Control The Minutes That You Get

We play the game to play. As athletes, want to be out there, involved, and making plays that will help our team win.

As parents, we want to see our kids out there, involved, and making plays that will help our team win while having fun and learning lessons that will help them now and later in life.

As coaches, we (most of us) want all of our kids out there, involved, and making plays that will help our team win, while teaching life lessons that will help them now and later in life.

When we first start playing on rec teams, everybody plays. It's all about fun and learning. Everybody plays an equal amount of time and hopefully get the same opportunities that everybody else gets.

Then, we start playing on select and travel teams, and we start to see some separation. We start to notice that some kids are just a little better or more prepared than others. While we might still get to play at least half of the game, some kids get to play a little more. And some kids get the ball a little more.

As we get older and get to high school, we start to notice that playing time isn't equal at all. Some kids play the whole game and some kids don't play at all.

If you are one of those athletes who lost a lot of playing time through that process, or if you are their parent, it can be hard to go through, and it can be hard to watch. Believe it or not, it's hard on a lot of coaches. Most coaches want all of their kids to have a great experience playing and, they want to find a role for every kid so that they feel valued and important. But the reality is some athletes are just better than others, and if your job depends (on some level) on how many games you win, you have to put your team in the best situation to be successful.

Here are my two biggest pieces of advice if you aren't getting the minutes you want:

1 - Be the best teammate on the team

2 - Find the 1-2 hustle plays that you do better than anybody else and impact every drill, scrimmage, and every second that you get in the game.

Every great team needs a great culture and great teammates. Plus, when you are a great teammate, you have more fun and the people around you have more fun. You can change the team, and your experience, by being a great teammate.

I always say that every college team should reserve a scholarship for a great towel waver - someone who has the role of bringing energy, intensity, leadership, and character to every practice and game. Imagine what kind of career after sports, the 'Energy-Bringer' will have after playing?

Then, coaches look to their bench to bring in someone who can either be solid and continue what the starters are doing so that they can get a break, or because they need someone to come in and impact the game in a way that the starters can't. Two easy ways to impact a game are to 1 - REBOUND, and 2 - DISRUPT THE OTHER TEAM'S OFFENSE.

You get more shots than the other team when you get rebounds. Give your team more chances to score by getting the ball back by rebounding and getting all loose balls. During the most important moments of games, rebounds and getting the ball back are HUGE. If you can be that person, you can find more minutes.

Also, when teams are playing flat, coaches are always looking for a spark. Sometimes just playing good, solid defense isn't enough - sometimes your team needs a little more. That could be getting steals and deflections, taking charges, and knowing what the other team wants to do and not letting them do it. If they have a really good scorer, be ready to help early and often so they can't get going. If the person you are guarding likes to get the ball in a certain spot, anticipate that and don't let her. Be annoying and be a pest on defense!

As teams get older and the competition increases, so do the competition for playing time and opportunities. Find ways to bring good, positive energy, and find ways to impact the game!

In life, you won't always be the starter, or get the promotion, or get the staff-spotlight. But you can always be a great teammate, bring positive energy, and find ways to impact the team. Sports can teach us that. But, make sure that you are on teams, in sports and life, that appreciate and value what you bring.