The Secret to Mastery: Practice Makes Perfect

Matthew Syed topped the English table tennis ranking in January 1995. There are 2.4 million table tennis players in the UK. Matthew Syed's parents installed a full-size table tennis table in their garage in 1978. Peter Charters, Matthew Syed's physical education teacher, was passionate about table tennis.

The Omega table tennis club was open 24 hours a day for its members. Many notable table tennis players lived on Silverdale Street. Andrew Syed, Matthew Syed's brother, was the most successful junior in British history. Matthew Syed represented Great Britain in the Olympics twice and won three Commonwealth Championships. Karen Witt, another notable player, won numerous youth tournaments and became a Commonwealth Champion.

Research shows that exceptional people are distinguished by their passion for improving their skills rather than innate qualities. In 1900, the 100-meter dash Olympic champion ran it in 11.0 seconds, which would not qualify for youth competitions today. The double somersault in diving was nearly banned in the 1924 Olympics due to its perceived danger.