Make practice more difficult than what you’re practicing for.
Years ago, when I was conducting a “How to Use Simulators to Improve Your Driving” workshop in Boston, I was pleased to see the number of drivers who showed up with their driving shoes. If you’re going to practice driving on a sim, wear shoes that are appropriate.
Okay, you don’t have to wear racing shoes (fortunately, I’ve not heard of a simulator bursting into flames, so their fire-retardant benefits are not so important!), but it can’t hurt.
Hmmm… but I could make the argument that there is a benefit to using a simulator with shoes with less feel than proper driving shoes. The same thing could be said for driving on the street. Here’s why.
Say what you will about what Tiger Woods has done over the past few years, on and off the golf course, but there’s no doubt that he’s one of the greatest golfers to have ever lived. How much of that is due to the way he practiced?
Tiger’s practice routine as a child was to have his father tap him in the back of the leg just as he was drawing his club back to drive the ball off the tee. His father – his coach – felt that if he made practice far more challenging than Tiger would ever face, it would make him a better golfer. Tiger got so he could stop, refocus, and start his pre-shot routine over again without it bothering him, all because his father made practice more difficult.
All pro golfers practice – a lot. Tiger didn’t necessarily practice any more than anyone else, but what he did consistently was make his practice more difficult. He’s famous for dropping a ball in a sand trap, stepping on the ball to sink it into the sand, and then hitting from there; for dropping a ball behind a tree, and practicing hitting around it.
There’s no doubt that Michael Jordan is one of the greatest basketball players of all time. Sure, there are stories of him showing up to practice thirty minutes earlier than his teammates, but he also went out of his way to make practice more difficult. He practiced those falling-away, desperate-looking jump shots from the corner over and over again. When he made one of those in a game, it really wasn’t surprising.
Michael Schumacher, one of the greatest race drivers of all time (are you seeing a pattern here?), made practice more difficult. After a day of testing where he’d driven the distance equivalent to two full Grand Prix races, he’d go to the gym and work out for an hour, and then work with his “guru” on his mental training program. Race day was easy for him.
Okay, I understand that you’re not getting paid what Tiger, Michael, or Michael got paid, so your commitment to practice time is not going to be the same. I get that. But the point is not the amount of time you spend, but what you practice. When you go to the track to drive, I suspect you practice what’s easy – driving the right line, with a car that’s as well set-up as you can make it, with the right equipment.
What if you made practice more difficult? What if you purposely made your car handle poorly (I can hear it now… “But my car does handle poorly!”), and learned to drive around those problems? What if you wore three layers of gloves so you couldn’t feel the steering wheel as well? What if you wore extra ear protection so the auditory feedback was restricted? What if you purposely drove off line to develop more and different “correction” skills?
Back to your footwork. If you practice applying and releasing the throttle and brakes; if you practice quick and seamless transitions; if you practice blending throttle and brakes when it’s an option when you drive on the street; if you drive with less-than-ideal shoes; if you drive a less-than-ideal vehicle… then you’re making your practice more difficult. And that will make you that much better on the track. But you have to be deliberate about your practice. You have to be present. And how much of your street driving are you actually present for, and how much are you essentially on auto-pilot?
Be present when practicing on the street. Be aware of your footwork, and practice it.
Hey, a thought just hit me: When Tiger Woods wasn’t on the golf course, he wasn’t practicing. When Michael Jordan wasn’t on the basketball court, he wasn’t practicing. Well, they were in their minds, because they used mental imagery. You might not be on the track, but you’re often driving on the street, so you’re still practicing. Earlier, I said that you can’t practice as much as these superstars do, but in a way you can. You have the advantage of being able to practice your footwork when driving on the street (legally!).
Ross Bentley
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Ross Bentley has spent a lifetime helping drivers go faster. He’s the author of the Speed Secrets books (the best-selling racing series ever), is one of the most sought-after driver coaches in the world, and runs SpeedSecrets.com, the largest collection of driver development resources anywhere. Want more articles like this? Subscribe at RossBentley.Substack.com.
