Thanks, everyone.
To respond to some of you, just to clarify my intention: I wasn't necessarily trying to debate all one vs. all the other... assuming most folks would agree that some mixture of both, at least at some point in their diving career, is desirable, I'm curious how much practice you feel is optimal for you right now, given where you are in your progression as a diver, and how you blend whatever amount practice you choose into your regular diving. The examples given so far were great!
Good point about feedback. One cannot reliably improve what one cannot measure. Some things are easier to measure, some harder. Buoyancy seems comparatively easy. Feedback comes in real-time, which is likely why people tend to generally get better at buoyancy control by just accumulating more experience. The angle of one's fin tips, on the other hand, might be harder to tell without videotaping. So, video recording, or an attentive buddy, is probably a must. A lot of things are probably somewhere in between... there might be indirect clues one could use, or the feedback is sparse.
I'm especially curious how folks "measure" and practice their higher-level skills, like situational awareness... or anything that goes beyond muscle memory, for that matter.
No. It doesn't. No. They don't. No. They won't.
I think the popular belief (or what I perceive as popular belief) that skills improve with experience stems from the fact that most people eventually get bored of the same site and go someplace new, so we tend to get challenged from time to time in this way or another, while our general comfort level increases, which translates into better skills. I also think that even without focused practice, people tend to pick up things here and there over time, and try them out (at least I do). Of course, there are folks who never go someplace new, and never try something new... a lot of things cannot really be mastered without a focused practice, either...
Anyhow, I take it that you are in the focused practice camp. That's great! I'm also a believer in targeted practice (within reason). I'm curious how you incorporate practice into your diving...
I recommend both. What's the point of perfect skills if you never use them anyplace challenging or interesting?
I agree...
My vote is almost always "go diving" and use the skills you're trying to hone in a practical manner. Go go shoot some SMBs for real on real dives. Do some non-silting kicks over a silty bottom where it matters. Check out some lil' critters where being still in the water means you're able to actually see them. To me, sitting in a pool while someone gets out a bubble level to see if you're within 3 degrees of horizontal trim while making sure you don't fluctuate more than 6 inches up and down is dumb. Go scuba and use what you're trying to refine.
I like that.