Lexulous Life Lessons: Don't practice your golf swing on the course

 I played a lot of golf and tennis when I was growing up. I was fairly good at both,  but I was also a very hard practiser, reader of new techniques and methods and an overall tinkerer with my game.
After a while, you learn something about how to go about that successfully. More about that at the end.
Lexulous is a somewhat simple game. Make your best word or score each time in the hope of scoring the most points at the end of the game. That is the simple version.  But those that play well know there is much more to it than that. There are very complex variables at play most of the time with the better players who play to win. I am one of those. 
We all have a strategy,  something that we think works well for us and will lead us to winning most of the games we play. I have one, and sometimes it works and sometimes it doesn't. As I go along, I make alterations in my strategy to try and hone my game and become that much a better player.
One thing I have learned though, in Lexulous and in golf and tennis,  and just generally in life,  is that you don't try out your theories in the middle of the game. After the game is over, you may analyze what you did, what went wrong or right and then alter your strategy for later. However, doing it in the middle of the game is a sure way to lose. 
Part of the reason I play some lesser players is to try out my theories and see how they work, with the knowledge that if they are not effective,  I can just revert back to my old style and still beat that player. They are basically "test drive" players.
In golf and in tennis you learn that you don't practice your swing on the course or on the court. You save that for the driving range or when you are just practicing with others. When it is time to compete, you go with your original plan or what got you there. If you don't, you are sure to lose if only because you simply don't know how to execute what you haven't perfected yet.