DANKOCHIK’S DRAFTINGS: The change-up – more than just a baseball pitch

In watching both the AA and AAA Zone 13 volleyball finals, I was struck by a pair of similar moments.

In the waning moments of the match, with everything on the line, the winning team’s setter, who had been setting up his outsides and middles all match, seized the moment and took a pass himself for the winning kill.

Both the Grunthal and Niverville players took advantage of their tendencies, set up throughout the entire match leading up to the decisive point, and threw their usual play out the window for their winning moment.

It’s something that I know from experience playing badminton works well. Serving to a different part of the court after short serving the entire game often gets me a point in a key moment.

Tendencies are a funny thing. What humans are capable of getting used to or recognizing as a pattern is a key part of our biology.

In music, a tempo or key change can be just as satisfying as an off-speed pitch, or a setter going for an early kill. It’s not just about keeping the defense honest, it’s about injecting some life into your routine and keeping things fun.

There’s a lesson to be learned from those setters. Sometimes it’s worth it to take a step out of your comfort zone, to try something new and get out of a rut you might not realize you’re even in.