Practice at Game Speed

📰 COLLEGIATE ELITES WEEKLY

Issue 061 — August 11, 2026

As summer winds down and the school year gets closer, competition isn’t far behind.

For some athletes, the season starts with a tournament. For others, it might be a time trial, scrimmage, tryout, or friendly competition.

Whatever that first test looks like, there’s an important question to ask before it arrives:

Are you ready for that type of output?

It’s one thing to train throughout the summer.

It’s another to prepare your body and mind for the pace, intensity, and pressure of competition.

Now is the time to find out.

⚡️ START TRAINING AT GAME SPEED

You don’t need to compete every day.

But as the season gets closer, some of your training should start to resemble what competition will actually demand from you.

Run at race pace.

Execute drills under pressure.

Compete when you’re tired.

Make decisions at full speed.

Push yourself through the types of efforts you’ll soon experience in games, meets, and matches.

The goal isn’t simply to work harder.

It’s to intentionally prepare yourself for the intensity you’re about to face.

🔋 PREPARE FOR THE OUTPUT

Hard training only works if your body is ready to handle it.

Get healthy.

Take care of the small aches and pains you’ve ignored.

Prioritize sleep, nutrition, mobility, and recovery.

Then pay attention to how your body responds when the intensity increases.

How well can you maintain your technique when you’re tired?

How quickly do you recover after a hard effort?

Can you come back the next day ready to train again?

Competition is demanding. Your preparation should give you confidence that your body can handle those demands.

🔒 LEARN HOW TO LOCK IN

Game-speed training isn’t only about your body.

It gives you a chance to practice competing mentally, too.

Pay attention to how quickly you settle into the intensity.

Were you locked in from the beginning?

Or did it take a few reps, possessions, or minutes before you felt comfortable?

If it took time, don’t wait until the season starts to figure it out.

Adjust your warm-up.

Change your pre-competition routine.

Find what helps you get physically and mentally ready to compete from the first whistle.

That’s part of preparation too.

📋 TEST. EVALUATE. ADJUST

Once you’ve put yourself through a game-speed effort, be honest about what happened.

What felt good?
Where did you struggle?
What broke down when you got tired?
What needs more work?

You don’t have to solve everything before the season begins.

The purpose is to understand where you are now so you can continue improving as the season goes on.

Take what you learned and build it into your training.

Then test yourself again.

🎯 FINAL THOUGHT

Don’t wait for the first competition to find out if you’re ready to compete.

Prepare with intention. Test yourself. Make the adjustments. Then when it’s time to perform, you’ll be ready to execute.

Stay patient. Get ready. Execute.

Be Elite.

✅ TAKE ACTION

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