Is there more to a practice environment than just skill training? We know that winning and losing is about much more than just skill proficiency. A good match is a battle of:

1. confident, competitive presence (boxing)
2. savvy, tactical execution (chess)

While the repeatability of skills are the foundation of the athletes’ ability to execute, an over-emphasis on skill perfection seems to neglect the fact there’s an opponent on the other side of the net.

• How can we remind them that wins are not given, but rather must be taken?
• How can we create an environment that constantly confronts the athlete with competitive and tactical problems to solve?
• How can we reverse engineer the confrontational aspects of the game?

Competition is conflict, and in this presentation we will address how to design a structure in which the athlete has no escape from that reality and is forced to self-organize solutions to conflict. We will discuss specific drills and practice methods which develop the athletes’ awareness of the opponent, strategies for playing with more intent, and their ability to impose those strategies on others.