these theories, whilst using the appropriate aparatus (ie. poi) are they then being remotely-trained, or are they just practicing an idea and concept, as opposed to practicing a series of movent.

cheers, petey

that could be construed as learning Pete as if developing ideas no fixed / structured session is laid out.


I would consider practice and training repetition of a previously learned move, if the move is not yet learned I would place the action at the appropriate part of a learning curve before it flattens out (learning is akin to practice)