According to Josh Kaufman’s The First 20 Hours: How to Learn Anything … Fast, skill acquisition happens in three stages:

• Cognitive (early) stage—researching, understanding, and thinking about the skill; breaking it into manageable parts.
• Associative (intermediate) stage—practicing, noticing feedback, and adjusting practice based on feedback.
• Autonomous (late) stage—effectively and efficiently performing the skill with little thinking or attention required.