Sample Playing Time System

Sample Playing Time System

I got a message from a TOC Coach member last month who told me she'd just spent two hours on the phone with a parent, defending a lineup decision she couldn't fully explain even to herself. Not because she made the wrong call. Because she'd never actually written down why she makes those calls in the first place. The reality is, many coaches are running our playing time decisions on gut feel and hoping nobody asks too many questions.

Most playing time problems aren't really about entitled athletes or difficult parents. They're about coaches who never built a system, and never communicated it. Coaches can help themselves and their programs by addressing:

• Competitive vs. developmental minutes — the difference between the two, and how to know which one a game calls for

• The two-threshold approach — cultural standards first, then performance or commitment

• What it's really about — why the issue underneath every playing time conflict is whether players feel like they matter to you

If you've ever fumbled through a playing time conversation and wished you'd had the language ready beforehand. Get the Sample Playing Time System you can copy and personalize for your own team at TOC Coach.

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