PRACTICE WITH A PURPOSE

This weeks blog is about the importance of “Practicing with a Purpose” and how  it can make the difference in your season.

Every athlete dreams of having the perfect season: being number one; undefeated;
performing on a different level.  For many, this remains a dream because most will
not do what it takes to have “the perfect season.”   What could that be?  Learning to
Practice with a Purpose!

What does it mean to Practice with a Purpose?  Basically, it is having a reason for
practicing – and that reason should be to improve! Many times athletes practice
because that’s the only way they will get to play or stay on the team, or for the
opportunity to socialize with teammates. 

Practice is the most important part of an athlete’s success.  Perfecting the small skills
daily in practice turns an ordinary athlete into an extraordinary one. The little things
like keeping your shoulders squared, shuffling down, adjusting your toss and staying
low, are the small things that allow you to: put the ball in the basket as a post player;
cover the running play as a linebacker; ace your opponent, and make a tackle for a
loss.  It is during practice when you condition your body to develop good body
memory so that during competition the action is automatic.

It is highly unlikely that a skill that you do not perfect in practice will come close to
perfection during competition.  An athlete must remember:  how you perform in
practice is an indication of how your game day performance will be.
Want to learn how to develop purposeful practice skills?  Follow these steps: 

 
  • Always be on time for practice 

• Set practice goals daily (what do you want to accomplish during this practice session) 
 • Give 100% the entire practice (generally practice is between 2-3 hours per session-give it your all during each drill) 
 • Journal after practice (keep track of whether you’re meeting your goals, how you’re feeling and what changes you might need to  make)

 
The practice (process) goals that are set and accomplished daily are the tools that
make you a better athlete and allows for a successful season.  If you turn practicing
with a purpose into a habit, a part of how you train, it not only leads to a perfect
season, but it develops good work ethics. 
Work ethics is another mandatory skill when evolving into a complete athlete. Our next focus will be on developing good work ethics because it is the stepping stone to a championship/winning season!

Coach Valarie