EKAITZ SAIES

Picture this: it’s the final of a very important competition or the or the last seconds of a crucial match. The pressure is immense, the stakes are high, and there’s no time to think—only to execute. The athletes who rise to the occasion are not necessarily the most talented, but the best prepared. Their actions are automatic, ingrained through repetition, allowing them to perform with precision when it matters most.

The great performers, the ones who deliver under pressure, understand this fundamental principle: success is built upon repetition and discipline.

Don’t practice until you get it right, practice until you can’t get it wrong.

Those of us who grew up during the ’80s and ’90s vividly remember the Karate Kid craze and the iconic phrase “wax on, wax off” from Mr. Miyagi. The lesson was clear: repetition leads to mastery. Muscle memory, once ingrained, becomes an unshakable foundation in moments of pressure.

I still remember the poster I had in my room of the legendary fight between Bruce Lee and Chuck Norris, which came with a martial arts magazine. Beyond his formidable fighting skills, Bruce Lee was a philosopher of efficiency and discipline. One of his most profound insights states:

“I fear not the man who has practiced 10,000 kicks once, but the man who has practiced one kick 10,000 times.”

The message is clear: mastery is not about doing lots of things; it is about doing the right things, repeatedly, until they become second nature. In high-stakes competition, there is no time for hesitation. Execution must be automatic, refined through relentless practice and absolute commitment to the process.

Think of elite athletes like Michael Jordan, Rafael Nadal, or Usain Bolt. Their brilliance was not just talent—it was an obsession with preparation. Nadal’s pre-serve routine, Jordan’s relentless shooting drills, Bolt’s fine-tuned sprint mechanics—each was built on the principle of simplifying and perfecting execution through repetition.

Spectacular achievements come from unspectacular preparation.

When the moment arrives, let your preparation do the work.