That's something I heard Magic Johnson say on tv when he was trying to coach the Lakers. I feel I have to mention here that:
- I'm a Celtics fan
- Magic Johnson is a human with faults, not someone I idolize...but damn he could play.
He was baffled by a new generation of players that were full of talent but, sort of bottled up their best as a way of "saving it for the game". In Magic's mind, and in his life, you could never expect to just "turn it on" when the horn blew no matter how much talent you had.
You had to respect and cultivate your abilities through practice.
And every time I think of what Magic was saying about his players, I think of my own practice and how it relates to my teaching: I believe you teach how you practice.
Do you have fun when you practice?
Are you disciplined?
Do you respect the practice?
Are you kind to yourself?
If you teach, how do the answers to those questions translate to youR classes?
Do you have fun teaching- do you respect the craft?
Are you kind to your students, acknowledging their limits and teaching what is in front of you?
Do you teach your practice or someone else's?
There is no magic switch you can flick when it is time to teach, you instinctually pull from what your body knows, and your body only knows what it practices.