Richard Machowicz ("Unleash the Warrior Within") defines the Training Pyramid for building speed in any domain:
1. **Correct Fundamentals** — learn the right way first
2. **Concentration** — focus fully on doing it correctly
3. **Consistency** — repeat correctly, every time
4. **Accuracy** — quality of output improves
5. **Speed** — comes naturally, last
The critical insight: speed is the *output* of mastering the first four levels, not a goal to chase directly. "You don't start by looking for speed and just start moving frantically when untrained — that's not what elite soldiers are doing, and it's not what elite competitors in their field are doing."
The typing analogy: don't type fast while hunting for keys. First learn correct hand positions (fundamentals), concentrate on the right keys, repeat consistently, accuracy improves, and speed follows automatically. The process is irreversible — if you skip fundamentals, you build bad habits that cap your ceiling.
The failure mode: training speed before consistency. You get faster at the wrong thing.