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The Gimme Getter is a mobile training app that delivers random suggestions, tracks time, and counts repetitions. It can even serve as a virtual partner when you’re training by yourself.
When I studied acting in college, I tried to get my performances “just right” by making lots of little choices and adjustments. As a result, I was frequently stuck in my head, unable to feel impulses. Then I became a clown with the circus. Suddenly my choices needed to be larger than life. Playing BIG left no room for me to get stuck in my head. After a season with the circus, I returned to the stage. To my surprise, I discovered that I could let go and feel impulses with ease, even when playing in a realistic fashion.
If thinking is like walking, one might assume that thinking fast is like running. It’s not. Walking fast and running are two entirely different skills. It’s the same with thinking. Thinking fast isn’t really thinking at all. It’s responding. Thinking is slow and methodical. Responding is quick and intuitive. To think fast, you don’t think, you respond.
Players move randomly through the space without making physical contact. The leader calls out a number and players gather into groups of that number. Players make physical contact with every other person in their group. The leader calls, “Mingle,” and all players resume moving randomly through the space. Different numbers continue to be called.
The Scene Timer is an app that tracks the duration of a scene and notifies players when the end of a scene is near. It’s much like the blinking red light that notifies stand-up comics when their set is almost done.
Before a race, some Olympic swimmers stand by the pool with their eyes closed. They appear to be doing nothing, but inside their minds, they’re visualizing the race they’re about to swim, picturing themselves doing it perfectly. This is how they prep to do their best.
Sidecoaching is real-time coaching that happens while playing scenes in training or rehearsal. It helps players make adjustments while maintaining the momentum of the scene. Sidecoaching reminds players about useful tools at opportune moments. It also helps players break old habits and establish new ones.
To fast-track the development of a skill, set up a skill quest. Here’s how.