Let’s face it, practice can be boring. Repetitively running drills and repeating monotonous plays are all a part of the grind, but let’s be honest, how many of us actually feel like that time is being used productively and efficiently? Sure, going through the motions can help us gain confidence, but what if there were better ways to prepare for game day? What if the secret to success isn’t just practice but scrimmaging?
The art of full speed, competitive simulations of real games might just be the most underrated tool in sports. It is time to ask ourselves if teams can redirect valuable time that could be spent preparing for the high pressure, intense moments that truly decide games in clutch time. For sports that don’t involve a direct competition between two teams, such as swim or track, a scrimmage meet can be held where athletes compete against each other in various events simulating a real meet.
Don’t get me wrong, practice has its place. I’m not saying that we should void the art of going through the motions repetitively. It’s where you learn fundamentals and build the necessary muscle memory needed for a wide variety of unique situations. But let’s be real: How often do you find yourself zoning out after you have finished your turn of the drill, waiting at the back of the line while you wait for your entire team to repeat that same drill? The truth is, traditional practice can feel disconnected from the organized chaos of an actual game.
In a real game, you’re not just executing plays in a vacuum. You’re dealing with adrenaline and nerves, both of which are hard to emulate when going through repetitive motions in practice. In a real game you’re making split second decisions under pressure, another aspect that’s hard to replicate in a practicing environment. That’s where scrimmaging comes in. Scrimmaging is as close as you can get to replicating game speed for athletes. Think about it, while you scrimmage you’re not just practicing a play, you’re executing it against an opponent that’s actively trying to beat you. Other factors in play during a scrimmage are the fact that you must keep the rules of the game in your mind. If you’re playing basketball, you can’t lazily forget to dribble as you’ve just traveled and turned the ball over. You’re learning how to read the situation and make calculated split second decisions.
Perhaps the most important part of scrimmaging is exercising your mental fortitude that comes while playing in high-stakes situations. When you’re scrimmaging, every possession matters. Every mistake feels real and every victory feels earned. As a tennis player, I’ve experienced this firsthand. During practice, I can hit quality serves and groundstrokes all day in a controlled environment, but it’s practice matches when I’m down 15-40 on my serve facing a break point where I truly learn how to perform under pressure. These are the moments that define athletes and the situations that make them are moments that practice just can’t replicate.
