Beginner's Luck
Date:
While experience forms the basis of excellence, and practice can push ability towards perfection [1], a major phenomenon has continually forced little victories against this well-founded trend. This is called "Beginner's Luck".
An example of this is when someone may pick up a snooker cue for the first time in their life, and proceed to pot every single ball in sight [2] as if they've been playing for years, while their opponent, who has had some experience of the game, will remain speechless and idle except perhaps for a slight swaying of the lower jaw.
It is unclear how this actually works, as someone who's never done a particular task will doubtlessly have less of an idea of how it should be done. This in fact could be a contributive factor, as a beginner will not be hindered by past experiences, the customary pressure of "having to beat" someone who is less experienced than you [3], and the confusion of "one-hundred-and-one" different contradictory theories of how it should be done.
If somebody is blessed with beginner's luck, as many are, they may be so lucky to develop this into a lucky streak when they decide to undertake this task again. It is more common, though, that they will find that initial moments of fortune soon become long-lost memories as the reality of the situation suddenly rears its ugly head.
Therefore, it is always a good idea to remember that if someone you know, say, takes their first turn on a computer game and gets the all-time high score, you can be reasonably sound in the knowledge that their next turn will prove a little more frustrating, as they begin to gain "experience".
| [1] | Or very close to, anyway. |
| [2] | Perhaps even in the correct order. |
| [3] | Failure to do so could result in a whole string of verbal abuse. |
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