Motor Learning Tip for Coaches & Athletes:

Why Perfect Practice Is So Important

Jim Kielbaso MS, CSCS

Practice makes perfect.  You’ve heard this a million times, but it’s not quite true.  Actually, PERFECT practice makes perfect. 

If you want to improve any sport skill, you absolutely must learn to do it correctly.  For example, to improve your speed, you need to learn the correct mechanics.  The ability to accelerate includes a forward body lean, strong knee drive and rigidity at the ankle.  Top-end speed requires different mechanics including a pronounced arm-swing and knee drive.  But, how do you learn proper mechanics and how long does it take? 

New skill acquisition is one of the most important processes in athletics.  Learning new skills is one thing, but actually being able to use those skills in a game situation is what really matters.  To get to the point where a new skill is actually used in competition requires the following steps:

1. For any new skill, you must first break old habits and form new ones through proper coaching and instruction.  Whether it’s sprinting, throwing or bowling, it takes 2-3 weeks of consistent practice to break old habits and form new ones with good mechanics.  At this point, your nervous system is learning to fire in the exact sequences necessary to perform the new skill.  Your nervous system is adapting to the practice, so perfect practice is vital.  Otherwise, the poor patterns simply get reinforced.  After this period, the new skill can be performed well, but only when the athlete is thinking about it and focusing on proper execution.  If training stops at this point, the skill will never be used in competition.  Many athletes stop here and are frustrated with their lack of on-field results.  The next step must be taken to truly make a difference.
2. After the habits are formed, it is absolutely vital that the skill be practiced consistently for another 4-6 weeks.  This practice trains the nervous system over and over again until it becomes so engrained that you no longer have to think about it.  This is called a “motor engram” and this is the point that you must get to in order to fully take advantage of a training program.  Creating a motor engram should be the ultimate goal of any training program aimed at achieving meaningful results. 

This should help you understand how important perfect practice is to your athletic success.  Everything you do sends a message to your body, and it is continually making adjustments based on the way you practice.  Keep giving 100% effort, and remember that everything you do is an opportunity to improve.