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How to Make the Most of Being Benched on Your Sports Team

Joseph Luma 0 Comments
being benched

I took my first volunteer coaching opportunity helping out a freshman basketball team. I had an experience where one of the boys came up to me after practice and was complaining about his current situation on the team. I just sat there and let him vent his frustrations. He discussed how he was upset that he was always getting pulled from the game and being benched. After he expressed his anger,

I said to him “Do you know why he does that?” He replied saying “no.” I said, “He does that because he sees how great you can become.” I never heard anything more from that player the rest of the season and that experience has always stuck with me.

Lessons Learned from the Bench

As you start moving up to higher levels of competitive athletics, the “everyone plays” mantra starts to diminish. Not everyone will get the opportunity to play an equal amount of time, some may not play many minutes the entire season.
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We aren’t all going to play every minute of every game so what can we learn when we are on the bench?

Learn to improve your game

Being on the bench can motivate you to work harder to get the opportunity to be in the game. The time you spend on the bench can help you think about what you can do to fine tune your skills to improve your chances of future playing time. Don’t be afraid to ask the coach questions about what you can do to improve.

Learn to Observe

Sitting on the bench allows you to see more perspectives of the game than just how you need to respond. As you sit on the bench you can start to see the little nuances to the game that the coach sees and start to understand why coaches do the things they do. Many great coaches have come from players who played very little on the court.

Some never even played in high school at all. “One of the most overrated thoughts out there is that if you weren’t a great player, you can’t be a great coach,” said Coach Frank Martin with five NCAA tournament appearances including a Final Four.
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Learn to be Committed

Nobody will question your heart when you continue to put the work in every day at practice and not get the playing time on the court. It shows a resiliency and willingness to see something to the finish line, which most people would give up on.

Learn to Support a Team

You can clap, yell, scream, and cheer for the teammates that you go to battle with every practice. You are an integral part of making the team better and you matter to the team regardless of whether you are on the playing field or not. It means something when the players on the bench are engaged in the game and positively support their team.

Learn to Push Yourself

Being on the bench allows you to continue to push yourself to get better every day, to continue to work harder for more opportunity. It strengthens your mind and makes you mentally tough.

Learn to Understand a Role

 Everyone has a role to play in life. We can contribute to our team, our family, our work, and our organizations in our own unique way. Being on the bench can help you to understand that not everyone is going to score 50 points or 5 touchdowns, but without you, no one is going to accomplish it.

Learn to Enjoy the Journey

Life doesn’t always go the way we want it to. It’s all about attitude. You can take being on the bench as a detriment, or something that you can make the best of.
Learn to be a student-The bench is a master teacher. You get to study the playbook and have a greater understanding of the X’s and O’s of the game. Learn to read what the other teams are doing and how to counter. What can you do to stay engaged in the game on the bench?

Help with Water

Keep your teammates hydrated. When they come off the field or there is a timeout have water ready.

Keep Stats

Ask the coach if you can assist with keeping some stats. There are always things that coaches would like to track throughout the game and the coaches can only do so much.

Keep your Teammates Focused

If teammates come out of the game distraught, be that positive force that keeps them ready to go. If you notice players messing around the bench help redirect them into cheering for the team.

Be Prepared

Your name could be called at any time to enter the game. Know the matchups and who you may be guarding when you go in the game. Know what the coach needs from you when you enter. Be the spark off the bench to ignite the team.

I understand that we are competitors and we all want to be playing in the game, but if and when you aren’t, look in the mirror before you quit. Ask yourself about regret? How will you feel if you quit and look at what you can gain by continuing to do all you can to play the game you love!

Check out some of my other blog post on youth sports Be a C.H.E.E.R. leader.  How to make the team.

Leave us a comment down below and let us know what you think.
photo credit: Ryan Ojibway <a href=”http://www.flickr.com/photos/97795627@N00/28636020953“>The Game</a> via <a href=”http://photopin.com“>photopin</a> <a href=”https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/2.0/“>(license)</a>

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