Keeping the Main Thing the Main Thing.

The more things we focus on and attempt to get done in a practice setting the more we limit our ability to get any of them done well. Too often attempting to do multiple things well results in nothing being done well. In a rush to cover all the areas in our training plans we give way to time constraints, move off acceptable standards or more often lower the standards. 

In looking closely at what I have been doing and how I have been doing it, I have found that I often spend a disproportionate amount of time in one area of the game. For me, it has been in the Attack Phase. Even when focused on this phase, it's easy to lose sight of the main thing believing that I have to do all things in that phase well to be successful. More often then not, the opposite is true. To be successful, I have to focus and do one thing, (the main thing) well. 

Applying this approach in a training environment requires a shift in perspective and behavior. Instead of working on multiple things in each game phases I am now channeling the focus on one thing and making sure we can hold an acceptable standard of execution or play before we move forward. If we can't hold the standard we need to spend more time with it. Having one main thing to focus and work on in each of the four-game phases I believe is an effective way to help organize a training session. 

Build your plan around the one main thing for each phase. In doing so what I found is you more clearly see your performance shortcomings, areas of improvement, areas that you are good at and perhaps most importantly you feel less overwhelmed. Being successful is about not giving up and not moving off or lowering performance standards until we can hold an acceptable standard in our play.