Holistic Athlete Weekly Newsletter

Mental vs. Physical Reps

Recent studies (will provide sources below) have continued to suggest that the difference in improved performance due to physical reps vs. mental reps is slim, and certain individuals may actually benefit more from mentally rehearsing something rather than physically practicing it.

Coaches have worked for decades to improve the quality and effectiveness of physical reps their players get at practice. What drills should we run? How do we make it difficult and/or realistic? How do we manage the risk of injury with the reality that if we don’t practice fully, both performance and the ability to stay healthy in a game will suffer? And the biggest question of them all: Just because a player does the rep correctly, do they understand what they’re supposed to do and why?