Are you looking for tips to improve your exercise practice? Look no more. Here we will give you tips on what to do before, during and after a training session focused on practice. Let’s start.
Clear your Head
Yes. In other words, be mindful. How often does your thinking go outside of what you’re working on in the present? Stop doing that. Why? Because the better you can focus on the specific task at hand, the better the results will be.
There are different tools that can help you do this. For example, eliminate distractions such as a phone that could ring at any time. However, finding the right focus also has a lot to do with your mental headspace.
By properly setting up your environment, it will help you to keep the concentration you need. A clear space containing only what you need to use is the best. Also, to help keep you in the “practice mode”, it is also best if the space is only used for that purpose.
Focus on a single or two move(s) at a time
That’s right. Circuit training obviously has its benefits. However, practicing skill really isn’t one of them. To get results in skill training, it is usually best to focus on one move at a time. Why’s that? Because doing this will allow you to put all of your concentration on that move.
That being said, as fatigue can be an issue, in some cases, going back and forth between two nonrelated exercises can be an even better choice. Indeed. Different physical skills may be better suited to one or another, so it will depend on what you’re going for.
Finding the Sweet Spot
Do you know what “deep practice” is? It is a kind of practice that is often marked with failure and mistake. Not in a bad way, and not to a great degree.
There are three zones of practice. You may want to enter the zone that is just right:
- Comfort zone
In this zone, the percentage of attempts that are successful is 80% and above
- Sweet spot
The percentage of successful attempts in this zone is between 50% and 80%
- Survival zone
In survival zone, the percentage of successful attempts is below 50%
What does that mean? It means that if you’re getting things right 100% all the time, chances are you’re doing something too easy. It’s time for you to progress to the next step. Whatever that may be. However, if you’re missing the mark over half of the time, that means you’re working on something that is too tough. Take it back a notch and try again. It’s in the middle ground, that is, where something is challenging but not too challenging, that you’ll best gain the skill you desire.
Post-practice follow-up
This is also important to keep in mind. Practice isn’t all about what you do during practice. To get the best result, you will need to watch your diet and get enough rest.