“The difference between ordinary and extraordinary is practice” – Vladimir Horowitz
Athletes are constantly looking for new ways in striving to reach new heights and maximizing their potential. While talent and physical abilities play a significant role in achieving success, there is another crucial factor that sets apart the great from the exceptional: deliberate practice.
While the concept of deliberate practice is nothing new, it is a process that involves purposeful and focused training that pushes athletes beyond their comfort zones. It is intentionally building strength in the skills that you most commonly use in competition in order to develop heightened confidence in those skills – so that you increase your chance of successfully performing them under all circumstances of performance.
In this article, not only we will discuss the importance of deliberate practice and the key benefits that deliberate practice offers, but we will outline five key strategies to help athletes implement deliberate practice into their training regime.
Practice makes perfect, right? As an athlete, you’ve probably heard this a few thousand times over the course of your career or throughout your life. Every rep of skill practice is lodged into muscle memory, your central nervous system, and your subconscious mind (aka your habit mind). With enough repetition, this skill becomes a skill that you can perform on autopilot – meaning you don’t have to consciously think your way through the process of performing that skill. Think of the most basic skill that you’ve learned in your sport and I bet you can now perform that without thinking about it.
“Practice doesn’t make perfect. Perfect practice makes perfect.” – Vince Lombardi
Performance should be all about trust. Trusting your instincts and trusting your skillset. This is why you practice. So that you don’t have to think in performance, you just do. Deliberate practice increases your quality of practice by building on and adapting existing skills and by focusing on specific aspects of those skills and improving them.
The Benefits of Deliberate Practice include:
- Enhanced Skill Development:
Deliberate practice allows athletes to hone their skills and reach higher levels of their capabilities. By engaging in targeted exercises and drills, athletes can isolate specific aspects of their performance and work on improving them in a structured process. This intentional approach helps develop muscle memory and fine-tunes techniques, leading to significant skill improvements.
- Increased Performance Consistency:
Consistency is vital in sports, and deliberate practice is a proven method for achieving it. By repeatedly practicing specific movements and actions, athletes can build reliable muscle memory, enabling them to perform consistently under pressure. Consistent performance not only enhances an athlete’s reliability but also boosts confidence, reducing the likelihood of performance slumps.
- Amplified Decision-Making Abilities:
Sports often require quick decision-making under dynamic and challenging circumstances. The deliberate practice allows athletes to simulate game scenarios and train their decision-making skills. By repeatedly analyzing and reacting to different situations, athletes can improve their ability to make accurate and split-second decisions, giving them a competitive edge.
- Improved Mental Toughness:
Mental resilience and fortitude are crucial for success in sports. Deliberate practice pushes athletes out of their comfort zones, challenging them to overcome physical and mental barriers. The constant exposure to difficult situations and the perseverance required during deliberate practice sessions cultivate mental toughness. This resilience allows athletes to thrive in high-pressure situations, giving them an edge over their competitors.
- Accelerated Learning and Progress:
Deliberate practice accelerates the learning process by focusing on specific weaknesses and areas of improvement. By setting clear goals and engaging in purposeful training, athletes can optimize their practice sessions. This targeted approach facilitates faster progress and development, allowing athletes to reach their goals more efficiently.
“Give me six hours to chop down a tree and I will spend the first four sharpening the axe” – Abraham Lincoln
With any new skill, preparation is the key to success, and creating a deliberate practice regime is no different. Being that deliberate practice is a systematic and focused approach to training, it involves setting specific goals, analyzing feedback, and having a structured plan to improve weaknesses and to also enhance an athlete’s strengths.
Before heading out to your next individual training, here are some things that you can plan for in advance to turn hard work into smart work:
1 Set Clear Goals:
Establish clear and achievable goals to guide your deliberate practice sessions. Break down larger objectives into smaller, manageable tasks that you can work on consistently. This strategy helps maintain focus and provides a sense of direction, ensuring that each practice session has a purpose.
2. Structure Your Training Plan:
Develop a well-structured training plan that incorporates deliberate practice into your session. Identify specific skills or techniques you want to improve and research or design exercises and drills to target those areas. Create a schedule that balances deliberate practice with other training components, such as conditioning and rest, to optimize your overall performance.
3. Feedback and Analysis:
Seek feedback from coaches, trainers, or experienced athletes who can objectively assess your performance. Embrace constructive criticism and use it to refine your techniques. Additionally, self-analysis through video recordings or performance reflection can offer valuable insights into your strengths and weaknesses. Regularly review and analyze your practice sessions to identify areas that need improvement and make necessary adjustments.
4. Mental Preparation:
Put yourself in the right frame of mind to get the most out of your training session. Mental preparation is essential for effective deliberate practice. Cultivate a positive and focused mindset before each practice session. Eliminate distractions, visualize success, and mentally rehearse the skills or scenarios you plan to practice. By priming your mind for deliberate practice, you can optimize your concentration and engagement during training creating a high quality of practice.
5. Consistency and Persistence:
There are times when deliberately practicing a skill gets boring or frustrating. This is all part of the process of building focus, competence, and confidence in that skill. With enough reps this will become a skill that you can perform on autopilot. Deliberate practice involves a mindset of continuous improvement. Consistency means practicing regularly and consistently. Conversely, persistence means working hard and continuing to practice even when the going gets tough or progress seems slow. Together consistency and persistence often lead to breakthrough development and improvements.
Deliberate practice is essential for athletes because is provides a systematic and structured approach to improving skills, building muscle memory, and developing mental discipline – all of which are necessary components for success in competitive sports. Sports isn’t about being a jack of all trades but more so about mastering the skills that are unique to you and your role. When it comes to practice, any coach will tell you they’ll take quality over quantity.
“Deliberate practice is the most efficient and effective way to improve your skills.” – Anders Ericsson
– 𝒞ℴ𝒶𝒸𝒽 𝒞𝒶𝓁.