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    Unavailable
    The Talent Code: Unlocking the Secret of Skill in Sports, Art, Music, Math, and Just About Anything
    Unavailable
    The Talent Code: Unlocking the Secret of Skill in Sports, Art, Music, Math, and Just About Anything
    Unavailable
    The Talent Code: Unlocking the Secret of Skill in Sports, Art, Music, Math, and Just About Anything
    Audiobook6 hours

    The Talent Code: Unlocking the Secret of Skill in Sports, Art, Music, Math, and Just About Anything

    Written by Daniel Coyle

    Narrated by John Farrell

    4/5

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    Currently unavailable

    Currently unavailable

    About this audiobook

    A New York Times bestselling author explores cutting-edge brain science to learn where talent comes from, how it grows—and how we can make ourselves smarter.

    How does a penniless Russian tennis club with one indoor court create more top 20 women players than the entire United States? How did a small town in rural Italy produce the dozens of painters and sculptors who ignited the Italian Renaissance? Why are so many great soccer players from Brazil?

    Where does talent come from, and how does it grow?

    New research has revealed that myelin, once considered an inert form of insulation for brain cells, may be the holy grail of acquiring skill. Journalist Daniel Coyle spent years investigating talent hotbeds, interviewing world-class practitioners (top soccer players, violinists, fighter, pilots, artists, and bank robbers) and neuroscientists. In clear, accessible language, he presents a solid strategy for skill acquisition—in athletics, fine arts, languages, science or math—that can be successfully applied through a person’s entire lifespan.
    LanguageEnglish
    PublisherHighBridge Audio
    Release dateApr 28, 2009
    ISBN9781598878813
    Unavailable
    The Talent Code: Unlocking the Secret of Skill in Sports, Art, Music, Math, and Just About Anything

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    Reviews for The Talent Code

    4/5

    210 ratings12 reviews

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    • 2/5
      Coyle asks, "...why does it take people so long to learn complex tasks?" Um...because they're complex?

      Any time someone opens up with how they'll reveal "revolutionary scientific discoveries", the best advice is to run away. I didn't take my own advice and stubbornly slogged through this collection of anecdotes about "hotbeds" (he loves that term) in which he reaches far, contradicts himself, incredibly co-opts the Tom Sawyer fence whitewashing story to his means (really...guy tosses thousands of years of human psychology for a fad theory), ignores concentrations of "signals" that don't fit his model for hotbed generation...

      Coyle is a sports writer proposing a theory that he masquerades as science, but it's mostly pop-psychology BS. It's sad that this nonsense is published, sadder that people buy into it.

      Why did I read it? A colleague - psychologist - thought I'd really like the "fascinating" book he was listening to on CD. I am continually amazed at the lack of critical thought among PhDs...less so among the soft sciences...even less in the liberal arts, if the dissertations I've read recently are any indication. The logical fallacies in this book are rapant, and the anecdotes too obviously cherry-picked in order to support the pseudo-theory for this to be taken seriously.
    • 4/5
      This book focuses on what qualities make for top-notch skills in a variety of pursuits. It is very readable, and clear. The steps are few (deep practice, correct mistakes early, ignite interest, provide useful feedback). The biological basis credited with why it works is myelin sheathing of nerve pathways. I found the book to be clear in its premise, filled with examples of the principles in action, and useful. It was also a fascinating read.
    • 3/5
      It's very interesting although in some parts it feels to much journalistic and not so much scientific. Anyway, I recommend it.
    • 3/5
      Daniel Coyle is upbeat and excitable, like an evangelical determined to share his epiphany with you. But his discovery of the 'code' to human achievement seems rather mild. Those who excel aren't prodigies or random geniuses. They just practise hard, and deeply. They do the little things not so much well as often. And they stick at it. And that's it, enhanced here and there with neurological evidence of skill reinforcement, the gradual buildup of protection around neural pathways. Coyle visits hotbeds of tennis, violin, maths, and so on, running through it all in the usual breezy expenses-no-object New Yorker style. It's not very complex, but just pointing out how we can all learn and progress by simply putting the effort in is inspiring, a worthy call to action.
    • 5/5
      As a sport psychologist I fully appreciate this boom and the work that has gone into it. The whole aspect of skill and talent is very broad and fascinating and I have to say that the approaches in this book make so much sense.
      Daniel Doyle has created a spectacular book full of valuable information and he has kept it all so interesting and not once did I get bored with the book and trust me, I've read my fare share of textbooks, academic articles and other books similar to this.
    • 5/5
      A must read for everyone! Talent is developed. That's not to say that an aptitude doesn't help, but it's all about developing the skill requisite for success.
    • 3/5
      Interesting. New view in how to acquire a skill.
    • 4/5
      All in all, I will call this a very good book. Daniel does downplay the role of talent. While this is indeed very good, there is a danger that people may believe that talent has no role in achieving greatness. People do indeed have a propensity for one field over another. However, the role that deliberate learning has to play is nicely detailed. I like the section on coaching as well. This is very good. What I also liked, were his very honest comments, on his impressions about KIPP. It is a rare author who does this. The sections on myelin are good. However, there were times when I thought that Daniel was a bit obsessed with myelin, and its effects. There is good evidence (maybe because of myelin) to indicate that continued learning into old age is a good way to stay young!I would like to read a second, maybe deeper book, on the subjects of deliberate learning and coaching. This book served as a good introduction.
    • 4/5
      I am not much of a nonfiction reader, but this book grabbed my attention. i am a firm believer in hard work and thought to achieve a goal. Coyle not only emphasizes this concept throughout this book but gives great analogies and anecdotes to back up his theories. And, the scientific evidence he cites is very compelling.
    • 4/5
      Another nurture-trumps-nature book, making the case that proficiency in any given domain is more a product of encouragement, motivation, and lots of what Anders Ericsson calls "deliberate practice". A fascinating and potentially useful look at how to become great at things you want to do.
    • 3/5
      An easy and fun read speculating on (with some evidence to back it up) the role of myelination as a chief component of of talent. As Coyle writes: "Skill is myelin insulation that wraps neural circuits and that grows according to certain signals." It is this insulation that makes those circuits FASTER and more efficient.Hence, talent, might well be described by circuits that have been well myelinated due to deep practice over many years (Coyle mentions the 10,000 hour hypothesis that one may hear elsewhere, too).Coyle hypothesizes that Talent is the result of IGNITION (of desire to learn something), followed by DEEP PRACTICE (which requires that one struggle just beyond the limits of one's present capabilities so that mistakes are made and corrected), coupled with MASTER COACHING where a mindful coach knows just how to provide the proper feedback that enhances this deep practice. Struggle is necessary and essential.Note that though my review mentions myelination as does Coyle's book, "The Talent Code" is NOT technical and is a VERY EASY read - I recommend it to anyone!I first became interested in this book when one of my favorite authors, Dr. Daniel J. Siegel, referred to it in his book, "The Mindful Therapist". Knowing the rigor of Dr. Siegel in his own works, and Dr. Siegel's command of neuroscience, I extrapolate that Daniel Coyle must have done a reasonable job in synthesizing a story on talent and myelination.How does one do "Deep Practice?"Coyle suggests three rules: 1. Chuck it up: Absorb the whole thing. Break it into chunks. Slow it down. 2. Repeat it. 3. Learn to feel it.Read Coyle's book to learn more!

      1 person found this helpful

    • 3/5
      After seeing a news segment about this particular book, I interlibrary loaned the book from a neighboring university. Thankfully, the book was readily available. After reading it, I really wish that the learning techniques were known and made available to me when I was 12 – but now as a 50-something lady, I can’t really chase my dreams of becoming a tennis pro. But had I “known” the techniques, I definitely could have been. This book reemphasizes the age old mantra: “Practice Makes Perfect.” Now with the research to back that up, we know now (through Coyle’s book) that by extensive practicing, the nerve connections actually remember the “correct” way to do something – whether it’s how to sing, swing a tennis racket, etc. And after extensive repetition, our brains react quicker, and most importantly, correctly.

      1 person found this helpful