Publish at November 30 2015 Updated May 07 2026
Jean de la Fontaine reminded us that speed is not always a sufficient condition for success. The hare learned this the hard way when the tortoise crossed the finish line ahead of him. And yet, speed of execution continues to be regarded as a guarantee of competence, which raises questions about the relevance of this criterion.
When we talk about speed of execution, we're talking above all about a correctly executed activity, and not, of course, a botched job. And yet, whatever the chosen field - with a few rare exceptions, because even prodigies and geniuses train - speed of execution is often the fruit of hard work and repetition.
In the case of sport, specialists agree that the first step is a perfectly precise knowledge of the gesture to be performed. Technique therefore remains the primary objective: karate kicking, soccer juggling, letter formation, guitar playing or charcoal sketching... everything begins with a slow, measured gesture, requiring a high degree of concentration to execute it properly.
The reason this first stage is so important is that it's when we perform the first gestures correctly, repeatedly, that we fix them in our neuromuscular memory. The brain then begins to automate certain sequences, which then seem natural: cycling, walking and driving are perfect examples. Learning to drive requires sustained attention, with a high cognitive load associated with the learning process.
Later, driving becomes more unconscious, allowing you to chat with passengers or listen to the radio. By dint of repetition, backwards, faster or slower, etc., the gesture becomes a reflex to which it is not useful to pay attention, in order to adapt it to the situation. In this way, an experienced pastry chef will be able to produce a rigorously identical plate of chouquettes or macaroons in the twinkling of an eye, whereas the average person will have difficulty obtaining regular cakes.
Aside from fields such as medicine, where the speed of gestures is highly relative and sometimes counter-productive, some people cannot be judged on skills relating to speed of execution. In the case of dyslexics, dyspraxics or even certain high potentials and precocious children, speed of execution is naturally limited. Indeed, the defective construction of their automation in certain domains, such as reading and writing, means that they are unable to automate certain tasks.
Dyspraxics are particularly marked by this, as they suffer from an inability to coordinate their gestures finely. As the first stage of learning movement is constantly repeated, it is not possible for them to accelerate, which is a hindrance for them if speed is considered to be the key to mastery. This shows that procedural memory is fundamental to increasing speed, but must also be combined with good movement coordination.
Speed of execution is only an important indicator of mastery if you're lucky enough not to have any procedural memory malfunctions. What's more, you need to bear in mind that it's only a sure thing when it becomes unconscious, leading to the success of the operation in hand.
In other cases, slowness is also a good sign: slowing down your resting heart rate is a way of increasing your life expectancy, and marathon runners, through their ability to go fast, manage to reduce their resting heart rate by 10% by dint of training. As the carpenters say, "measure twice and cut once": taking your time at the outset allows you to gain time later on.
So the question of speed remains a complex one: wouldn't true mastery be more about knowing when to go slowly and when to accelerate, rather than always rushing?
Photo credit: ktsdesign - ShutterStock
References
"il existe une mémoire du geste" - Anne Chemin - Le Monde
http://www.lemonde.fr/societe/article/2014/11/13/il-existe-une-memoire-du-geste_4523174_3224.html
Work on your memory to change bad habits - Idéo-gène
http://www.ideo-gene.net/memoire-et-concentration/trucs-travailler-sa-memoire-pour-changer-ses-mauvaises-habitudes/
Relationship between resting heart rate and mortality risk - Sports training
http://entrainement-sportif.fr/ralentir-rythme-cardiaque.htm
Focus on resting heart rate - Jogging
http://www.jogging-international.net/sante-forme/articles/focus-sur-la-frequence-cardiaque-de-repos
The precocious child and writing difficulties - Josiane DELORME (.pdf)
http://www.afep-asso.fr/documents/actes/0503.pdf
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