Prioritising Practice for Peak Performance

Would you rely on winning the EuroMillions Lottery jackpot for your retirement plan? Why work when you could just play the lottery and win £186M?

Unfortunately, EuroMillions says the odds of correctly picking all seven numbers is one in 139,838,160. So, playing the lottery is not a sound retirement strategy because it relies on luck.

Likewise, relying on luck is not an effective method for athletic success. Success must be pre-paid through sweat equity. The practice field and training facility is where you:

Shape habits
Sharpen your competitive mindset
Build mental skills
Develop physiological capacities
Hone technique
Design strategy and game plans

Whether you are a youth athlete, professional player, or elite performer, the practice should ALWAYS be a priority.

For example, Lionel Messi, one of the greatest footballers to step on the pitch, revealed that hard work was his “not-so-secret” recipe for success, “I start early, and I stay late, day after day, year after year. It took me 17 years and 114 days to become an overnight success.”

Obviously, Messi is a talented athlete, but success is more than talent. Even if you possess the prototypical body, physical strength, and natural ability, success will be elusive without a diligent work ethic and preparedness.

9 Strategies to Gain Maximum Benefit from Training

Athletic achievement is forged by the work you put in the days, weeks, and months leading up to a competition.

The following strategies lay the foundation for success:

Know what you need to do – Have an objective, purpose, goal, and plan for each practice. If not, you are wasting time and not achieving maximum benefit from your training.
Pay attention to detail – Take pride in doing the little things at a high level. Small things lead to significant benefits.
Tend to your mindset – Approach practice as you would a competition. A well-trained mind is the difference between good and great.
Work your tail off – Work, work, work. Enough said!
Train under pressure – Since you compete under pressure, train your mind and body to respond positively to stressful competitive situations during practice.
Take practice seriously – Arrive to training sessions prepared and ready to go. While fun is a must, take advantage of the opportunities afforded to you in practice to break out of your comfort zone.
Commit to long-term preparation – Like test-taking, cramming is not an effective strategy for success. Winning tomorrow’s battles started YESTERDAY! In other words, each practice builds upon previous training that lifts you to next-level performance.
Know the difference between training and overtraining – Work hard and work smart. Overtraining can lead to injury, burnout and derail progression and results.
Have a life outside of sport – Sport isn’t and shouldn’t be life. Balance is essential. Time outside of sport rejuvenates the mind and body and improves performance in practice.

To succeed, accomplish athletic goals, or achieve anything worthwhile, for that matter, your level of effort and focus must align with your goals. Always remember preparation precedes peak performance.

Coach Michael

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