TRAINING VS. COMPETITION

As parents, we can help organize our child’s daily schedule and enable them to be the best they can be.
In sports, there must be a balance between training and competing for an athlete to become a better player.
Currently, the model of grassroots basketball is a little skewed because summers are filled with many tournaments and very few practices.
Watts understands the need to compete, but also realize that may lower personal growth

Constant Competition has Good and Bad Results

The Bad

Games unexpected results:

1. Games reduce the number of quality reps.
2. The pressure of games distorts priorities, encouraging shortcuts in technique.
3. Games encourage players, coaches, and parents to judge success by the scoreboard rather than by how much was learned.

The Good

It teaches invaluable lessons about:

1. teamwork
2. emotional control
3. fun

We, as parents, must make sure our kids are getting the right mix of competition and practice.
If you want to be GOOD: For every hour of competition, spend five hours practicing
If you want to be GREAT: For every hour of competition, spend ten hours practicing.

Make it focused, make it challenging, and make it fun!  Understand that team practices are not practices, but internal competition among teammates.

Athletes must schedule their own time to work on improving their game.

In practice, you can focus on what you need to as a player; improving skills you already have and learning skills you need.
Practice is for technique, reps, and development those things are key to player improvement and you can not get in a game.

Always set time for training. Competition alone will not get you to the next level.