At the risk of sounding like a wimpy coach, I’m going to use the sport of professional basketball as a metaphor. Do you think it’s a bad idea? Well, at least I didn’t suggest football…
Professional basketball coaches have a definite strategy for substitution patterns. I’m pretty sure I said strategy, not seat of the pants execution. So what is your strategy?
There are two types of decision that fall into this category. Firstly, there are those decisions that can be decided before the actual game, and secondly, those that arise during the course of a game.
Before the match, the Coach must decide the parameters of the substitution strategies. The questions that the Head Coach and all Assistant Coaches need to determine may be a bit more complex than you might initially expect. The Game is going to be hectic enough without the confusion being compounded by disagreements or differences of opinion as the game unfolds. These can only deteriorate the player’s confidence in the Coaching Staff.
1. Which Coach(es) on the bench will make substitutions?
has. Most HS teams do not have a single box coach like many college programs do. Identifying who will send to the lines, as well as unique position players, is key to organizing your bench, substituting “on the fly” is acceptable, while coaching “on the fly” is not.
2. Are we going to substitute as units or lines or as individual players?
has. This is not as simple as you might expect. Many coaches have moved away from rigid midline substitutions with the arrival of LSM players as well as defensive midfielders. Maybe you’re a high school program that doesn’t have a pure three-man defensive midfielder, but possibly has a strong, not-great-stick athlete who could conceivably be an effective running back or defensive midfielder when paired with an LSM. and the best midfielder in a line. Or possibly, when you substitute your fifth attacking player or your fifth defender, you want them to play two of the starters.
3. What is your priority for many players who play in the game?
has. It has always been my strategy to play all or as many players as possible in each game. But the strategy might surprise you. I like to replace most of the bench in the first quarter, and efficiently in the first half. I learned this lesson by watching the body language of the kids on the sidelines as an observer rather than a coach. Actually, one year I had to play a lot of freshmen and sophomores and once we get past the initial phase of “Deer in the Headlights” everything will be fine.
b. Players who expect to get a good chance at playing the game practice significantly more and are much better at paying close attention in practice. Not to mention they’ll be significantly more prepared (since a lot of it is mental anyway) in case you need them due to injury issues.
vs. Players who have played even 30 seconds to a minute or two in the first half are aggressive and committed vocal supporters for the rest of the game.
d. Once beginners catch on to this change in their culture and realize they’ll be back in the game in a moment or two, they engage with younger or less experienced players as well.
me. It sure changes the weight of the terms “Team” and “us”.
Finally, as the Head Trainer, I might strongly suggest that both you and the Attendees are CLEARLY on the same page. The day before the game, take a few moments to discuss as a coaching unit who might be gaining a little more playing time and come up with a definite strategy to make that happen.
Too often, coaches get to the end of the game and don’t get a chance to give the players the time they expected. And then more often than not, they tend to get defensive about decisions or lack of substitutions. Has this happened to you?
The game is too hectic, make a plan, and then make a plan to implement the plan. Or ask an Assistant to make sure to remind you in the first trimester of the plan. Eliminating these kinds of substitutions in the first half takes a lot of pressure off of you as a coach and reduces players’ anxiety about “Will I play?” off the table too. After three or four games, you may find that you have more “players” than you expected.