Winning with No Practice Time

How do you win games with no practice time?

If you’re new here, this is a series of lessons I’ve learned from coaching boys’ high school basketball. You can check out that here.

We’re not like other schools. We don’t have practice every day.

We’re a small school—small small. And there are always other things pulling at our time throughout the week.

So we get two practices:

One on Monday.

One on Tuesday.

But here’s where it gets rough:

When the season starts, we typically have one... or none.

Yup. You heard that right.

One or none.

So how does a team like that win games?

Or—just to lower the rim a little—how do we even get to the place where we can compete?

That’s when I had to face a hard truth:

We must practice in games.

In the heat of the moment, we slow down and treat the game like practice.

Ignore the scoreboard. Focus on the reps.

I still remember telling the students mid-game, “It’s time to practice our passing. 10 passes before you shoot.”

The looks of confusion were real.

“But coach… we’re in the middle of a game.”

Exactly.

This is our practice.

Over and over I’d ask my players, “What are you practicing this game?”

For some it was passing.

For others, shooting.

Defense.

Communication.

Focus.

Composure.

That was the question, every time:

“What are you practicing?”

Most people treat games like the place to show what they’ve practiced.

But what if you don’t have the space to practice?

That’s real life, isn’t it?

Sometimes you don’t have the luxury of prep time. You don’t get warm-ups. You don’t get a do-over.

So instead—you flip the mindset.

Use the game to practice.

That means you stop watching the scoreboard so much and start paying attention to what you’re working on.

Maybe you’re not winning the argument—but are you practicing patience?

Maybe the presentation isn’t perfect—but are you practicing clarity?

Maybe the conversation is awkward—but are you practicing vulnerability?

This isn’t easy.

But something shifts when you focus on what you’re practicing—not whether you’re winning.

You stop feeling pressure from the game.

And you start feeling peace from the process.

So here’s the question:

What are you practicing?

Are you practicing gentleness in the middle of tension?

Are you practicing self-control when you’re tempted to lash out?

Are you practicing honesty in uncomfortable spaces?

Are you practicing consistency even when the schedule’s stacked?

You could wait for life to slow down.

You could wait for the perfect conditions.

Or...

You could use the game.

Use the chaos.

Use the awkward moment.

Use real life.

Practice in the heat of the moment.

At first, it might feel overwhelming.

But over time—I promise—it will calm you down.

It will build you up.

It will give you peace.

And you’ll start winning.

Eventually.

What area of your life feels like a game right now—and what could you choose to practice in it?

Don’t wait.

Start now.

In the game.