Ability and playing time: criteria for the starting line-up

Volleyball bench
Author:  Carol L Alberts
Issue: Volume 27 Number 1

Reprinted with permission from Coaching Issues and Dilemmas: character building through sport participation, National Association for Sport and Physical Education, Reston, VA , (2003).

Scenario

Mary, a senior who was a starting forward on the basketball team for three seasons, loses her starting position to Casandra, a more skilled freshman. She is having trouble dealing with her status as a non-starting player and resents the fact that she lost her position. She seems to be turning others against Casandra. Her behaviour is affecting team unity and morale. Mary makes an appointment to see the coach to discuss her non-starting status.

Analysing the issue

Identifying the problem

Mary displays a negative attitude during practice. She is good friends with the starting players and is doing whatever she can to keep them from accepting and working with Casandra. It appears as though Mary’s friends are feeling pressured to sabotage Casandra’s performance. Team morale and cohesiveness have decreased since the team’s starting line-up was announced.

Listing inappropriate behaviour

  • Mary puts out less energy during drills than she did previously.
  • Her body language while the coach is talking indicates resentment.
  • She makes comments under her breath when the coach is talking.
  • She often does not assist in putting away equipment.
  • She appears to be bad-mouthing Casandra to the other starting players.

Determining what action to take

Taking Mary out of the starting line-up as a senior says a lot about the coach’s value. A coach who values loyalty and commitment over skill would not start a freshman if skill levels were comparable. Since this coach started the more skilled player, her action indicates that skill is the primary criterion for starting. The coach needs to make a judgement about Mary’s potential in order to determine the direction of the meeting.

Although it is not always easy to make these judgment calls, it is often necessary. It could be that Mary is just not working hard enough and that she could get her starting position back with more effort. In that case, identifying the areas that need work and encouraging Mary to work harder would be the focus of the meeting. On the other hand, if the difference in skill abilities is so great that the coach feels Mary cannot earn her spot back, she may want to handle the meeting differently.

If the coach believes that Casandra’s skill is so far superior to Mary’s that there is almost no chance for Mary to start, then it would be more compassionate to help Mary accept her new role. Encouraging her to work hard and building up her hopes of starting will only bring further disappointment, anger and resentment. This would not be helpful to the team, to Mary, or to Casandra. Ultimately, Mary has to accept her new status on the team, whatever the coach indicates it will be. If the coach can give her an idea of the amount of playing time she will have, it may help her make the adjustment. It is understandable that she is upset and will need help dealing with her disappointment. However, she needs to deal with her anger, move past it, and make a positive contribution to the team. Mary needs to feel like she is still a valuable team member, even if that means as a substitute for a starting player.

Considering possible reactions by the athlete

  • Mary comes to the meeting angry. Her body language and comments indicate that she believes she has been unfairly demoted to a non-starting position.
  • Mary denies that she is angry and hurt. She believes she is still giving 100 per cent.
  • Mary comes in very upset. She feels the coach owes her for her three years as a loyal team member. She is humiliated to be replaced by a freshman and is thinking of quitting the team if she is not going to start.
  • Mary is angry and humiliated but wants to stay on the team. She is willing to try to accept her new role on the team and make a positive contribution to team unity.

Setting up a meeting with the athlete

In this scenario, the player has made an appointment to see the coach. When a player asks for a meeting, it is often helpful to ask what it concerns. This gives the coach time to think about the issue before speaking with the player. In this situation, what Mary has on her mind is not difficult to project. The meeting can be semi-formal. Whether the meeting is held before or after practice will depend on how the coach anticipates Mary will respond to the coach’s decision. If the coach feels the decision will be upsetting to Mary, it may be unrealistic to expect Mary to maintain a positive attitude throughout practice if the meeting is right before practice. Holding the meeting after practice would give Mary time to regain her composure.

Outlining the meeting

Opening the meeting and presenting the problem

Since Mary has asked for the meeting, she will probably confront the coach about her non-starting status. In all probability, Mary’s self-esteem has taken a big blow. Since she was a starting player for three seasons, it is likely that the decision has humiliated and angered her. The meeting will probably be an emotional one. When a player is angry, it is easy for the coach to become defensive. The coach will be most effective if she lets Mary know that she is empathetic and understands how she feels.

Mary will want to know why she is not starting. When outlining the reasons for the decision, the coach should try to preserve her dignity. Since Mary was a starter for three seasons, she also started as a freshman. It is possible that she took the place of a senior too. Pointing this out may make Mary feel less humiliated. In an attempt to justify the decision, if the coach becomes defensive, it is easy to overstate the reasons. Using game statistics and objective criteria is better than making subjective generalisations. Care should be taken not to compare Mary’s strengths and limitations to Casandra’s or any other player.

Finally, the coach needs to open the discussion about Mary’s behaviour. Her lack of energy, negative comments under her breath and talking about Casandra to the other players have to be addressed. Mary needs to understand the impact her behaviour is having on the team unity and morale.

Taking action

The more specific the coach can be about Mary’s future role, the better for everyone: Mary, the coach and the team. Mary needs to know if she will have playing time. No promises should be made if this is not a strong possibility. The coach needs to let Mary know that she can still make a strong contribution both on and off the court, and that she is still an important part of the team.

Once the coach has given Mary the reasons for the decision and her new role on the team has been discussed, Mary needs to decide whether she can handle it and continue to make a positive contribution to the team. She is a valuable team member, but she needs to be positive and supportive of everyone on the team, including Casandra.

The bottom line is if Mary cannot change her attitude and accept her new role on the team, the coach may want to help her find something more positive to do with her time. Continuing with the team would not be a positive experience. Helping Mary make that decision and allowing her to leave the team with dignity might be best for everyone. This decision and discussion may be better in a follow-up meeting after Mary has had some time to adjust to her new status. This is a judgement call the coach can make as the meeting progresses.

Closing the meeting

The coach needs to let Mary know how valuable she has been to the team. Depending on how the athlete responds during the meeting, the coach should either be optimistic about her adjustment and future role, or let her know that she will respect whatever decision she makes. If Mary chooses to stay on the team, she needs to put the past behind her and act positively towards the team, her team-mates and her new role. It is not necessary to threaten Mary with repercussions if she continues her negative attitude. If she continues to undermine team unity and Casandra’s relationship with her team-mates, the coach can meet with her again.

Considering important points

  • Starting — the coach may not view starting as a status symbol. However, most players perceive starting as a benchmark of their ability and value to the team. If the coach does not see the starting line-up as a status symbol and the players do, there may be a mismatch between values that can lead to problems. Players expect to be treated fairly. Even when they know the criteria for starting, they can be intensely disappointed when they are not selected. The disappointment is compounded and the coach may be perceived as unfair if they do not understand the reasons for the coach’s actions.
  • Criteria — the criteria for playing time should be clearly communicated to the team at the beginning of the season. Depending on the level of competition, the options can range from equal playing time for everyone on the team to playing the most skilled players at all times. Basing decisions on pre-established criteria provides consistency and is important for developing a sense of trust between the players and coach. The parents need to be made aware of these criteria as well. It is a good idea to include this information in a letter or meeting with the parents, which can be done in conjunction with the team rules and expectations.
  • Loyalty — when players join a team, they are expected to be loyal, dedicated and to give 100 per cent. Given these expectations, it is not surprising that players who spend three years on the team, particularly with the same coach, expect their loyalty and dedication to be reciprocated. Loyalty often has an expensive, but unwritten, price tag and it is often given priority over many other core values. Some coaches would never start a freshman over a senior regardless of ability or personal attributes.
  • Judgement — when coaches hold tryouts or choose their starting line-up, they must make judgement calls about players’ abilities and potential. Even with objective selection criteria, a player’s potential is a subjective judgement. In this scenario, the coach had to make a judgement about Mary’s potential. If, in the coach’s mind, no amount of hard work could make Mary as good as Casandra, then meeting with Mary and encouraging her to work to get her starting spot back would be setting her up for failure. If the coach believed that Mary was not going to start or have much playing time, then meeting with her before the public humiliation of finding out when the starting line-up was announced would be more compassionate.
  • Options — what about the coach’s decision not to start a senior? Mary’s reaction to her demotion is predictable. Another option is to put her in the starting line-up and substitute Casandra. This allows Mary to keep the starting status, but the coach could give more playing time to the freshman. If Casandra understands that the starting spot has to be earned, this might be a feasible compromise.
  • Skill — finally, what about starting a freshman player whose skill is unequivocally better than a senior’s? Or what about a freshman whose personal attributes such as height, strength or speed far surpass anyone’s on the team? Is it fair to deny that player a starting position if skill has been the main criterion for starting? Is there an unwritten rule that players must pay their dues before they earn a starting role on a team?

Coaches who clearly communicate the criteria for playing time at the beginning of the season will minimise the number of problems that occur. When playing time is based on ability, however, even when the criteria are clear, disappointments are inevitable. Although it is not a lesson anyone looks forward to, learning to deal effectively with disappointment is a life skill. Coaches who can empathise with players’ feelings will be more likely to communicate with them in a sensitive way and help them learn to accept their limitations with dignity, adjust their goals and continue moving forward.

Editor’s note: Presented in this article is a template for solving one of the coach–player relationship problems. In Coaching Issues and Dilemmas: character building through sport participation, there are more scenarios and application of this template for further reading.


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