How to Excel in Practice
Fail to succeed. It is okay to fail, and during practice is the perfect time to fail. Practice is a time to see what your limits are and what you’re good at and what you’re not good at. It starts with your mindset before practice starts. Are you dying to look at the practice plan to see when practice will end, or what you’ll be doing so you are comfortable? What if there wasn’t a practice plan? Start becoming comfortable being uncomfortable. This is how you grow and become a better player. The greatest growth comes from failing. During practice, I want to fail because I want to be better. I want to learn from my mistakes and do something different that might work better. I never want to be satisfied during practice because there is always more. Now, with that being said, learning new things and succeeding should make you feel good. For me, after I succeed at something, I am eager to learn more. It would be sad if I just reached the end of my potential and the journey to becoming better was over. Remember that there is always something in front of you to work on. I want to make practice harder than games, so games feel easier. When I get asked what I want to work on, I pick the thing that I am struggling the most with at that time. What better time to repeatedly to do something you’re struggling with than at practice? Practice is the best time to fail. It is the best time to grow.
Be coachable. When a coach speaks to a player, act like they are speaking to EVERYONE. There is nothing worse than repeating the same mistake your teammate did in front of you because you weren’t paying attention to how it was corrected. Ask questions if you don’t understand. Respond to your coaches in a respectful manner verbally and nonverbally. Display good body language when you are told to do something a different way. Don’t pout or roll your eyes. They are only helping you. If you want to become a better player, be the type of player that coaches want to coach. Always be a student of the game. Even the best athletes are open to learn and take criticism from their coaches and teammates.
1% better each day. The thing most people get frustrated with is not seeing results you want right away. The reality is that progress takes time. By realizing this and making it a goal to be 1% better each day, your progress will add up. It could be something so small, like learning a new drill or feeling more confident in yourself that day. Those tiny wins WILL add up in the long run. Always strive to just be a little better than the day before, each day.
Intent and Purpose. Are you at practice just going through the motions? Are you taking that tee station as serious as you could, or is it a talking station to your teammates and just hitting the ball off the tee? Practice is the time to get better, so why wouldn’t you show up to practice with that mission in mind? To get better. Have a purpose with everything you do, it will only make you better.
Have fun. In fact, if you didn’t know it already, you are playing a game. Be where your feet are and enjoy what you are doing. The amount of time you will play your sport is too short to not have fun with it.
