When more practice stops helping

Text A: an original contemporary practice extract.

At the youth centre, I practised serving a table-tennis ball towards a marked square. My first attempts struck the net or bounced beyond the end of the table. Then one ball landed neatly inside the square. That single success made me believe I was only a few attempts away from doing it regularly.

I adjusted my grip and tried again, but my shoulder gradually tightened. The more determined I became, the harder I swung and the less control I had. When six serves in a row missed by more than my earlier attempts, I realised I was no longer improving. I put the bat away, satisfied that I had discovered what a successful serve felt like.

Text B: an original contemporary practice extract.

During a biscuit-decorating workshop, I tried to pipe my name in icing. Most of my first letters leaned sideways, but one curved neatly and kept its shape. I continued because I wanted to produce a whole word that looked as controlled as that single letter.

After several more attempts, my hand was gripping the piping bag too firmly and the icing had become softer in the warm room. The new letters spread into thick lines and were less readable than an earlier version. I chose the clearest biscuit for my box and stopped, although I had not yet produced the perfect result I had imagined.

Both texts describe people practising a skill.

What similarities can you find in what encourages them to continue and what makes them decide to stop? Use evidence from both texts to support your answer.

You could consider:

• the signs of progress they notice
• how their later attempts change
• what they accept when they stop