Spring 1996 marked my first college start as a pitcher for Onondaga Community College in Syracuse, NY. We were in Florida for our annual spring training. It was the first time I’d seen green grass in months and my first trip to Florida, which meant palm trees too.
We reached West Palm Beach to play West Palm Beach Community College. On the bus from the hotel to the field I fidgeted, headphones on my Discman, trying to calm the nerves before my first college game.
I’d heard that eight of the nine WPBCC starters were high school draftees from the previous year’s MLB draft, which only added to my anxiety. I took a few deep breaths, gave myself a pep talk, and went through my usual pregame routine of stretches, long toss, and warmups.
Then came game time. The first batter grounded out, the second struck out, the third walked, and with the fourth I threw a hanging curveball on an 0-2 count that probably could reach Neptune’s orbit. I lasted about four innings, and we ended up losing badly—though I can’t recall the exact score.
That outing turned into a real learning experience. It taught me not to underestimate the moment and to respect that every game can teach you something if you’re paying attention. It also reminded me that past successes don’t guarantee future results.
What I didn’t realize at the time is that I was using a form of disfluency to my advantage. In Smarter, Faster, Better, Charles Duhigg explains that the best learners are those who turn the friction of new information into experiments, extracting lessons from experience rather than simply taking it in.
Duhigg cites a 2014 UCLA study comparing note-taking methods: students who wrote with pen and paper produced notes more slowly and with more effort than laptop users, yet they tended to perform better on tests. The idea is that forcing oneself to struggle a bit with new information can deepen understanding.
So when you’re learning something new, whether it’s a workout, a technique, or a habit, push yourself to do something with that information. Track your training—exercises, sets, reps, and weight lifted. Review different coaches’ insights, and consider recording your lifts to analyze your form. The more you turn challenges into deliberate practice, the more progress you’ll make.
