Rules vs Standards

 Rules can be cheated, standards cannot.

Rules give us the opportunity to find ways around them, it’s human nature.  The best example I have is when I run a drill where only the receiving team can score points.  When done correctly you get an extremely high volume of serve receive reps.  However the first thing every team figures out is this, if you miss your serve, your opponent can never score a point  Congratulations you just won a meaningless game and robbed yourself of any opportunity at growth.  Now standards are open to interpretation, which promotes self accountability.  If I tell you that to be on this team you need to push yourself at all times, accept the circumstances you’re given, and find ways to thrive despite the hand you’re dealt…. There’s really no way around that, you either gave it your best or you didn’t.  I want my players to be able to problem solve on a higher level because they met the challenge head on, rather than find ways around it.   Rules and punishment, create behavior modification, but only while those rules are in place.  Out in the real world there’s no rule that says you need to go to work.  However, if you consistently skip work, you know you’re gonna get fired.  The standard was set that you’re expected to show up to work.  With that being said why would I create rules to modify your behavior, when I can set standards that will change the way you think about life.