As we start competition, playing time often becomes a question for players and parents. We make sure to address playing time at parent meeting, but we know feelings will be bruised and questions are considered once a specific family is involved. As many club directors say, "You are paying for the opportunity to practice. Practice play is guaranteed. Match play is not a guarantee." Here are things to be considered.
1.) Can a player physically perform a skill? It is tough to be an effective hitter if a jr. high or high school player is only 5' tall. It is tough to be considered to serve if a player is not able to get a ball over the net. It is tough to be allowed to serve receive if a player is passing 0.50 and someone else is passing 1.50.
2.) Is the player trying? It is tough to improve if a player is missing too many practices. We have had nine practices. We have a handful of kids miss twice. That is 22%. That is too many missed opportunities to improve or practice with a teammate for a borderline prospect. Even if at every practice, are they focused? A player can be six feet tall, quick as a rabbit, jump like a kangaroo, and as strong as an ox, but if they do not know the "how, when the where, and maybe even the why", they are a liability.
The following is from a soccer article. It captures the needed attitude to learn and improve.
"Players just have to be ready to play whenever required. “You have to be ready every time and if you play [well], you put some problems in the head of the coach and this is good for the group and for you”, he said.
“If you don’t play it’s normal you are not happy, you are sad. Everybody knows this because every footballer wants to play important games or wants to play normal games, but in the Premier League you don’t have normal games!”
But being on the bench, leaves the player to work out their internal conflict themselves, he explains. “If you don’t play, it’s you against you because OK, you will speak with the coach [and ask] why you don’t play and he will explain to you, but this will not change [anything]”, he adds.
“Then you have to fight, you have to work more and if you don’t play you have to think and ask yourself [why]. If you have the answer to your question, you work on this and this and this, and after your time will be coming. With the work, your time will be coming, for sure.”
1.) Can a player physically perform a skill? It is tough to be an effective hitter if a jr. high or high school player is only 5' tall. It is tough to be considered to serve if a player is not able to get a ball over the net. It is tough to be allowed to serve receive if a player is passing 0.50 and someone else is passing 1.50.
2.) Is the player trying? It is tough to improve if a player is missing too many practices. We have had nine practices. We have a handful of kids miss twice. That is 22%. That is too many missed opportunities to improve or practice with a teammate for a borderline prospect. Even if at every practice, are they focused? A player can be six feet tall, quick as a rabbit, jump like a kangaroo, and as strong as an ox, but if they do not know the "how, when the where, and maybe even the why", they are a liability.
The following is from a soccer article. It captures the needed attitude to learn and improve.
"Players just have to be ready to play whenever required. “You have to be ready every time and if you play [well], you put some problems in the head of the coach and this is good for the group and for you”, he said.
“If you don’t play it’s normal you are not happy, you are sad. Everybody knows this because every footballer wants to play important games or wants to play normal games, but in the Premier League you don’t have normal games!”
But being on the bench, leaves the player to work out their internal conflict themselves, he explains. “If you don’t play, it’s you against you because OK, you will speak with the coach [and ask] why you don’t play and he will explain to you, but this will not change [anything]”, he adds.
“Then you have to fight, you have to work more and if you don’t play you have to think and ask yourself [why]. If you have the answer to your question, you work on this and this and this, and after your time will be coming. With the work, your time will be coming, for sure.”
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