“It’s not the will to win that matters—everyone has that. It’s the will to prepare to win that matters.”
– Paul “Bear” Bryant
Nobody lacks the will to win, but the winners are those who have prepared. Natural talent can only take you so far, but putting in the practice time is the only thing that will take you to the next level.
Take any professional athlete of any sport at any level and ask them if they coasted through high school, college, and into their profession. Everyone will tell you that they put in countless hours of physical and mental preparation to achieve success.
The Power of Practicing
You need to work hard to improve, whether doing individual or team workouts or studying to improve your game knowledge.
To improve, all aspects need to be considered. Take a football player, for example. He can practice throwing a ball through a tire over and over until he is 10 or 50 yards away and hits his target every time.
But if he does not do team workouts or know the playbook, he will struggle to hit a moving receiver and will not even get in a game if he doesn’t know the plays. Work on all aspects of your sport to achieve greatness.
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Teams Play The Way You Practice
You play the way you practice; you have heard it a million times. Any basketball player can go to the gym and “shoot around.” Take a shot, jog to chase it down, and shoot again; we have all done it, but it won’t improve your game. Your “practice” will not translate into game situations if you are not working at game speed.
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That doesn’t mean you need another person or the whole team to improve; you can simulate coming off of screens or cuts as you would in a game. You can shoot off the dribble at game speed or use backspin to throw yourself a pass to “catch and shoot” as if receiving a kick-out pass or coming off a screen.
The more similar you make your practice feel like a game situation, the more prepared you will be when it is game time.
An hour of hard work and intense practice will take you much farther than 3 hours of lackadaisical “practice.” When Nolan McMonagle developed the MVP Offseason Workouts for Youth Basketball, he created it with that in mind.
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To take your game to the next level requires a plan and execution of the plan,” said McMonagle. He went on, “The high-paced, high-intensity individual workout plans are perfect for getting that quality practice and enabling you to take your game to the next level.
Expensive Off-Season Training Options
More and more parents are raising concerns about the high cost of off-season training. McMonagle’s program—designed for 6 or 9 weeks—is under $25. It’s a bargain compared to paying $300+ for a camp or $75 for a one-day clinic.
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“Parents have responded that their kids can play at home or in the neighborhood when they want to. With busy schedules, it reduces drive time for both players and parents,” said McMonagle.
While offseason preparation continues to be the most significant difference between contenders and pretenders, it’s also essential to enjoy a break.
Give your body and mind a chance to take some time off. But when it comes time to prepare, prepare at full speed and regular intervals. Committing to offseason workouts is how the good get better, and the best become the best!
By Mike O’Halloran
Mike is the founder and editor of The Coaching Whiz.
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