shorter way; shortcut
近道を使えば早く着く。
Taking the shortcut gets you there faster.
子供たちは毎日その近道を通って学校へ行く。
The children go to school through that shortcut every day.
努力の近道はないが、効率的に練習すれば上達は早まる。
There are no shortcuts in effort, but practicing efficiently speeds up improvement.