6 tips to get the most out of every practice

What do the best of the best — Tom Brady, Alex Morgan, Steph Curry, Serena Williams, Breanna Stewart,  Mike Trout et al — have in common?

All of them love to practice.

These athletes learned early on that the only way they could become the best in their sport was to put in the time, day after day, honing their skills. None was born exceptional. But each had a fire inside them which pushed them to and beyond their potential to a level few other athletes have been able to reach. They did not just love their sport, they had a deep passion for it which was manifested in their extraordinary work ethic and will to excel.

Go back and trace the progress of all the great ones. At some point in their development, they all decided to do more to prepare than their coaches asked.

Certainly, not everyone has the talent to play pro sports. But that’s not to say that every high school athlete wanting to extend their career to the college ranks should put forth any less effort than those who reach the pinnacle of their sport.  At National Scouting Report, our on-the-ground scouts observe it every day.

Practice for a high school, club or travel team is where all progress happens. Here are some tips for  high school athletes to get the most out of every practice:

1. Get your head on straight:  At least 10 minutes prior to the start of  practice, begin clearing your head of anything bothering you. Some athletes do this by sitting silently in their car, stretching out on the floor, chilling in front of their locker or taking a short walk alone. Think about how you will focus and work hard. Tell yourself that you will get better at this or that skill. Envision listening intently to your coaches and executing their instructions in detail.  Silently say, “This is the day I get better because I will practice harder than ever.”
2. Develop a pre-practice routine:  Put together a short, simple pre-practice routine. This automatically puts you in the right groove heading into practice. Focus on activities which put you closer to being in the right mindset for what lies ahead.
3. Understand your purpose:  Know that you are homing in on taking another step forward in achieving your overall improvement plan. Realize that your prime directive is to learn and work hard. Don’t permit anything to stand in your way.
4. Details, details:  Practice is all about fine tuning fundamentals.  There is always room to move forward.  Focus on the little things — from footwork to performing well when physically and mentally drained. Fighting through fatigue is huge. Overcoming that drag on your body and mind is a key to your success.
5. Re-group midway through:  Putting your best effort on the line is indeed exhausting. Get in the habit of assessing where you are mentally and physically halfway into practice. That should takes only a few seconds. Doing that gives you a push off the starting blocks again and serves to re-energize you.
6. Never give up on yourself:  With this plan, you will have more good days than bad. But be realistic. You will have bad ones. The best of the best have bad days, too.  But they never give up on themselves. Their self-determination is so strong that they can see a bad day as an anomaly, not a pattern.

Practice is yours to control.  Some coaches will make it seem unbearable, but in the long run, that is a good thing. Other coaches will be too soft. Take charge of your own destiny.

Make practice the place where you put everything together — mentally, physically and emotionally. When you do that consistently, at game time you will find yourself on autopilot while others struggle to keep pace with your brand of excellence.