Imagine learning a new motor  skill—like riding a bike, hitting a baseball, or even playing a song on the guitar. If the practice is too easy, you don’t improve much because your brain isn’t being pushed to adapt. If it’s too hard, you just get frustrated, make a lot of mistakes, and don’t learn the right way to do it.

The sweet spot for learning is in between — where it’s challenging enough to make you focus and problem-solve, but not so difficult that you can’t do it at all.

The theory is that there is an optimal level of difficulty for each person depending on their age, general ability and current skill level. Movement educators need to design their training tasks considering these item.

Guadagnoli, M. A., & Lee, T. D. (2004). Challenge Point: A Framework for Conceptualizing the Effects of Various Practice Conditions in Motor Learning. Journal of Motor Behavior, 36(2), 212–224. https://doi.org/10.3200/JMBR.36.2.212-224