Sherlock Holmes knew it was elementary and if you look closely at performance at the highest level – you will see huge commonalities – those commonalities are quite elementary. IT’S THE BASICS.
Great performance consists of the basics flawlessly executed with speed and precision in a chaotic environment. Because the competition environment is so chaotic it is easy to lose sight of the basics. We chase the next BIG SKILL or SERIES. But don’t be fooled. Those skills could not be performed without great basics.
What is the message? Know the basics inside out. Teach the basics. Master the basics. Practice the basics everyday no matter if you are number one in the world or a novice training for the first time. Never allow the basics to become mundane.
Basics win medals because they are stable and consistent.
Things that should go into your TRAINING PLAN
- Start with the basics and never stray far from the basics.
- Don’t try to replicate the stress of the sport in training, instead prepare for the stress of the sport.
- Have a plan, execute it and constantly evaluate the plan.
- You must know the process in order to be able to focus on the process.
- Coach the person not the athlete
- Teach skills not drills.
- Build on strengths and minimize weaknesses
- Train fast to be fast. You are what you train to be.
- You compete the way you train. Understand the demands of the sport and train to exceed those demands.
- Don’t try to replicate competitions in training, distort it.
- Never allow equipment or facilities to dictate your training.
