The season has started and I do not play as often as I would have imagined or as agreed before signing the contract. 

Patience plays a very important role in both personal life and sports. There is no need to draw drastic conclusions immediately but we should also look at the matter from different perspective (coach), as how we would react if we were on his side. If I don’t get a chance to get on the field during the match, I have to be patient and wait for my chance. You never know if someone gets hurt or you will play against an opponent where your game style will fit the most and where you will be the most successful. 

Why to be patient?

We need to realize that there are several factors which we need to ask and find answers to.

1.) Am I at the same or better level than the players who are currently playing in the starting lineup?

– I need to look at myself with criticism if I’m really benched because from a performance/emotional point of view I am weaker than players who play in the starting line-up. If it is necessary, sit down with the coach after training and have a chat with him about things you still have to work on so that you can also play in the starting line-up. He will definitely help you if he cares about your growth.

Hint: Watch closely all the players who play in the starting line-up, how they play/train and you can start working on everything yourself to be better than them.

2.) Do you do everything the coach requires on training? Or even something extra?

– if you are being lazy in training, complain and cry every time the player hits you or when you have a difficult training and immediately everything hurts and just try to think of ways to relax then believe me, you won’t make it far.

Hint: If you want to get into the starting line up, you need to do extra things outside of training which the coach does not require from you. Just stay 5-10 minutes after the training and work on yourself … ask the coach or teammate to do sparring for you, and the coach will definitely appreciate that you want to improve and sooner or later you will have a better chance of gaining a foothold in the match.

3.) Did you have a discussion with the coach about what he expects from you and when does he want to use you in the match?

– coach, but you as well should care about improving on the tactical side. If you are already good at technical side, then it’s definitely time for the tactics which the trainer wants to use in the match.

Hint: ask the coach to train you exactly what he wants to use in the match even outside of training and things you are not 100% comfortable in. 

4.) Am I well prepared physically and mentally?

– Every player has the prerequisites to be good at something and to excel in some skill. To be well-prepared physically, you need to work hard on yourself and perform every single movement technically correct. Mentally prepared are players who have trained 10000x their hits and repetitions and know how to make the movement, punch, kick out with their eyes closed.

Hint: Physically/Technically: if you’re good at something, you should work even harder, so that it is something exceptional that sets you apart from the others. If you work on other skills and you won’t focus much on the one you are already good at, you will become an average player.

Mentally: try to imagine the game situations at home on the bed with your eyes closed before going to bed or when you are just taking a break between training situations (fans, stands, referees, opponents, timeout). Imagine the training (training exercises, how the coach tells you about tactics, etc.)  as it would really happen for real. You will get some things automatically and will be mentally better prepared for those situations and it will not surprise you in training or match, because your mind will perceive that you have already experienced it.

5.) emotions

– emotions and expression are very important. If you are already at the same level of performance as the players in the starting line-up, then your emotions and your expression may be different from the others. Looking forward to every winning ball, communicating with teammates during the match, navigating them correctly where they should stand, conducting the game … All this can help you differ from the others.

Hint: if it’s not natural for you, it is necessary to do it against your will (it is necessary to play the show) … people watching the match see whether you are shy/quiet or not. People in the theater also applaud the actors when they play their character well. So, try it too. Train a few shouts, look away from your patterns and try to imitate them. It will definitely not work right away, but gradually add something new so that your teammates have respect for you and feel with you.

We believe that you will take something from this article and it will help you move forward in your career.

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