The practice of Athletic training practice and consistency

Reps with Intention: The Foundation of Athletic Performance

When you’re a kid learning the alphabet, you write each letter over and over again as homework. Why? To develop the ability to write with ease and confidence.

It’s no different in sport.

As a developing hockey player, shooting pucks weekly—with intention—builds accuracy first, then power with accuracy. Repetition creates familiarity. Intention builds mastery.

For athletes, true performance gains are often made off the ice—through pushing, pulling, and moving under tension. Strength, speed, and power don’t just happen. They’re developed through focused, consistent effort.

Practice, when done with intention, creates good habits. And those good habits? They become the foundation of performance. They’re what show up when the pressure is on.

Unleashing an athlete’s potential isn’t just about raw talent or maximum ability. It’s about understanding their strengths and maximizing them—while making sure weaknesses aren’t holding those strengths back.

Reps on reps on reps… but always with intention.

Build the habits that lead to success. Because as the four stages of competence remind us: practice the wrong habits, and they’ll take over. Practice the right ones, and they become second nature.

That’s the goal… Automatic.

Written by:
Kirill Vaks
BA, CSCS

Take action… Now!

Voorhees Flyers Training center.

The Hollydell ice arena, in the main building.