Practice makes the player, the player makes the performance. It is the quality not the quantity of practice that can create the best results. Some of the best practices are action packed, intense and shorter on most occasions. I think that a coach is more effective if they are organized but also flexible to make any changes in drills or concepts when it is required. I believe in doing the basics over and over again, but variety can make or break a season.
Variety creates a better environment for learning and for maintaining enthusiasm.
I think practices are most effective when there is a balance of competition and cooperation. Indiana University offers excellent academic programs which include a magnitude of course majors and class offerings, a big-time athletic atmosphere, a beautiful campus, an entertaining downtown and very friendly people within the university and surrounding community. The Big Ten Conference is a competitive league from top to bottom and is one of the best field hockey conferences in the country, if not the best. It is going to be a challenge to establish ourselves in this conference. But, because it is a conference that demands excellence, it will only help to push us and make us better each day.