What's an athlete's best ability? Dependability

                When a young athlete makes a mistake, the parents of the kid who was not playing that position often chip in with their two cents. “My kid could have made that play.” And in many cases, they’re right. A different player attempting to make the same play in the same situation could have yielded a different result on that particular play. But it’s the parents of the other kid who have made a much bigger error.

                Every athlete makes mistakes. Most make too many to count. Some even make mistakes that neither they nor their coach is aware of because they haven’t gotten to that point in their understanding of the game yet. But it’s not avoiding an occasional mistake that good coaches are looking for when assigning roles to athletes. What they’re looking for is who they can count on most frequently to fulfill the most important roles. They want dependable players.

                Some kids are capable of making unbelievable plays, but the routine play is not-so-routine for them.  From a coaches’ perspective, this kid is terrifying. With this athlete, the coach sees three possibilities. First, they see exactly what the player was asked to do. They’re hopeful to see that phenomenal play they’ve seen that player make once or twice. But in the back of their mind, they see the third possibility: Disaster.

                The possibility of disaster is why undisciplined players often lose their job at the professional level to more polished role players who fit a system and do what they’re asked.  Recently, we saw it with the Redskins settling on Kirk Cousins after giving up on Robert Griffin III, who was a world class athlete.

                Disasters are coaches’ worst nightmares. It makes them look bad. It costs them games. In some cases, it costs them their jobs. “Everything was going according to plan, then we make one huge mistake and the game is over. We can’t afford to lose games that way.” I’ve heard coaches say that a million times. They want the most dependable players in control of the ball most often and they want the unpredictable playmakers to get chances to make wonderful plays once in a while, preferably when it would hurt the team the least if they fail.

                As athletes get older, every player is capable of making plays. On a good high school basketball team, every player can catch a pass and put the ball in the basket.  That coach still has to choose a starting point guard. Chances are the player who turns the ball over the least and facilitates the offense the best will get the nod at point.

                So, what makes a player “Dependable” in the eyes of a coach? Here are a few big factors

1.       Know the Role. A good coach has laid out clear expectations for each position. Know those expectations and be able to teach the teammates who can’t remember.

2.       Make Routine Plays Routinely. Every sport has fundamentals. Dependable players don’t need to be reminded of what they are and how they’re done. Coaches don’t wonder whether dependable players will do the little things. They already know.

3.       Take ownership of your mistakes and work diligently to fix them. One of the best college tennis players I ever coached double-faulted on match point once as a freshman. For the next three-and-a-half years, his practice routine ended with 100 2^nd serves. I considered that problem fixed, and I consider that athlete among the most dependable I’ve ever worked with.

4.        Take Practice Seriously. If your team’s most dependable player is regularly late to practice or doesn’t practice hard, your team has serious issues. There may not be a scoreboard at practice, but coach is keeping score in his head. I promise.

5.       Get it done. Even at the youth level, results speak for themselves. Trying doesn’t make you a good player. Trying makes you a good person. Results make you a good player. Coaches depend on players who get the job done.