Viggo Mortensen

How Slowing Down Leads to Real Progress

Seen another way, the advice reflects how skill is actually built. Whether one is learning to ride, act, write, or play music, early progress depends on deliberate repetition rather than reckless acceleration. Psychologist Anders Ericsson’s work on expert performance, summarized in The Cambridge Handbook of Expertise and Expert Performance (2006), emphasizes focused practice over mindless speed. Precision first, then fluency. Consequently, “go slow to go fast” becomes a rule for mastery. A rider who calmly learns balance and timing will eventually move with confidence; a performer who studies technique patiently will later appear effortless. What looks swift and natural in experts is usually the visible result of a long, careful apprenticeship. [...]