Page 44 - The Art of Learning by Josh Waitzkin_Neat plip book

in a quiet voice, she can ask Danny if he kno ws what hap pen ed in the ga me.
Hopefully the language between parent and child will already be establ ishe d so

Danny knows his mom is asking about ps ychology, no t chess moves (almost all
mistakes have both technical and mental compo nen ts—t he ches s lessons sho ul d
be left for after the tournament, when Danny and his teacher study the games).
Did he lose his concentration? Did he fall int o a downw ard spi ral and make a

bunch of mistakes in a row? Was he overcon t? Impat ient? Did he ge t
psyched out by a trash talker? Was he tired? Danny will hav e an ide a abo ut hi s
psychological slip, and taking on that issue will be a sho rt-term go al in the
continuing process—introspective thi nki ng of thi s nat ur e can be a very he althy

coping mechanism. Through these dialogues , Danny will learn tha t every loss
is an opportunity for growth. He will beco me increasingl y astut e
psychologically and sensitive to bad hab its.
A heartfelt, empathetically present, incrementally inspi ring mom or da d or

coach can liberate an ambitious child to take the world by the horns . As adul ts,
we have to take responsibility for our selves and nur tur e a heal thy, libe rated
mind-set. We need to put ourselves out ther e, gi ve it our all, and reap the
lesson, win or lose. The fact of the matter is that ther e will be nothi ng learne d

from any challenge in which we do n’t try our har des t. Growth comes at the
point of resistance. We learn by pus hi ng our selves and fi ng wha t really lies
at the outer reaches of our abilities.

*

As I matured as a chess player, there were cons tantly leaps into the unkno wn.
Because of my growth curve, my life was like that hermit crab who ne ver fi s

into the same shell for more than a few day s. I woul d hav e to learn esoteric,
initially uncomfortable types of chess positions . I woul d take on dange rous ne w
rivals who recently emigrated from Eastern Europe or the Soviet Uni on. I’d
travel to distant countries to compet e and need to adap t to the alien cul tur al

and chessic customs on the spur of the m oment.
I remember when I was eleven years old I went to Timisoara, Romani a to
represent America in the World Cham pi ons hi p for everyone unde r the age of
twelve. Each country sends their champi on, and we go to battle. My da d and I

had trouble finding the competition site on the open ing day and I arrived late
to the first round. When I finally go t to my seat across from the Nationa l