The Difference Between Practicing and Training

My son has been getting more serious about basketball lately. Most evenings, just before dinner, he’ll head outside and shoot around for 30 minutes or so. He’ll dribble, shoot from different spots on the court, and work up a good sweat. That’s practice.

But when I watch him, I can’t help but notice something: He’s not training. He’s not spending focused time repeating free throws. He’s not isolating his form on mid-range jumpers. He’s not building consistent muscle memory from a fixed spot. He’s working hard—but not always efficiently. And that’s a lesson we all need to remember when it comes to bar prep.

Practice is general. It’s showing up, doing reps, and getting exposure.

Training is specific. It’s strategic, targeted, and designed to improve a particular skill or address a specific weakness.

Both are good. But one is better when you’re trying to make real gains.

Photo by Noah Silliman on Unsplash

Let’s Apply That to Bar Prep

Let’s say you’re working on Torts. You sit down and do a 17-question mixed set of multiple-choice questions. That’s practice. And again, that’s not bad. You’re keeping your head in the game.

But what if you’re consistently missing questions about proximate cause or struggling with product liability? A better approach would be to train. That means doing 17 questions just on proximate causation. Or 17 focused product liability questions. You’re isolating your weak spot and deliberately strengthening it.

The bar exam isn’t just about memorizing the law. It's about being able to apply the law, quickly and accurately. And the best way to build that precision is through targeted training. You wouldn’t just shoot random baskets if you were trying to become a three-point specialist. You’d shoot hundreds of threes from the same spot, again and again.

The same is true for essays and MPTs, too. Instead of writing a random essay from any subject, target a topic you’re weak in. Outline three Negligence or Search and Seizure essays. Break down two client letter MPTs. Build the muscle memory, the pattern recognition, and the timing.

So What Should You Do?

It’s easy to feel productive when you're practicing—just like my son feels accomplished after a half hour of shooting around. And you are being productive. But when time is limited and stakes are high, you need more than just reps—you need purposeful, targeted work that translates into improvement. That’s where training comes in. Instead of just doing more, start doing smarter.

Here’s how to make that shift in your bar prep:

✅ Mix both practice and training into your weekly plan. Start broad, then go narrow.

✅ Use your performance data to train smarter. Review what topics you missed, then isolate.

✅ Repeat with intention. Don’t just move on once you finish a set. Ask: What did I learn? What can I tighten up?

Remember: Practice will keep you in the game, but training will help you win it.