On a recent episode of Hard Knocks, the Ravens and Steelers were preparing for a Wild Card matchup.

The weather forecast was cold and snowy.

During their preparation, the Ravens were debating whether to practice inside all week or to go outdoors.

Lamar Jackson, their MVP quarterback, told the coaches they needed to go outdoors. As he told them, “If we are going to play in those conditions, we need to get out there and practice in those conditions.”

The Ravens went on to win 28-14 in a dominant performance.

Would they have won had they not practiced outside? Possibly, maybe even probably.

And yet, the decision to practice outside was significant, both physically and psychologically.

Making your practices game-like, tough & competitive are a must if you want your team to be ready to compete against the best teams on your schedule.

It’s one of the reasons Kevin Furtado has been able to turn around 3 different programs with his Competitive Motivation Practice System.

Watch here as Coach Furtado talks about the importance of competing in practice.

What An Ancient Roman Emperor Can Teach You About Practice Planning

Stoicism, an ancient school of Roman philosophy, has had a rebirth in recent years.

One of the most admired Stoics was Marcus Aurelius, who was the emperor of Rome from 161-180.

Among his most cherished and repeated beliefs is this one - “The obstacle is the way.”

In other words, when faced with adversity, we must tackle it head on. Attempting to avoid it is futile.

Fortunately for us as coaches, we get a chance to prepare for the adversity we will face. . . it’s called practice!

Unfortunately, too many of us fail to take advantage of the opportunities that practice provides. Don’t let that be you!

3 Ways To Build Adversity Into Your Practices & Develop A “Tough” Team

A lot of coaches espouse the belief that practices should be harder than the games. Few actually make their practices that way.

If you want to do that for your team, here are a handful of strategies to consider implementing:

• Recreate the environment 

Are you preparing to play your rival or playing in a gym that is notoriously loud? If so, play music during practice. And play it loud!

Force your players to communicate over the sound of the music. Very few players use a leadership voice on the floor. Blasting music forces them to do so.

It also lessens their reliance on you. They won’t be able to hear you in a packed gym. If they rely on your voice during every practice, they won’t be ready to deal with that when the game comes.

The loud music forces them to rely on each other, making them stronger come game time.

• Call fouls, even unfairly

It always amazes me when players act shocked to get called for a foul. Maybe it was a bad call. Guess what, it happens? Have you ever seen a player be the beneficiary of a bad call and go tell the ref that they actually didn’t get fouled? Me neither. So you can’t have it both ways.

Bad calls happen. Weak players are affected by them. Tough players aren’t.

Officiate your practices. Purposely make bad calls. Start scrimmage segments with key players with 4 fouls. If they foul again, they are out for the scrimmage.

That may happen in a game. When it does, will your team panic because they don’t know how to function without one of its best players? Not if you’ve practiced it!

• Overload your players

If you are playing a pressing team, consider adding an extra defender. I know some coaches don’t like this because certain options that may be available with 5 players won’t be with 6 or 7.

I get that! It’s a legitimate concern. And yet, I still think spending some prep time with extra defenders has value. Why? Because of the psychological impact. If your players see themselves handling pressure against 7 players, it will make them more confident against 5.

The mental part of basketball is huge. Using adverse conditions to build players confidence will pay off in crunch time.

Breaking the ‘Feel Good’ Myth: Practice Should Prepare, Not Pamper

If coaches know adversity is coming, why do so few practice for it? I think it’s because most coaches want to leave the gym “feeling good.”

In other words, they want their team to have success. For many, this means putting their varsity against their JV and scrimmaging.

If you’re doing that the majority of the time, your varsity should “look good.” However, I would question if you’re preparing it to “play good.” And that’s the ultimate goal!

If you’re looking for more ways to level up your practices and create a more competitive and cohesive team, check out the Competitive Motivational Practice System With Kevin Furtado.

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