Softball Tips - Practice Makes Permanent

Many of you have probably heard the expression "Practice doesn't make perfect — it makes permanent." Yet how often have you really thought about that in the context of your own work?I know I see that in action all the time. Walking through a facility or along a field I will see teams diligently running drills or working on techniques that essentially have them practicing to lose. Even though they may have best of intentions.I see it with hitting a lot. I like hitting stations as much as the next coach, but they can do as much harm as good if they're not set up or supervised properly.Now, if you have older players whom you've worked with for awhile you can probably have them work the stations without someone being with them every minute. But for younger players it often doesn't work as well.I will see young players putting no effort into hitting off a tee because they think it's for babies. So they just sort of knock the ball off instead of working on elements of their swings.Soft toss is another one that can be problematic. Players will toss arcing balls to one another, which creates all sorts of problems in the swing that will have to corrected later.But it's not just hitting. You can see it in throwing, when players just push or lob the ball to one another while chattering away. You see it in the way they catch or field, just going through the motions instead of working on technique. They figure as long as they get the ball, or get it to wherever it needs to go next, they've done their jobs. But then, when they really need the better skills, those skills aren't there — because they haven't developed them.Pitchers can really develop issues through misguided practice sessions. A typical question pitching coaches get asked is "How many pitches should my daughter throw each sessions, and how many times a week should she throw?"There is no definitive answer to this question because it really depends. Would you rather have your daughter throw 50 good pitches or 100 sloppy ones? Would you rather have her working halfway every day or diligently twice a week?I know which I'd prefer. Ideally she'd practice hard several times a week, but not every kid is wired that way. Better to have her practicing to improve her skills a little than practicing to get worse a lot. Because whatever she practices she will achieve.There is no doubt in my mind that practice makes permanent. So keep that in mind as you watch your daughter or your team during a practice session, and ask yourself "Are they practicing to win, or to lose?" Because it does make a difference.Anyway, that's the way I see it.Agree or disagree?Share This Post With Others!