The 30/70 Reset: How to Play Between Shifts:Athletes

Nov 6

Athletes:

"How do you play between shifts?"

This question changed everything for my teams.

As a hockey coach, I was obsessed with getting my players to compete for a full 60 minutes. We drilled systems, worked on conditioning, studied film. But we kept leaving wins on the table.

Then I started asking my players: "How do you play between shifts?"

This was often met with a confused but curious look.

The answers were all over the place. Some zoned out. Some obsessed over mistakes. Some were already thinking three plays ahead without processing what just happened.

What I realized: They weren't being deliberate about the 2-3 minutes between shifts. They were missing the neutral zone - that space between what happened and what comes next.

That's when we developed The 30/70 Reset.

The Framework:

Every time you come off the ice (or field, or court), you have roughly 2-3 minutes before your next shift. Here's how to use it:

THE 30% - RESET (First 60-90 seconds):

1. Physical Recovery

Catch your breath, hydrate, let your heart rate settle

2. Emotional Settling

Let whatever emotion showed up (frustration, excitement, anger, joy) just be there. Don't fight it, don't feed it. Acknowledge it. Then find calm. Run a quick assessment on what are they trying to teach me?

3. Mental Assessment

Quick mental scan:

What went well? (One thing)
What was neutral? (What just happened without judgment)
What would I change? (One thing, max two)
Do I have anything to communicate with a teammate?

THE 70% - RELOAD (Next 60-90 seconds):

Now you hunt for opportunity. Using what you just learned:

What's my next play going to be?
Where's the opportunity based on what I just saw?
Plan the adjustments
What's my focus when I hop over the boards?
Share what you think with your team

You're not dwelling. You're not spinning. You're loading the next play with intelligence from the last one.

The Result:

Teams that master The 30/70 Reset don't just play 60 minutes - they play 60 intelligent minutes. Every shift informs the next. You are learning from mistakes. You're not carrying baggage. You're evolving in real-time.

If you do this well, and are consistent with it, you will find yourself solving games not just playing them.

Consider this as well, we get a lot of reps in our personal relationships inside and outside of work. Each time we interact - there’s a ‘between plays’ reset we could practice with. If we can evolve how we perform AND relate - I know we will find ourselves enjoying life a little bit more or strengthening our teams.