Practice Makes Permanent: What Are You Practicing?

We spend countless hours practicing our sport.

But what are we practicing when it comes to the mental side of performance?

Practice makes perfect.

It's a phrase we've all heard in athletics

Personally, I’m preferential to the idea that…

Practice makes permanent.

Practice your swing.
Practice your footwork.
Practice your shot.
Practice your technique.

The idea is simple: the more we repeat something, the more familiar it becomes. Eventually, we don't have to consciously think about every little movement. Our bodies begin to know what to do.

But what about our minds?

Athletes practice mentally, too—whether they realize it or not.

Every time you make a mistake and immediately criticize yourself, you're practicing a response.

Every time you become frustrated and allow that frustration to carry into the next play, you're practicing a response.

Every time pressure shows up and you begin to doubt whether you're ready, you're practicing a response.

And every time you make a mistake, take a breath, regroup, and give yourself another opportunity, you're practicing a response.

None of this means that having a negative thought, feeling nervous, or becoming frustrated is somehow a failure. Those experiences are part of being human—and part of being an athlete.

The question is:

What do you do next?

Pressure Doesn't Create Your Habits

We've talked before about how often athletes are told things like:

“Focus!”

“Get your head in the game!”

“Shake it off!”

The intention behind these statements is usually good.

But here's the problem: an instruction isn't necessarily a skill.

Telling an athlete to focus doesn't necessarily teach them how to regain their attention when it wanders.

Telling them to shake off a mistake doesn't necessarily give them a process for responding to that mistake.

And telling someone to be confident doesn't necessarily teach them how to build confidence.

Those are skills that can be developed through practice.

Because when the stakes get higher, we don't suddenly develop an entirely new set of habits.

We tend to fall back on the habits we've already developed.

The championship game doesn't magically teach you how to handle pressure.

The big performance doesn't suddenly teach you how to respond to mistakes.

The spotlight doesn't create your mental game.

It reveals it.

So What Are You Practicing?

Imagine two athletes making the same mistake.

One immediately thinks:

“There I go again. I always mess things up when it matters.”

The other thinks:

“That wasn't what I wanted. Reset. Next play.”

Neither athlete is immune to frustration.

Neither athlete is pretending the mistake didn't happen.

The difference is in what happens afterward.

And that response can be practiced.

We can practice recognizing when our attention has drifted and bringing it back.

We can practice responding to mistakes without allowing one moment to dictate the next.

We can practice routines that help us prepare for competition.

We can practice identifying thoughts that aren't helping us perform and choosing a more useful way to approach the situation.

We can practice sitting with pressure rather than immediately trying to escape it.

We can practice.

And just like physical practice, mental practice doesn't require perfection.

It requires repetition.

Practice With Purpose

The next time you walk into practice, don't only ask yourself:

“What physical skill am I working on today?”

Ask yourself:

“What am I practicing mentally?”

How do I respond when I make a mistake?

How do I talk to myself when I'm struggling?

What happens to my attention when the game gets difficult?

How do I respond when I feel pressure?

Am I developing habits that I want to rely on when the moment gets bigger?

Because someday, the practice will end.

The game will begin.

The championship will arrive.

The spotlight will turn on.

And when that moment comes, you won't have time to develop a new mental game.

You'll have to rely on what you've practiced.

Practice makes permanent.

So make sure you're practicing something worth keeping.

The DMP Perspective

Mental performance isn't about expecting athletes to control every thought, emotion, or outcome.

It's about helping them develop the skills and habits that allow them to respond more effectively when those things inevitably show up.

Mental Performance is the Vehicle.
Human Development is the Mission.