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Do Coaches Play Favorites?

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September 30, 2018

Have you ever thought your coach or your child’s coach is playing favorites?

The honest truth is that YES coaches do play favorites! Every coach loves a player who works hard, shows up early, listens well, never complains, and always supports their teammates. At our Impact camps we teach athletes that “Coaches will ultimately give the most playing time to the players they trust the most”. The more trust you build with your coach the more likely you are to play.

Here are 4 intangibles that can help any player build trust and become one of their Coaches favorites.

1. Be Committed: You may not be the tallest, strongest, or fastest player on your team. But you can be the most committed. Put your phone away, stop playing fortnite, and get in the gym. Be the first player at practice and the last player to leave practice. Ask your coach what you need to improve on and then work at it every single day. If you stay committed over a long period of time your hard work will pay off.

2. Be Competitive: Coaches love players who treat every practice like it’s a game. Great competitors have a desire to win every drill, every game, and every competition. They never go through the motions. Adopt a “Game Point Intensity” mindset this season. Imagine you’re in big game, you’re down by 2, and you need a defensive stop. What kind of intensity would you bring in that moment? Bring that mentality to every practice and training session this season!

3. Be Coachable: Players, if you want to be great you must be coachable. You must welcome hard truths and challenges from your coaches. Always give great eye contact, great body language, and ask tons of questions. It will make you better and will build a positive relationship with your coach. “The moment you think you know it all, is the moment you stop improving.”

4. Be a Great Teammate: We should take pride in our own performance. But at the end of the day a great teammate cares more about the success of the team than their own personal stats or accolades. At our camps we teach players to “Zoom out”. The ability to take the focus off yourself and place it on someone else. Great teammates are able to zoom out so they can support, encourage, and lift each other up regardless of their own performance. This is extremely rare at any level of sport but is sure to standout and positively impact your team.