The Benefits of Random Practice in Skill Acquisition

The Benefits of Random Practice in Skill Acquisition

Google said:

Random practice, where different skills are practiced in a varied and unpredictable order, offers several advantages for skill acquisition, particularly in terms of retention and transfer. While blocked practice (practicing the same skill repeatedly) might lead to faster gains during initial acquisition, random practice ultimately leads to better long-term learning and adaptability.
Here's a more detailed look at the benefits: 
1. Enhanced Retention and Transfer:
Forgetting-and-Reconstruction Hypothesis:
Random practice forces the learner to reconstruct action plans repeatedly, strengthening memory and making it more robust, according to a study published in Frontiers.
Improved Transfer:
The need to adapt to varying situations and skills during random practice enhances the ability to transfer learned skills to novel contexts, as pointed out in an article on Frontiers.
Superior Performance in Competitive Settings:
Random practice promotes the development of adaptable strategies, leading to better performance under pressure, according to Vision Exercise Physiology.
2. Increased Active Engagement and Meaningful Learning:
Active Learning:
Random practice discourages mindless repetition and forces learners to actively engage with the material, says Human Kinetics.
Meaningful Memories:
Learners create more distinct and meaningful memories of different skills, making it easier to differentiate them and reduce confusion.
3. Contextual Interference:
Contextual Interference:
The "contextual interference effect" (CIE) explains how random practice leads to poorer performance during acquisition but better performance during retention and transfer, according to a research paper on ResearchGate.
Interleaving:
Interleaving tasks (switching between different skills) during practice is a key element of random practice, contributing to the CIE, according to a paper on the National Institutes of Health (NIH) (.gov).
4. Adaptation and Flexibility:
Adaptability:
Random practice promotes adaptability to varying conditions and skill variations, as highlighted in an article on The Note Ninjas.
Generalization:
Learners develop a broader understanding of skills and their application in different situations.
5. Long-Term Skill Acquisition:
Enhanced Performance in Real-World Settings:
Random practice helps learners develop a more robust understanding of skills, leading to better performance in real-world situations.
Improved Problem-Solving:
The increased adaptability and flexibility fostered by random practice can enhance problem-solving skills.

Life itself already has random factors, so you don't have to force it. If you want to apply random practice to chess, I advise you to discard that idea. You just have to train at least two things at a time with structured practice. For example:

If you train endgames and tactics, after noticing substantial improvements, train openings and continue practicing your tactics. When you try to implement what you've learned with several rapid or blitz games a day, the random factor will be present thanks to your opponents. Life is random, your opponents are random, your opponents do random things. Don't try to add a random factor to something that already has it; you'll only create more clutter than you need in your life and in your chess.