You know when you practice and practice, and you seem to get worse every time? I call that "practicing too much".
It's something I've noticed in both dance and music. We're taught to keep practicing, that "practice makes perfect", "if at first you don't succeed, try, try again". These sayings are good to teach us to not give up and that we will eventually succeed, but it also puts a expectation of improvement with repetition, and an emphasis on success and perfection as the only positive outcome. It's not always that simple.
People don't like to fail. Society has taught us that failing is bad. If you fail a test you are embarrassed and feel stupid. This way of thinking continues through adulthood in all aspects of our lives. We often see failure as an ending, no second chances and transmit it into feelings of inadequacy. Repetitive failure can be too much to bare and we give up. The next time we fail at something those feelings come back and we are quicker to be defeated than before.
Except failure is not an ending, it is a process. Failure is a learning opportunity. You make a mistake, you learn from it and try again. If you fail again, you adjust and try again. By redefining what failure is, we can see it as a positive and not "the end of the world". We can also see success as a learning opportunity and not the ultimate goal, thus taking the pressure off as you win whether you fail or succeed.
So what has this got to do with "practising too much"? Everything!
When failure makes us feel inadequate and stupid, we get frustrated and stressed. The more worked up we are, the more we make mistakes. We fail more.
For example: You are learning a new choreography and in one section you are always ending on the wrong foot and getting your feet tangled. You drill it slowly and it's going fine until you work it up to speed. So you start slowly again and now you can't get it right slower either. You become frustrated. The little negative Nancy in your head is telling you, "you should be getting this right, you've done it hundred times". The more frustrated you get the more your feet don't want to listen. Improvement with repetition fails us.
In these circumstances, a better thought is "if you keep making the same mistake, take a break", rather than "practice, practice practice". Taking a step back, focussing on something else (something you feel good about) and then getting back to your problem, can help you faster than just drilling until you are defeated. Sometimes your break needs to be a few minutes, or sometimes a few days. What is important is to clear the practise stress away, refocus and try again (perhaps with a new approach).
I've stopped saying "practice makes perfect" and now say "practice improves". Nothing is perfect and if expect perfect we will always be disappointed. I'm not saying don't aim high (please, work to be the best you can be), just don't hate on yourself if you struggle. By failing you are succeeding in learning something new (perhaps how to approach things differently or maybe something about yourself).
Those people who know me are probably saying "take your own advice", but I'm learning to reframe failure for myself, and each time I "fail" to see failure correctly, I'm learning to adjust my view.