Practice Makes Perfect
Practice makes perfect has been a phrase used by many coaches. It has been a rule of thumb for most. Athletes spend hundreds of hours preparing to perform at the best of their capability hoping to win a game in a fourth quarter cloud of dust, or a last second three point shot. Some athletes pay close attention to the scheme their coaches have planned, they work at perfecting it to the best of their capability in practice, and utilize hours of study on game day.
Some athletes take a different approach, and depend solely on athletic ability to be their saving grace. This short article isn’t about either of these two roads to game day. Many athletes practice incorrect technique over and over again , working hard, practicing hard, all while using incorrect technique resulting in minimal success. The more technically sound an athlete is, the more confident he or she is. Coaches are more prone to have confidence in an athlete that is technically sound because they show discipline.
Discipline is a dependable asset when the game is on the line. A technically sound free-throw shooter will likely be put in the game if the opposing basketball team is expected to foul players to send them to the free throw line. Practice / training should incorporate some type of technical aspect within the curriculum.
The longer someone repeats bad habits the more difficult to break that habit. Personal coaches help to increase the opportunity to learn good or bad technique. It’s imperative to practice proper technique for lasting improvement, this improvement carries over to competition. Paying attention to detail as a young athlete can carry over to be a life lesson, so remember, Allen Iverson said it best:
“We’re not talking about the game right? We talkin’ ’bout practice.”
Practice outside of your school program can help in many ways, but be sure that you are training smart, and with good technically sound activity, that smoothly reinforces what your coach is expecting from you athletically. One coaching technique that I have used over the years is setting goals. By setting goals with my student athletes and listening to them.
I get a feel for how much they expect to improve. After a few training sessions, a practice routine that is both challenging and feasible is implemented and the student athlete can gauge their progress, thus gaining confidence which usually results in an increase in performance. Practice depending on what, how and when, can be the key to unlocking a hidden potential. As trainers, be sure to consider the responsibility that comes with the title of trainer.
As trainers, let’s all have a good practice.
