hands-on experience

Direct experience involving actual, practical use of something, such as a tool, piece of equipment, or program. Our summer internship is a great way for students and recent graduates to get hands-on experience in the industry. You can read all the books in the world about computer programming, but without any hands-on experience, you'll never fully understand it. My explanation will make more sense once you get some hands-on experience using this machine at the gym.