Fundamentals (Learning)

Goals

• Describe fundamentals.
• Skillfully figure out the fundamentals of any topic you want to learn.

What

In the context of learning golf, chemistry, or any skill or domain, the fundamentals are the core principles, basic skills, and essential knowledge that everything else builds on.

Fundamentals are the basic things you need to understand and do well before you can succeed at more advanced levels.

• Example – Golf

  • Grip – how you hold the club
  • Stance and posture – how you stand and align
  • Swing mechanics – the motion of the club and body
  • If you don’t master these, no amount of fancy equipment or power will help.

• Example – Chemistry

  • Atomic structure – protons, neutrons, electrons
  • The periodic table – understanding how elements relate
  • Chemical bonds and reactions – how atoms combine and transform
  • If you skip these, more advanced topics like equilibrium or thermodynamics won’t make sense.

Rationale (Why Fundamentals Matter)

1. Foundational: Like the foundation of a building—if it’s weak, everything on top crumbles.

2. Transferable: Fundamentals show up in almost every advanced topic or situation.

3. Confidence-building: When you know the fundamentals, you can figure out harder problems.

4. Easiest Path: When you focus on the fundamentals, learning is the easiest.

How To

Recognize that everything you want to learn has fundamentals.

Figure out what these are by asking experts, looking in good resources, asking ChatGPT, and so on.

Figure out each fundamental and systematically practice using it until it become second nature and you are good at it.