"To break the script, we first have to understand the script." - The Power of Moments, Chip and Dan Heath
We understand how events are supposed to go, for example being seated at a restaurant. The host greets and seats us, and perhaps hands us menus. The server arrives, asks whether we'd like a beverage, and so on. Or how the flight attendants count passengers and give the flight safety information. Sometimes they "break" the script with a joke or a song and dance routine. The surprise creates a memory. One Southwest Flight Attendant repeatedly asked us, "if you need anything, please let me know."
Can we revise the practice script, a pregame meeting, innovative warmups, a halftime talk to make moments? Take the freshness challenge.
"Jordans." What's unexpected? There's an old story about a coach who asked his team to get a stop as though "if you get a stop, you all get Jordans." "Jordans" a rallying cry to get a stop. That's playing hard.
PSAs. What if we had a pregame recorded 30 second PSAs (Public Service Announcement) from alums with remarkable success in life or sport? We have a former Melrose alum (Shey Peddy) who plays in the WNBA. Or another All-Scholastic (Hannah Brickley) who played two sports in college and was second in her class at Trinity. Could PSAs recruit?
Kid's games. The Celtics have innovative warmups including "Capture the Flag." We've used "Dribble Tag" inside the arc, including constraints like dribbling with your non-dominant hand. It's random not blocked practice.
Practice timeouts. Coach Bob Knight called a practice timeout and diagrammed a play. Then, he gave players paper and pencil and told them to reproduce it. Breaking the practice script assessed and enhanced player focus and understanding.
Pressure free throws. In The Power of Moments, the Heath Brothers note that ELEVATION comes with heightened sensation (emotion), higher stakes, and breaking the script. Finishing practice almost fifty years ago had freshness. Each practice had four rounds of free throws (10 apiece) for a maximum of 40/40. The daily winner faced off against the coach for the team not to run sprints. You couldn't harass the coach, but he could tell jokes, blow the whistle, use the silent treatment.
Did it help? Maybe.
Lagniappe. What other tools can we develop from our programs? How about Alumnae Networking via LinkedIn?
Lagniappe 2. "Every day is player development." Get downhill by reading defenders (Drew Hanlen)