A different session order
Readers move demanding, unfamiliar work earlier, while attention and physical energy are still available.
The official review and results page
The Art of Practice reviews, reader experiences, and what to expect
What readers and practitioners say about The Art of Practice, with experiences from music, sport, dance, martial arts, and beyond.
Reader and student comments are drawn from The Naturals Method’s published testimonials. Independent reviews link to their original sources.
17practice principles
120+disciplines represented
2026complete edition
From Laido
How the book grew
The first versionOne practice technique.
The complete 2026 edition17 principles brought together in one system.
The first version of The Art of Practice focused on one technique. I put it online to find out whether people beyond juggling would find it useful.
Musicians, martial artists, dancers, and athletes began sending me accounts of what they had tried and what changed in their practice. Those responses encouraged me to keep writing.
What began as a small release grew into the complete 2026 edition: 17 principles for understanding and improving the way you practice.
Laido Dittmar Author of The Art of Practice
The short version
What the book is actually about
The Art of Practice is a practical book for people developing a physical or performance skill. Its central question is why two people can put in similar effort and get very different progress.
Laido’s answer is the Naturals and Non-Naturals framework. The book turns the patterns he observed in fast-progressing practitioners into 17 principles covering session order, direction, diagnosis, execution, and the system that keeps practice from drifting back toward comfortable repetition.
The book’s standing instruction is simple: do not accept its claims on authority. Test the principles in your own practice and let the result decide.
What readers repeatedly mention
Three changes show up across very different disciplines
A clearer view of plateaus
They begin separating practice that creates progress from repetition that only maintains what they already own.
A method that transfers
The same structure has been applied in music, martial arts, circus, sport, coaching, and other physical skills.
Reader experiences, in their own words
What changed when they applied the method
These comments span readers’ and students’ experiences with the book and The Naturals Method over time. Individual results vary.
“A little bit shakily, I put the first Naturals approach into effect in this morning’s piano practice, and practice was exhilarating.”
Katherine TouchstonePianist
“Sidenote, your method helped me qualify for the Axe Throwing World Championships! A sport I had only been practicing for a few months, with subpar results before.”
Will ZandersAxe Throwing
“We practiced specific escapes from three different positions, one month for each position. Everybody got much better, some students say their confidence increased drastically, and a few said they felt less threatened in the positions we practiced. Good experience!”
Daniel GarduñoSports Psychologist and Jiu-Jitsu Instructor
“That was my first show season with my first horse and we earned ourselves the championship title in the first year rookies! It was magical. We are currently preparing for our second show season together and are aiming for another championship, this time at a slightly higher level! Fingers crossed, but Laido’s advice has been very effective in our case!”
Joannie TherrienReining
“I’ve been keeping a fairly strict practice process since going through the method, and it’s meant that I’ve finally taken things onto the stage that I never thought I would have.”
Steve FaulknerMagic
“I teach an efficient practicing lab at Berklee College of Music in Boston and just started your method. Your ideas really resonate with me, and I am excited to share them with my students.”
Barbara LaFitteMusic Teaching
Read 12 more practitioner experiences
“It gave me a much deeper understanding of why the things I did were working, and what I didn’t need to spend nearly as much time on.”
Milla SambellBallroom & Latin Dancer
“Great method. It’s changed how I spend my practice time and I’m seeing improvements already.”
Jamie GrantSwimming
“Got the method, definitely good advice here. Logical.”
Cathy BeckFly Fishing
“Now I see it as how I practice for the outdoor season, and I even impressed the other longbow archers at 50m. It changed how I see the longer distance, as a way forward. So thank you Laido.”
Darrelyn GunzburgLongbow Archery
“I have started to slowly apply your strategy to my poi practice and will gradually integrate it into my hoop, fans, guitar, and Brazilian jiu-jitsu. It also gave me the courage to start a fire flow arts community on my small island, Mauritius.”
Vojta StolbenkoPoi & Flow Arts
“But Laido’s approach puts key concepts across in a new way, quickly understandable and usable. It has helped me deeply understand a few of these concepts, so I am truly glad I found it.”
Alan FrancisBilliards
“Most seasons are over, so now is the time to start improving yourself. Start with this: the Naturals Method. Just a few points in and it’s gold. We spend our coaching career designing thousands of practices, so we need to make them as effective as possible.”
Cindy BristowSoftball Coach
“I first heard him on a podcast last year and I implemented his basic methods right away. I started to see progress faster than I ever expected!”
Beth ClaireAerial Arts
“I finished your method and the motivational video, both amazing. You are bringing something of immense value to people like me who pursue their dreams but have found themselves stuck in their progress.”
Kasia FlorchukIce Skater & Circus Artist
“Out of all the guitar lessons I bought (hundreds), only one had lightly touched on some of the aspects you teach. Best money I have spent in my last 15 years. I can’t wait to start applying all of it!”
CJay RobertGuitarist
“Today I felt the urge to write to you with what I was thinking about, and I did, and soon after I won a tournament that gave me a spot in the Masters, organized by a professional corporation. It is next weekend. Big stage, some 3,000 people in the crowd, TV coverage. It will be fun. And please remember that you helped me find the right track.”
Łukasz WacławskiDarts
“I found this method several years back. Wonderful advice!”
Johan RinmanInline Skating
Source note: each comment is excerpted from a testimonial already published by The Naturals Method. Portraits and attribution come from the retained source screenshot.
Independent discussion
Independent reviews and reader discussion
Articles, reading notes, and reviews from around the web.
IJA · eJuggle · June 24, 2026
“The Art of Practice is an extremely valuable addition to the literature of the psychology of practice and improvement.”
Eric Shibuya reviews the 2026 edition for the International Jugglers’ Association’s eJuggle. He recommends the book for more efficient practice while also raising reservations about audiobook navigation and the Naturals terminology.
Read the full IJA reviewMy Yoga Blog
“The book gives more insights. It’s to the point. I highly recommend it.”
Ursula Preiss describes changing the order of her yoga practice after reading the book.
Read the original articleSteven Barnes
“It’s fascinating, and I’ll dig into it more this week.”
Author Steven Barnes began a series of public notes while working through the book’s central ideas.
Read the original noteGoodreads
Public ratings and reviews from readers with positive, mixed, and critical perspectives.
Goodreads is the clearest single place to see the current range of independent reader responses.
See all Goodreads reviewsBefore you buy
What to expect from the book
A few practical details about the book.
What kind of practice is the book for?
It is written for physical and performance skills, including music, sport, dance, martial arts, circus, and other disciplines where progress depends on repeated practice.
Is this an academic research textbook?
No. It is an experience-led, practical guide built from Laido’s own practice, observation, and coaching. It presents a framework to test, not a systematic review of academic literature.
Does every reader get the same result?
No. A reader’s result depends on the skill, starting point, consistency, coaching, and how the principles are applied. The experiences on this page are individual accounts.
What comes with the current book bundles?
The current digital and print bundles include the ebook, audiobook, a Quick-Start Naturals Method masterclass, and access to the private Art of Practice community. The exact format depends on the bundle.
Where can I read the complete book description?
The official book page explains the 17-principle system, available formats, included materials, pricing, and delivery details.
About the author
Laido Dittmar
Laido is a circus artist, practice coach, and author. After years of slow progress, he began comparing how Naturals and Non-Naturals practiced, then turned those observations into the system in The Art of Practice.
His work now reaches practitioners across more than 120 disciplines. His test for the method remains the same one he gives readers: apply it in a real session and judge it by what changes.
Make up your own mind
See the complete system, formats, and current book bundles
The official book page shows exactly what is included before you order.
Explore The Art of Practice