coach Marco Sturm did not reach back for a 20th century bag skate to cure the team's ills. Those are mostly a thing of the past as "teaching" tool. But rather he and his staff first ran his players through an extensive off-ice session to hammer home some of the finer points of his zone/man hybrid defensive system that, at the moment, his players do not seem to be grasping very well.
But you can hit a million shots on the driving range or in front of a mirror. It's possible to replicate conditions and practice your swing over and over and over again. To a certain degree, you can practice golf in a vacuum. In surfing, you cannot. There is a magical, confounding component so elusive and finite that it adds to the sport's seduction.
Neil Back's focus on perfecting his skills in the kitchen reveals a mantra from the England rugby team: 'Perfect practice makes perfect performance.' This concept underscores the importance of diligent practice in achieving success.
