The 4 Stages of Learning

The Conscious Competence Model

For real and sustainable change to occur, new learning must take place.This process is not instantaneous, but follows a predictable evolutionary curve known as the "Four Stages of Learning".

The coach uses this map to locate the athlete and normalize his or her frustrations. The first stage is Unconscious Incompetence ("I don't know that I don't know"). Here the athlete makes mistakes without realizing it, living in blissful ignorance.

The awakening occurs when the coach makes him/her see an area for improvement, pushing him/her to the second stage: Conscious Incompetence ("I know that I don't know").

This is the most painful and frustrating stage, as the athlete realizes his or her faults but does not yet have the ability to correct them. It is the critical moment where many give up if they do not have emotional support.

The journey to mastery

With deliberate practice and effort, the third stage is reached: Conscious Competence ("I know that I know").

The athlete is already able to execute the new technique correctly, but it requires total concentration and enormous mental effort. It is not fluid; it is mechanical. He still "thinks" the movement.

The ultimate goal of coaching and training is to reach the fourth and final peak: Unconscious Competence ("I don't know that I know").

At this point, the skill has become so deeply integrated into the nervous system that it is executed automatically, naturally and without conscious effort. It is the state of mastery where pure talent flows.

Deprogram to reprogram

This cycle involves a process of mental engineering: first you have to become aware of the "old self", then go through the deprogramming phase (giving up the old habits that gave security) and finally reprogramming (installing the new mental and physical software).

The coach is vital to manage the negative emotions that inevitably arise in the intermediate stages.

Knowing that the awkwardness and confusion of phase 2 are temporary and necessary to reach phase 4 helps the athlete to persevere.

Coaching allows this transition to be managed, ensuring that the athlete does not recoil from the discomfort of learning, but uses it as a springboard to their new level of performance.

Summary

Learning follows an evolutionary curve that begins with unconscious incompetence. The athlete progresses to conscious incompetence, a frustrating phase where he/she recognizes his/her faults but cannot correct them.

With deliberate practice, conscious competence is reached, where technique requires total concentration. It is a mechanical and thought-out process that precedes the final peak of mastery.

Finally, unconscious competence allows skills to be executed automatically and naturally. The coach manages emotions during this cycle of deprogramming and reprogramming of the mental software.