lacrosse game substitution strategy
At the risk of sounding like a wimpy coach, I’m going to use the sport of professional basketball as a metaphor. Do you think it’s a bad idea? Well, at least I didn’t suggest soccer…
Professional basketball coaches have a defined strategy for substitution patterns. I’m pretty sure I said strategy, not seat of pants execution. So what is your strategy?
There are two types of decision that fall into this category. First, there are those decisions that can be decided before the actual game, and second, those that arise during the course of a game.
Before the game, the Coach must decide the parameters of the substitution strategies. The questions that the Head Coach and all Assistant Coaches must determine may be a bit more complex than you might initially expect. The Game is going to be hectic enough without the confusion being compounded by disagreements or differences of opinion as the game unfolds. These can only deteriorate the confidence of the player in the Technical Staff.
1. Which Coach(es) on the bench will make substitutions?
A. Most HS teams do not have a single coach for the box like many college programs do. Identifying who will send down the lines, as well as unique position players, is key to organizing your bench, substituting “on the fly” is acceptable while training “on the fly” is not.
2. Are we going to substitute as units or lines or as individual players?
A. This is not as simple as you might expect. Many managers have moved away from rigid midfield substitutions with the advent of LSM players, as well as defensive midfielders. Maybe you’re a high school program that doesn’t have a pure three-man defensive midfielder, but possibly has a strong athlete, not great with the stick who could possibly be an effective running back or defensive midfielder when paired with an LSM. and the best midfielder in a line. Or possibly, when you replace your fifth attacking player or fifth defender, you want them to play two of the starters.
3. What is your priority for many players playing the game?
A. It has always been my strategy to play all or as many players as possible in each game. But the strategy might surprise you. I like to replace most of the bench in the first quarter, and efficiently in the first half. I learned this lesson by watching the body language of the kids on the bench as an observer rather than a coach. Actually, one year I had to play a lot of freshmen and sophomores and once we get past the initial phase of “Deer in the Headlights” everything will be fine.
b. Players hoping to get a good chance to play the game practice significantly more and are much better at paying close attention in practice. Not to mention, they’ll be significantly more prepared (since a lot of it is mental anyway) should you need them due to injury issues.
vs. Players who have played even 30 seconds to a minute or two in the first half are aggressive and committed vocal supporters for the rest of the game.
d. Once beginners pick up on this shift in their culture and realize they’ll be back in the game in a moment or two, they get involved with younger or less experienced players as well.
my. Surely the weight of the terms “Team” and “we” changes.
Finally, as the Head Trainer, I would strongly suggest that both you and the Assistants be CLEARLY on the same page. The day before the game, take a few moments to discuss as a coaching unit who might be getting a little more playing time and come up with a definitive strategy for making that happen.
Quite often, the coaches come to the end of the game and do not have the opportunity to give the players the time they expected. And then, more often than not, they tend to get defensive about decisions or lack of substitutions. Has this happened to you?
The game is too hectic, please make a plan, and then make a plan to implement the plan. Or ask an Assistant to be sure to remind you in the first quarter of the plan. Eliminating these types of substitutions in the first half takes a lot of pressure off you as a coach and reduces the players’ anxiety about “Will I play?” off the table too. After three or four games, you may find that you have more “players” than you expected.