THE IMPORTANCE OF BEING REDUNDANT

ONE OF THE TENDENCIES I FIND THE NEED TO FIGHT IS THE DESIRE TO MOVE ON TO THE NEXT THING. MOST KIDS, INCLUDING QUARTERBACKS, ARE HUNGRY FOR MORE - MORE INFORMATION, NEW DRILLS, EXCITING IDEAS. BUT REALISTICALLY, IF YOU REALLY WANT TO GET GOOD AT SOMETHING, YOU NEED TO PRACTICE IT UNTIL IT BECOMES REDUNDANT. IF YOU KEEP ADDING IN NEW THOUGHTS AND IDEAS BEFORE THE ORIGINAL DRILL OR CONCEPT IS REDUNDANT, THEN CHANCES ARE THAT THE SKILL WILL GET LOST.

SO, THIS OFF-SEASON, I'VE STARTED PROMOTING REDUNDANCY WITH MY QUARTERBACKS. I TELL THEM EVERY SESSION, EVERY LESSON, THAT IF THE DRILLS FEELS REDUNDANT, LIKE YOU CAN ALREADY DO IT AND UNDERSTAND IT, THEN PERFECT, KEEP GOING. WHEN SOMETHING FEELS REDUNDANT, THAT WHEN YOU ARE STARTING TO GET GOOD AT IT, AND CAN REALLY BEGIN INGRAINING THE MOTOR PROGRAM.

THE QUOTE THAT COMES TO MIND IS "DON'T PRACTICE UNTIL YOU CAN DO IT RIGHT; PRACTICE UNTIL YOU CAN'T DO IT WRONG." THAT'S PROBABLY A MUCH MORE ELOQUENT WAY OF EXPLAINING WHAT I'M TRYING TO SAY, RATHER THAN CALLING IT REDUNDANT. BUT, I THINK IT'S ALL AMOUNTING TO THE SAME THING - IN OUR EAGERNESS TO MOVE ONTO WHAT'S NEXT, WE OFTEN FAIL TO PERFECT WHAT'S HAPPENING NOW. EMBRACE THE REPETITION, THE MOTOR LEARNING, THE REDUNDANCY, BECAUSE WHEN THAT TURNS INTO SOMETHING THAT WAS ONCE DIFFICULT BEING NATURAL, YOU'LL GET TO REAP THE REWARDS.