Posted by Antisocial Practice-room Dweller on April 14, 2001 at 22:36:26:
In Reply to: Breaks in practicing? posted by Scott on April 14, 2001 at 19:00:09:
Hi! Some input on this topic...
Yes, you definitely need to take breaks. I am practicing four hours a day, but even so, I can only do at the most a two hour / two and a half hour session. Today, being the weekend, I decided I would try to get everything done this morning / early afternoon so I could enjoy the beautiful day. Well... didn't work too well. After two and a half hours, I couldn't go another two hours without eating and taking a break from it all! So I ended up doing just that and cancelling my plans, but I finished my practice. So the bottom line is, schedule your practice blocks. When you start to feel tired both physically and mentally, the benefits of practice decrease as well.
Budgeting time between practice and the rest of your life is important, especially at your age. Figure out how much practice time you need, and plan from there. Consider everything you need and want to work on, and figure out how much time you can realistically devote to all of this. Take it from there, and figure where you can schedule in your times. It's like conditioning for sports... a little in the morning, some more after school... but you'll end up in great shape and reap the benefits in your playing.
Look out for the signs the other guys offered, i.e. too much pressure, etc. That's some great advice. Best of luck!
Just some thoughts / reflections...