Fail Harder Now. Succeed Easier Later.

Sitting on the bench sucks.

No one wants to do it. Every player would prefer to be out on the court showcasing their talents to everyone inside the gym.

But the fact is that all players will spend a lot of time on the bench at some point. As a player progresses further in their career and makes the step up to the next level they may find themselves going from 15 minutes per game to 5 minutes per game.

If you’re only getting 5 minutes of playing time per game what are you going to do with the other 28 minutes you spend on the bench to help your team be successful?

What most people don’t understand is bench players do influence the outcome of the game greatly.

Do you know what it takes to be a great bench player? Most players I know don’t think there’s such thing as a great bench player. But there is. There really is.

    “The secret is to have eight great players and four others who will cheer like crazy” – Jerry Tarkanian

Here are 5 tips you must remember to be a great bench player.


1. Bring Lots of Energy

Energy is the most important thing for all bench players to bring to every single game. Show your passion for the game.

Be loud. Shout out words of encouragement and reminders to your teammates. Stand up and cheer each time your team scores or makes a great basketball play.

When a time-out is called a great teammate will be the first one off the bench to go out and high-five the players that were on the court. When the time-out is over be energetic.

All of these little acts lift the energy and moral of the team.

Your teammates and coach will appreciate it.


2. Take Note of Your Body Language

Body language is just as important on the bench as it is on the court.

Are you leaning back, slouching, and looking disinterested? Or are you on the edge of your seat engaged in the game?

Poor body language on the bench tells a coach that you care more about yourself than the team. Prove that you’re a team-first player by having great body language on the bench.

Great teammates all sit forward, don’t slouch, and are engaged in the game.


3. Don’t Ruin Your Teammates Focus

Want to know what’s worse than a player not engaged in the game while on the bench? A player not engaged in the game that ruins the focus of their teammates.

If a player can’t stay engaged in a game this does not give them the right to ruin the focus of anyone else.

Don’t talk to them about things that aren’t related to the game, during the game. Let them focus. Save non-game related topics for after the game. No one cares what you’re planning on doing that night while the scores are tied mid-way through the fourth quarter.


4. Watch What the Opposition is Doing

While most players hate being on the bench at the start of the game, it does give you a BIG advantage over your starting opponents. By starting on the bench you have the opportunity to quickly scout your opponents.

Here are a few things you can look at if you’re a player on the bench:

1. Look for weaknesses in the defense.

If you’re a rim-attacking guard, which players on the other team have slow feet? Which players do you think you can easily beat off the dribble?

If you’re a three point shooter look for holes in their defense. What defense are they running? How can you take advantage of it?

2. What plays are they running?

Learn the names of the plays and the basic premise. Where will the ball end up? What can you do to stop it?

3. Scout your probable opponent.

If you know you usually get subbed on for a certain player, look at that players defender. What are they doing that you can exploit? Are you bigger than them and will be able to post them up? Are you quicker and will be able to take them off the dribble? Will you be able to get rebounds? How can you help your team?

Don’t wait until you’re out there to figure it out. You’ve got the advantage of watching the game from the start. A huge advantage.

5. Stay Ready

Be a great teammate on the bench by staying ready for when your number is called to go on and help your team.

When your number is called your team expects you to go on and play your part for the team. Don’t let your teammates down by not staying engaged and ready to do that.

Conclusion

Being a great bench player really comes down to being a great teammate. Being able to put team success before personal glory.

We must all remember that the players on the bench do play a big role in the outcome of the game. The intensity and moral of the players on the bench have a huge influence on the players on the court.

Put the team before yourself by following these 5 simple tips.
1. Bring lots of energy.
2. Take note of your body language.
3. Don’t ruin your teammates mental state.
4. Watch what your opponent is doing.
5. Stay ready.

And if you want more minutes on the court, becoming a great bench player will get you a step in the right direction.

When a coach looks down the bench who do you think the coach is going to substitute in; the player that’s sitting forward and looking eager to play? Or the player leaning back looking disinterested?

Robin

8 Secrets to Success

Richard St John list's the 8 secrets to success.

    Passion
    Hard Work
    Get Good
    Focus
    Push Yourself
    Serve Others Value
    Ideas
    Persist

Notice that passion is listed first. Being passionate about something is the first step in being successful.  If you’re passionate about something, it’s a lot easier to work hard, get good, focus, push yourself, serve others value, come up with ideas, and persist through the hard stuff.

Toughness Is Learned

I believe that the three most important traits for a basketball player are toughness, unselfishness, and relentlessness. For a kid to be truly unselfish and relentless they have to be tough. We are starting with tough and will build relentlessness and unselfishness from there. 

After my mid season parents report I received an email from a dad asking what do I mean by "toughness" when I talk about middle school girls and basketball. Girls get frustrated and discouraged easily and quit / cry, he added. 

An email from a mom said that it is hard to watch her daughter struggle without stepping in to comfort her child. 

Toughness is the quality of being able to withstand great strain without tearing or breaking. It is enduring strength and energy.

Toughness is learned. It is not just physical and based on how much punishment a player can serve and take. Toughness has nothing to do with size, physical strength or athleticism.

I repeat, "Toughness is learned."

Toughness isn't a sometime thing, it's an all the time thing. Toughness has to be evident in everything thing I do in practice. I have to demand it, encourage it, expect it, reward it, require it and inspire it. You parents have to expect toughness from you daughters, too. 

A player can't fake toughness. If a player can't play they can't hide that, just like they can't hide a lack of toughness. I must look for and instill toughness in every drill, every day and in every player. But there is more to it than just running the right drills. 

A tough player has a willingness to compete without fear of failure and sometimes without fear of injury. Tough players get down and dirty. Toughness is learned.

They dive on the floor after loose balls, take charges, stay in their defensive stance. They sprint the floor rim to rim to rim EVERY time.  They do the little things. Every play is the most important play of the game. 

These are all coachable but more importantly adaptable to any player. A kid doesn't have to be talented nor athletic to be tough. Toughness is learned.

Players who do their jobs everyday are extremely tough. They don't take days off. They don't take plays off. If they get hurt, they get up. If they get injured, they get helped up. 

Away from the ball, whether on offense or defense is where toughness is displayed.   Tough players stay in their stance. They talk on offense and defense. They cut and screen with purpose. They are engaged. They rebound. 

On the bench they watch the game and encourage their team mates on the floor. They don't go visit their mother at half time. Mom, you have to send you child back to the bench when she comes to visit. Toughness is learned.

The best players on the team especially have to show toughness even when they do not have the ball. They set the mood for the rest of the team. Toughness is contagious. 

My goal is for toughness to be the norm for Destroyers. If it is our culture, it will become an adaptation. All our players (and parents) will be forced to be tough to survive in our program. 

Please print out Jay Bilas' steps to building Toughness and read it with your basketball player. 

ToughnessbyJayBilas.pdf

Robin