I bet this one confuses many and that makes me chuckle.  So let me explain!  I see many, many athletic injuries from overuse.  People do the same thing over, and over and you get the picture.  An even bigger problem?  Overuse of a bad technique.  A colleague of mine would tell his patients “practice doesn’t make perfect…perfect practice makes perfect.”  I love that.  So, a few ideas about this…

1.  Get someone who IS an expert to watch you and advise you.  Therapist, coach, a really good player/swimmer/runner etc-and have them film you in slow motion if possible.  I’ve even advised some of my patients to film themselves, then go on that fabulous thing called Google and search the best in the sport.  Compare.  Practice perfectly.
2.   The body gets used to things pretty quickly and likes to coast.  Weaker muscles may get lazy, weaker.  Hence my whack a mole reference.  Keep it guessing.  Many runners’ injuries I see are because they do not train side to side, up and down, inside out….they are just very linear.  Cross training does not take you away from your sport/activity-it may prolong the time you are able to do it as well as improve your form and power while doing it.  And, of course, it can reduce your possibility of injury.  The program I am doing right now for example is different everyday:  core, upper body, lower body, total body, cardio, stretching/yoga-results are less strain on all these parts that are getting older (and we all are) and better overall fitness (which is my own personal goal).
3. Don’t be afraid to try new things.  Yes, I know you may “love” that one activity, but are you doing more harm than good?  Are you going to get bored and stop doing it, losing your progress towards your goals?  Would it be less boring if you had different options?

Keep the balance.  This is with all things: life, work, exercise, sport.  And have fun-like playing whack a mole!  😉