Observations:

• Repeatedly practicing something makes you better at it
• Performance is becoming more and more competitive throughout the years
• Coaching methods have to do with better training
• Memory plays a high role in mastering certain activities
• Mastering certain aspects of your memory in a certain area is what help you master something

Compelling moments:

• I was intrigued by the fact that the Olympics gold medalist from 100 years ago would barely qualify for the current Olympics
• The fact that muscle memory can be applied to almost any activity

Question to Author:

How much time would take the average human being to master a skill using the techniques of muscle memory?

Authors Purpose:

I believe that Goleman wrote this article with hopes of letting young people as well as parents know that there is always a way for someone to become better at something, and that way is by practicing that activity as much as you can. This article was also written to inform people that even if they believe that they are good at something, they can always get better. The article was also written with the purpose of showing people how times have changed and that people now a days perform better than others. As I read this article it made me think about Michael Jordan, and how everyone, inluding myself, believes that he was the greatest basketball player that ever played the game. Thinking more deeply, is there a possibility that someone else will surpass Jordan’s legacy one day?

The article is about records, but that’s not all. It goes in depth of how it takes a certain type of mentality to break a record. He uses dedication and attitude as reasons for why records are broken. One compelling moment was how he described chess masters memorizing their boards as a mental tactic. Another compelling moment was how college students had to hear 102 random digits with 50 hours of practice and one student was able to remember all 102. The author purpose for the article was to enlighten the reader that practice makes perfect.