CrossFit Athletic Group

This weekend at our Family practices what I ended up emphasizing more than anything else was the simple concept of huddling. To be clear, this is referring to a brief, 7-second huddle conducted by players during any dead ball, not the one a coach organizes during a timeout.

I should note this season the MHSAA passed a rule that allowed refs to give techs to teams that huddled; they enforce it the same way police officers enforce jaywalking. AAU has no rules against it to my knowledge, as refs just politely tell a team to break it up when the offense is ready to play.

We practice huddling because it helps keep everyone on the same page, knowing what offense or defense we want to run, who has the hot hand, who hasn't been involved in the offense, and who needs help on defense. It's a skill that needs to be developed just as much as shooting or dribbling.

What I have come to understand about huddles, however, is they are practicing a habit that author and... how else do I describe him?... teacher?... Andy Bernstein says is the single biggest determining factor of happiness; he's observed that during challenging times successful couples, families, friends, co-workers, and businesses pull love close ot them, and unsuccessful ones push love away from them.

There are an infinite amount of challenges during a basketball game, and every time we get a bad call, a teammate makes the wrong play, a coach loses his temper, or the crowd is jeering, the first instinct needs to be finding your team and bringing them in.

20 bucks says Mr. Van tries to call a huddle in the middle of today's workout for "team-building purposes."