Playing
Time – What Should I Expect and How do I Get More of It? (for
players)
Nobody comes out for football for the joy of practicing.
It is a physically demanding sport that requires a higher ratio of
practice time to playing time than most team sports.
And, while practice is a great time to bond with your teammates,
the prize for working so hard is playing in a game. So, how do you get (earn) playing time?
Playing time is sport’s version of a pay check.
If you work hard and do everything your supposed to do, you’ll
get a raise (more playing time). If
you do the bare minimum, you won’t get a raise, or may even a pay cut
(less playing time). Initially, those people who get the most playing time will
probably be those who worked hardest in the off-season. The coaches will know them the best and will have developed
trust in them. It will take
time for coaches to get to know and trust those who haven’t been around
as much. If
you think you’ve been working hard and haven’t gotten the playing time
you deserve, you should ask for it (just like asking for a raise).
The coaches will listen, but they will also tell you exactly what
they’ve see from you. Generally,
if you care enough to ask, a coach will try to give you a shot.
At that point, though, it’s up to you to produce.
Freshmen
should expect to start either offense or defense in every freshman game.
That is the only guarantee, though.
If you don’t perform you may not get much playing time after that
first series. Play well and
you could end up seeing some JV playing time.
All freshmen, regardless of playing time in JV or varsity games,
will play in freshman games. It
is important to the program for each class to play as a unit on the
underclass levels. Is
there any other sport where you are guaranteed a starting spot?
What you do with it is up to you.
Sophomores
should expect to start either offense of defense in every JV game.
Just
like the freshmen, sophomores have no guarantee beyond starting.
You must perform once you’re given the opportunity.
Again, is there any other sport where you are guaranteed a
starting spot? What you do
with it is up to you.
There
are no playing time guarantees for juniors and seniors.
Varsity playing time is performance based.
Vacant spots will be filled with the player who will help the team
the most (and has earned it), regardless of age. While earning a black jersey may earn you a spot on the
Varsity team, it doesn’t necessarily earn you a spot on the field.
But, those who work hard will always beat out someone of similar
talent and skill level who didn’t put in the extra time to improve.
Black jerseys make it pretty obvious who is most deserving.
Freshmen
and sophomores who earn a black jersey should understand that the rewards
for their hard work is the varsity uniform they get to wear, the pasta
meals they get to eat, and the enjoyment of being part of the varsity
squad. There should be no expectation of varsity playing time
from freshmen and sophomores, no matter the score of the varsity
games. Varsity starters must play a significant portion of every
game to fine tune their skills and the skill of the unit as a whole.
Since varsity games are the only chance for juniors and seniors to play,
non-starting juniors and seniors will probably play the remainder of any
game in which the starting units are brought out. Any playing time
that a freshman or sophomore receives at the varsity level should be
considered "icing on the cake."
