by Jeremy Hartman 07-07-2009 02:26 AM
There are many theories regarding practice out there. I can’t even begin to count how many times as a player that I’ve heard them. In fact, I can’t even remember how many times I’ve probably used the sayings when coaching and training clients! But I have to stop and remember some important things when using those popular “coach-speak” maxims.
We’ve all heard the saying, “Practice makes perfect.” In theory, that’s true; practice does make perfect. But that’s where the confusion comes in. You can practice a skill every day and you will see a noticeable difference in your performance. The key with that performance is whether or not the mechanics are correct. If you’re a basketball player and you’re working on 1-on-1 moves, but your pivot foot always leaves the ground before the ball hits the floor, then you are committing a traveling violation. Now imagine practicing that over and over again until you have it down pat...even the traveling. Now you step into a game situation and you perform the move to perfection! But the bucket didn’t count because you were called for traveling. If the focus on the proper footwork and technique would have been done first, then you, more than likely, would have pulled off a great move. Are you starting to see the difference here?
I focus on NOT practicing, but training. And before I start, I just want to let everybody know that I’m not going Allen Iverson here...”Practice? We talkin’ ‘bout practice?” I think practice is important. I think it’s a necessary evil for success in the game. But I also believe there is a difference between practicing and training.
Practice, by definition, can be done through drills in which we learn by repetition. In sports, practice is more commonly defined as “systematic training by multiple repetitions.” Or, at least that’s how I view it should be defined, with the emphasis on systematic training.
Training can be defined as “activity leading to skilled behavior” and as “activity leading to proficiency with specialized instruction and practice.” At this point, you may be thinking that through practice, you’re training. But if you use the above example, then you can start to see that simple practice or repetition over and over of the WRONG skills can be harmful. In other words, the wrong form of practice leads to proficiency?? Nope. It leads to problems.
Think of it this way, if you are hired to perform a job function that you have not been TRAINED to do, then your employer will provide you with TRAINING. Do you honestly believe that your employer would train you to do the wrong things? No, that would cost the company time and money. They want to train you to be proficient and skillful. They want you to focus on accomplishing the task at hand and the only way to do that is to make sure you’re trained properly to perform your current duties.
Now apply that to your sport. If I practice, even if it’s aimless practice, then I will get better at that particular skill. But if I train, then I will become proficient and skillful. Proficiency on the basketball court leads to less energy expenditure and more meaningful movement, which leads to being more successful. It doesn’t mean that you will win every game you play, but it means that you’ll have the appropriate skills to complete your task. That will allow you an opportunity to be able to compete and possibly win.
So, I prefer the term training as opposed to practicing. When we train, we focus on becoming skillful and proficient; doing things the correct way. When we practice, we may or may not be gaining proficiency. We could be going off into some uncharted territory that may lead you to the bench! In essence, don’t practice, train. Train to become skilled in order to complete the task at hand. Training requires goal-setting. Training requires discipline, dedication, and determination. Training requires you to perform activities correctly. Your training dictates everything. If you train, then you’ll be prepared to face those pressure situations because you’ve put yourself through them before. Train with a purpose and a goal...train to win.
If you have any questions or comments, feel free to leave them on the site or contact me at jhartman@3dssportsperformance.com!
Published 07-07-2009 © 2026 Access Athletes, LLC
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