b'FROM THE BACK OF THE BOXBetter Practice Pays DividendsBy John SamsillFor all your team roping questions, you can email me directly at johnsamsillteamroping@gmail.comO ne of the biggesttheme in my practices. I like to explain it this way. variances in how aYour practices are where you earn your money, the professional roperroping or rodeos are where you go to collect. This differs from an amateur roper on how they approachattitude helps me put more into my practices as I truly their roping is how they practice. We all knowfeel this is where I earned that check at the roping. So, the definition of insanity, doing the same thingit makes sense that the more work I put into practice, over and over and expecting a different result. Ifthe more Ive earned. The more I win. The following you are a number 10 heeler or a number 9 headerare some of the things to do to set up your next then youre probably happy with your roping andpractice before you run the first steer.dont need to change anything, right? Wrong! Pros are constantly working on getting better. TheyreFirst and foremost, you must evaluate your roping. working on their horsemanship, on their horses,You have to know your weaknesses before you can and are always working on their roping. It could bework on them. Most of us have our strengths and soor it may be your entry into the corner. Heel horses catch percentages, handles if they head, or positionthats what we like to do. We feel comfortable ropingwill sometimes get strong going into the corner, so and delivery if they heel, along with many, manyto our strengths. Our strengths will only take us as farthat may be causing you to pull more, rocking you as our weaknessesback onto your pockets. You may not realize whats will allow. One ofhappening to you so thats why you have to really my weaknesses isthink about cause and effect. Take some time when that I have troubleyoure doing this. It will pay off in the long run. Have heading steers thatgood ropers watch you and help with the evaluation run to the right.of your roping. Of course, one of the best things you So, when I ropecan do is to attend a roping school, then when you the hot heels whatgo back to the practice pen, work on the things you pattern of steer dolearned about yourself at the school. you think I have the driver run theRemember this is a process and not a quick fix. We most. If there is awill always have areas to improve upon. Its part of the steer in the practicegame. Remember even nines and tens are trying to pen that runs right,get better, so shouldnt we?I try to rope that one every time heUntil next time, Ill see you at the back of the box. runs in the chute. My strength is the steers that runIf you are not practicing with left. When I was rodeoing that wasa purpose, youre not really the pattern I liked.practicing to improve your roping, No heeling barriers other things. I see too many amateurs approachingat the rodeos mean my heeler could step them over.horsemanship or improving your their practices in a very different manner. If youSo even though I still practice on steers that run left are not practicing with a purpose, youre not reallyand have the hot heels driver go left, I dont do it ahorses performance.practicing to improve your roping, horsemanship orquarter of the times I practice going right. That is improving your horses performance. You are doingjust one weakness the same thing over and over and probably expectingbut you get my point. a different result.Your biggest weakness may be your handles How do you go about changing your practices? Howif youre a header. do you move forward pushing yourself to the nextThis also involves our level? Im not talking about next level as in competinghorses so this is where at the rodeos or moving into the semi-pro or pro levelyoull need to work on if youre a lower number roper. Im talking about theyour horsemanship next level as in raising your catch percentages, aboutto help your horse, having your horses working up to their potential, thusyourself and your raising your win percentages. What I would like to dopartners. Thus, is lay out the steps it takes to get the most out of everyupping your heelers practice session. Ive had some very talented youngcatch percentages ropers come practice with me. I set my practices upand increasing your before we run our first steer. I explain what I need towinning percentages. work on for myself and my horse. Then I ask themIf youre a heeler it what they need out of the practice. For some, this is acould be your position new concept for them. I have a very work orientatedriding down the arena 26 October 2019'