When you’re learning a new skill, it should be as simple as possible, broken down into its necessary elements and with as many details as possible stripped away. The focus should be on the minimum input needed for success. This is why many how-to books aimed at beginners fail; too much detail.

On our bushcraft immersion courses, we try to strip away everything that isn’t absolutely crucial when people are learning a new skill. Once they have the basics and understand what’s going on, the details can be added. At the beginning, though, the details distract and make things needlessly overcomplicated. If the student develops a genuine interest in the topic, they’ll want all the details – you couldn’t stop them from learning them if you tried! Then it isn’t memory and practice, it’s learning and fun.

Starting simple facilitates early success.  Success builds two critical elements: experience and confidence. These are the building blocks for a deeper understanding.