Make Practice Fun Again 🇺🇸
Somewhere between youth soccer practice and standardized testing, practice became punishment.
What started as play turned into obligation.
“Practice? Ugh, I have to go to practice, again...”
But here’s the truth:
Practice is not the problem. The problem is how we were taught to see it.
We were told to follow rules, run drills, and “focus”—but we were never told why.
No wonder we got bored. No wonder we quit.
If you want to get better—at jiu jitsu, relationships, your craft, your workouts, your business— you need to Make Practice Fun Again.
This is my campaign slogan.
The Campaign to Bring Back Fun
Let’s get something straight:
Practice isn't about being perfect—It’s about showing up to get better.
Look at kids (or adults) when they’re really into something— they mess around, test boundaries, try crazy stuff.
They love it. They are fascinated with it.
And in the process, they get really good.
We kill that animal spirit when we over-schedule, over-coach, and over-correct.
When we turn it into an responsibility rather than a recess.
Want to improve?
Want to stay consistent?
Want to love the grind?
You need to be able to have fun, you need to be able to play.
A New (Old) Policy
Here’s my proposal:
âś… Less punishment, more play
âś… Less drill, more flow
✅ Less “have to,” more “get to”
âś… Less judgment, more curiosity
âś… Less complaining, more appreciation
Imagine if every day felt felt like open mat.
Like jamming with friends in a garage band.
Like tinkering with a side project, just because.
Progress comes when pressure is replaced by play.
Your Job This Week:
Look at how you’ve been practicing— your jiu jitsu, your job, your hobbies, your habits.
Ask yourself:
“Am I doing this to play or to prove?”
“What would this look like if it were actually fun?”
“How can I make this entertaining?”
Then start small.
Find one way to inject curiosity, joy, or challenge into your practice.
Example:
A lot of people look at exercise as a chore or responsibility; they put pressure on themselves to lose weight..
If you do it solo, try doing it with friends or at a gym with a community feel. If you like the alone time, try blasting your favorite music while you train. If you don’t like weight training, try a sport like jiu jitsu, pickleball, rock climbing, or a join a run club.
Find ways to make things fun. If you aren’t having fun, you’re likely not experimenting enough.
Let’s make practice something you look forward to again.
Not because it’s easy.
But because it’s it’s your life. It’s your time. Why do something you aren’t obsessed with?
Now go roll. Go play. Go be yourself.
And remember—The path to mastery should feel like freedom.
Own the process.
Own your life.
—Tim Pupak
Author of Mastery Monday
Founder & Student of thepractitionersjournal.com
Want more bite-sized wisdom like this?
Share this newsletter or subscribe to the archives.
Help build a coalition for better practice—on the mats and off.
