Practice Doesn’t Make Perfect!

-July 6th, 2012-

This week I was lucky enough to spend a day working at Dan Dawson’s Revival Lacrosse Camp in Oakville.

I work with the kids for an hour, going through a proper warm up then do some agility training, finishing with some ladder work and a competition for prizes.

And it reminded me once again of a problem I see over and over when working with kids.

They rush drills! They try to get it done as fast as possible instead of first focusing on doing it right!

I don’t believe in the saying ‘Practice Makes Perfect’. If you practice poorly, you will perform poorly.

Anybody can go real fast putting their feet in random places as they run through a ladder. That doesn’t make you better.

Get the drill perfect first!  Don’t miss any boxes. Don’t lose the pattern.  Then try to increase speed without sacrificing proper technique.

That Will make you better.

Only Perfect Practice Makes Perfect!

I always explain to kids when I start working with them that doing a drill averagely will make them an average player at best, but doing it perfectly can make them a great player.

It holds true for everything. Don’t rush the warm up. Don’t rush lifting weights.

If you are practicing shooting, practice with purpose! Hit the same corner every time. Step with the proper foot. Shoot it hard.

Lobbing a ball into an empty net flat footed isn’t going to make you better. Lazily passing a ball to a buddy without focusing on putting it right into his stick isn’t going to make you better.

Only Perfect Practice Makes Perfect!

It’s not a race. It’s about being perfect and getting better whether you are training or working on your skills!

Tags: agility, Ladders, Revival Lacrosse