This is the second part of a four part series on practice.

Just because practice is simple, do not overlook its importance.

Here are the four basic rules of practice:

You must practice to become better.

What you learn first is what you remember.

How you practice is how you will play.

You must have a simple practice plan.

Rule Number Two:

What you learn first is what you remember.

There are two basic laws of learning that comprise the next two rules of practice.  I will cover one in this lesson and one in the next lesson.

First, we will cover the law of primacy.  This law states, the way you learn a lesson, a behavior or skill the first time is the way you will remember it and how you will perform the task forever.

That being said, you can see the importance of learning to perform a task correctly from the beginning.  Bad habits learned in the beginning will be habits that will be hard to break in the future.  Take the time, slow down and focus. Make sure you learn a technique or skill correctly. Work hard to develop good habits and techniques in the beginning.

There are basic building blocks that must be learned in any sport.  Great basic techniques will pay off dividends and serve you well in the future.  Do not skip learning the fundamentals.

This summer, I had the privilege to attend the Donnie Hansen Motocross Academy (DHMA).  Needless to say, Donnie had his work cut out with this old guy.  It’s a good thing Donnie has taught thousands.

Like any great instructor, Donnie started with the basics.  After a brief introduction and warm-up, the first lesson was on riding position. While on the bike, he asked the class to demonstrate the basic riding and attack position.

From novice all the way up to the expert racer, all skill levels were represented in the class.  Each and everyone in the class had some form of improper body and riding position.  For the next two days Donnie and I struggled to break my old bad habits, as did the rest of the class.

Learning the basics from the start will make it easier to learn more complex techniques later on as you become more advanced.

Your mom was right, “Bad habits are hard to break”

Tell us your stories.