Coach, Why do the hours of my racquetball practice not translate into more victories?
I get asked this and here is what I see out there in racquetball land.
1. Poor mechanics-If your technique is not great, when you practice you will reinforce poor mechanics and you will not improve as much as you could.
2. Practicing setups. How many setups do you get in a game vs how many rallies are you chasing that little sphere? Specific practice!
3. Poor footwork-poor footwork leads to poor shot selection.
4. Playing too much and not solo practicing enough.
5. Solo practicing too much and not playing enough.
6. Not using your mental filter-ex. you will with a shot that would not win in the division you will be competing in. Therefore, the shot is a losing shot, not a winning shot, but if you confuse winning with improving you could be in trouble.
7. Continuing that thought in #6, do not Play to win vs as much as play to improve. If you want to improve, you must fail in practice to succeed in new skillsets!
8. Over-training-Working so hard your body does not recover.
9. As a follow-up to #6, practicing to improve not trying to win every game would help you a ton!!
10. Poor Coaching or advising-someone (and they could be the nicest person in the world and a friend) is directing your workouts without understanding what you are facing in tournaments or without the knowledge or experience to help.
It has been my experience that champions love challenges and are not afraid to leave the comfort zone!
Go get’em Tiger!