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Board Balls




I don't know why this drill came to my mind today.

My coach called it 'Board Balls'. I don't know what the official name is, or if even there is one.

I remember it as one of the most taxing practice drills- both mentally and stamina-wise- for me, personally. It seems strange but it's true.

I find individual drills and exercises simpler, because you have just one person to keep motivated - yourself. And you have just your own angst to face, and yourself to answer to, if and when something goes wrong.

But with 'Board Balls' and team games it's entirely different. You have more people to answer to, more people to take along. You need to save yourself but not at the cost of throwing someone else under the bus. You need to preserve your energy. It matters not just for you, but also for the team. And you can't quit. One person misses, and the entire group needs to start all over again.

The feeling of dissipating guilt as you mistakenly hit a weak board-ball which could easily have been missed by the succeeding player in your group, but thankfully, was yanked and caught- is not a feeling that can easily be forgotten. It stays with you forever- the momentary glimpse of impending jeopardy, guilt and remorse.

And you can't miss. You need to have your predecessor's back, quite literally. You can't miss catching the ball. Save the insults for later if you think they shoved it in a hurry and made things difficult. There is no time even to think of anger, let alone feel it, in this fast-paced exercise.

I remember dreading this exercise because it was all for one and one for all. If I messed up, I messed it up for everyone there. That's a lot of pressure. 

Yet, that's the very purpose of the game. Sometimes, your individual goals need to take a backseat. Sometimes, you've got to slow down, hit hard and keep the people behind and ahead of you in mind. 

I think that's an invaluable life lesson. I can feel the need for it today. Maybe- maybe, that's why it's all coming back. :)




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