4 Ways to Transfer Practice Performance to Games
By: Cindy Bristow
Discover 4 tips to help your team carry over the way they practice into the way they play in games
 
I'm often asked how can players bridge what they seem to know in practice to what they're able to do in games. The following 4 steps are simple things that any coach can put in place to help your players play more like they practice
 

1. Practice Game Situations Everyday - No matter how simple or advanced you need to make them, based on the skill and experience level of your team, you should put in some situational practice at every practice. Once you do then start making them competitive, and give out consequences for the results (like are present in games). This will help your players see the practice situations as more game-like and be able to function better during the pressure of games.
2. Add Times to Their Situations in Practice - The average runner goes from home to 1st in 3.0 seconds and the average lefty slapper goes h-1st in 2.8, so time your team on their decisions and throws and have them play against an imaginary team (the clock) with actual penalties for losing. Keep score during defensive practice (runs for the defense for any accurate throws to 1st in 3 seconds or less and runs for the imaginary offense for any bad throws or ones that are 3.1 seconds or slower). Defense tries to beat the clock (offense) to 5. Penalties for losing
3. Have Everyone on the Field Matched Up With a Game-Buddy - These 2 people are responsible for telling each other the number of outs, where the runners are and where the play is if the ball is hit to either of them. They are also both penalized if either buddy makes a poor decision and both rewarded when either buddy makes a great play or a good decision. Keep score throughout practice situations and the buddy team with the most runs wins.
4. Ask Your Team How to Help Make Practice More Like Games - you'd be surprised how much valuable information your players will give you if you'll just ask them. Ask them if they feel the situations you practice everyday help, then ask them if the situations feel the same as situations during games? Most will likely say no - so ask them "then how can we make our practice situations more like games?" You'll find all the answers you need from your own team.