Everyone knows practice makes perfect. Some may argue only perfect practice makes perfect but I think everyone agrees that repetition builds skill sets. Most coaches operate under the philosophy if you want to get better at something do it more. For example, if you want to run faster then run more, to get stronger lift more, etc. Yet, this does not seem to apply to all facets of competition.

Take for instance the free throw. Other than screaming fans waving whatever they can get their hands on, the shot is totally uncontested. The distance to the basket is always the same, height of the basket is always the same and size of the basket is always the same. Which brings up the conundrum.

One of the greatest active players is Kobe Bryant. Love him or hate him, his skill set is exceptional. He can control his body and the basketball with surgical precision but lets focus on his foul shooting. He has a career average of about 84%. By all accounts this is a great percentage. However, if repetition was the sole reason for improvement than one would expect year after year his free throw numbers to improve. Unfortunately, this is not the case. During the 1998-99 season he shot almost 84% but the following year he shot 82%. Clearly, factors beyond mechanical repetition are at work.

The key to improvement in a controlled situation like a free throw or 3-foot putt is to go beyond the mechanical requirements and simulate the situation. A free throw in an empty gym is no big deal just as a gimme putt on the practice green is automatic. However, what about a free throw with seconds left and your team is down by one. Or a short putt that will force a playoff in a major. Therefore, to maximize the repetition of practice an athlete must visualize the most stressful situation they will encounter. This is what creates perfect practice, the attention to details you will be subjected to during competition.

This entry was posted on Wednesday, April 23rd, 2008 at 2:05 pm and is filed under Competition, Perception. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. Responses are currently closed, but you can trackback from your own site.