"There's no substitute for experience"... it's a phrase we often hear in relation to business, sports or life in general and there is no doubt that it also applies to punting. Regardless of what you read, what you're told or what somebody shows you... there are many keys to punting success that can only be learned through experience. Gaining that experience though doesn't happen automatically... it must be an active process on your part.

Consider the following question...

"Do you have ten years punting experience?

Or one years punting experience ten times over?"

The difference is incredible and enormously important to understand. Being in the game for 10 years doesn't guarantee you 10 years experience and mean that you will have learnt all of those valuable lessons that are essential to success. .

To learn those valuable lessons you must actively reflect on your punting behaviours, actions and decisions (or lack of them) and use those insights to make changes and move forward. This creates further experiences and lessons that you can reflect on... and so the process continues. 

If you're not reflecting on your behaviours, actions and decisions then much of the practical wisdom you need to be successful will simply go by the wayside.

For example, it's impossible to learn how to deal with losing runs by reading articles or listening to others talk about it... it's something that can only come through experience. However if you never stop to reflect on how you actually deal with losing runs, how productive that is and what changes you need to make, then you can continue punting for 10 years and you still won't know how to effectively deal with them. The same patterns will keep repeating and they will ultimately prevent you from achieving your goals. The same principles apply to making selections, betting decisions, managing your money and other aspects of punting psychology.

Many of the keys to punting success can only be gained through experience; so don't fall into the trap of repeating this years experience next year and the year after that. Commit yourself to actively reflecting on your experiences and learning from them. Implement changes to the areas of your game that need improvement and make the next 12 months a noticeable improvement on the last. Continue that process each year and the goals you set for yourself will be within your reach.