In the second blog on “Practice” I want to dive further into being specific and how to set yourself up to have a productive and successful practice session. Too often athletes set goals based on outcomes. They have a tendency to equate the outcome of a batted or pitched ball to the level of success they are having or their ability level. The results of a practice session or game can be very deceiving. It is possible to have great results in a practice session or game and to have not improved at all.
What athletes must begin to focus on is the process of achieving a desired outcome. Each of my athletes have certain specific aspects of their swing that when they focus on them enables them to produce the desired result. For one of my athletes that happens to be hip separation. When he puts his focus on hip separation the results he produces are outstanding. However, when he begins to focus on trying to produce the result his success is severely diminished. His hip separation is not as good and as a result his results aren’t as good. I continually need to remind him to focus on his hip separation, when he does the results follow.
This goes for every athlete I have. When they are focus on the process the results happen naturally. In Geoff Colvin’s book “Talent is Overrated: What Really Separates World-Class Performers from Everybody Else” he states, “The best performers set goals that are not about the outcome but about the process of reaching the outcome.” Begin to ask yourself, “What specific things do I need to do in order to be successful?” These things must be within your control and you must be able to determine if you were able to perform those things during your practice session. Once you have determined what those things are set those as your goals during your practice session. Don’t worry about how well you hit the ball. Sometimes when we are trying to improve you won’t hit that well but you will leave that session in a far better place then when you began. That is also important when you hit well. Too many times (as in the case of my athlete mentioned above) you will focus on the process, have great success, then your ego will take over and you will begin to focus on the success and forget about what allowed you to have that success. Success during a practice session doesn’t matter. What matters is that you stay constantly focused on repeating the mechanics necessary that allow for success.
In your practice sessions be specific, but be specific on the process of success and not success itself. Begin to take your focus away from results and you will begin to notice the results taking care of themselves. If you truly want to become an unlimited athlete consistent, process focused practice is a must.
