Brain freeze.......it happens to the best of us
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As the Offensive Coordinator (OC), one of my jobs is to call the offensive plays during the heat of the action on game day. Of course, we’ve practiced our offense all week and have come up with a game plan of how we want to attack our opponent’s defenses. And I’ve spent considerable time OFF the field, going over different scenarios that may happen in the game, and how I plan to respond to each of them. So… why is it then, that I found myself last week, standing halfway out to the numbers on the field…my quarterback standing there anxiously waiting for the play…the clock ticking….and I’m stuck?!!!! I mean, I had my play sheet in hand, knew what I thought the defense was going to do, and knew the down and distance we were in….and yet I had nothing! The page looked jumbled, nothing made sense, uncertainty flooded my mind and it seemed as though I could literally hear every single parent, coach and player’s thoughts as to what THEY believed I should call. I was in the zone for sure, but it was the BRAIN FREEZE zone (BFZ).
Am I the only one this has ever happened to? Amazingly BF doesn’t JUST happen on the field does it?! I’ve experienced it at times in raising my sons, making financial decisions, interacting with my wife, and quite often it happens at work. So what does one do when they find they’ve entered the BFZ?
I’ve learned to start the “big thaw” by going back to what I know to be true. An OC goes back to that short list of plays he knows will work. A father goes back to the baseline of unconditional love he feels for his kids. A husband is reminded of the deep sense of commitment and love he felt for his bride in the beginning. And at work, the great employee/boss/co-worker refocuses on the mission and vision that inspired him to take this job in the first place.
You see…the TRUTH WILL SET YOU FREE and you can stay “cool” in the heat of the moment! See you at the stadium!
--Dane Johnson
The Times is pleased to have Dane Johnson blogging his thoughts on high school football throughout the season. Johnson, a football coach at San Dimas High, has been a football coach for more than 20 years in the San Gabriel Valley and is also a pastor at Christ’s Church of the Valley . You can connect with him on Twitter @PastorDaneJ.