⏱️ The Hidden Difference: Why Hours Matter More Than You Think

📰 COLLEGIATE ELITES WEEKLY

Issue 025 — December 2, 2025

Every athlete says they want to get better. But most don’t realize how little time they’re actually putting in.

If you train 1 to 2 hours a week while another athlete your age trains 10 to 12 hours, you’re not in the same race. You’re not even on the same track.

For example, one athlete might practice once or twice per week while another is practicing five to six times per week.

It might look close on paper.
A few practices here. A couple sessions there.

But stretched over weeks, months, and years?

That small gap becomes a massive difference.

📊 WHAT MORE HOURS LOOKS LIKE

Let’s break it down.

1–2 Hours Per Week:

This usually means one or two team practices per week… and that’s it.

• One team practice

• A handful of reps on each skill

• Long stretches without correction or feedback

• Little time to refine technique

• No added strength or mobility work

• Progress feels slow, is inconsistent, and is easily lost

This is not “bad.”
It is simply not enough to grow in a competitive sport.

10–12 Hours Per Week:

This might look like 2 hours of focused work, 6 days a week. This is a totally different athletic lifestyle.

• Multiple team practices

• Extra skill sessions and/or position-specific reps

• Strength, conditioning, and mobility work

• Daily touches, drills, and pattern repetitions

• Regular correction and fine-tuning from coaches

• Skills reinforced daily

• Confidence built through repetition, not guesswork

• Momentum that compounds week after week

Here, the difference isn’t just “more time” spent at practice. It’s more reps, more coaching, more pressure moments, more mastery and better results that part-time athletes simply can’t reach.

🔄 HOW EXTRA HOURS MULTIPLIES GROWTH

Training more doesn’t just add practice, it multiplies everything that matters:

• Skill repetition and refinement

• Decision-making under game conditions

• Strength, endurance, and durability

• Confidence built through repeated success and correction

Even small weekly increases compound. Over months and seasons, the athlete putting in more hours moves ahead in ways that short bursts can’t catch up with.

 🏃‍♀️ THE IMPACT OF DOING MORE

• 2 hours a week = ~100 hours/year

• 12 hours a week = ~600 hours/year

That’s 500 extra hours of skill, strength, and conditioning in one year. Two years? 1,000. Three years? 1,500.

Those hours aren’t just numbers. They represent reps, decisions, corrections, and conditioning, this is the real difference between being average and competitive.

🎯 FINAL THOUGHT

This isn’t about guilt or comparison. It’s about how you use your time and understanding what it takes to improve. Every practice, every rep, every session matters.

Athletes who reach high-level results don’t rely on talent alone. They outwork everyone else. They accumulate hours that build skill and confidence over time.

Time is the ultimate separator. Respect it. Commit to it. You’ll see the results.

✅ TAKE ACTION

📍 In Seattle?

Come train with us in person at the Collegiate Elites weight room.
Get hands-on coaching, structured training, and the same environment our college athletes trust to stay sharp. 👉

🌐 Not local?
Train with a former college athlete — online or in your area. 👉