HowtoCutaPlayer-Eteamz.docVIP

Coaching Tips on How to: Handle Cutting Players Dealing Effectively with ParentsGuidelines for Cutting Players (adapted by work by Mark Guagliardo, How to Cut a Player) Aside from serious injury, the single most traumatic event for a youth soccer player is getting cut from a team. Kids, particularly girls, form strong friendship bonds on sports teams. They are less experienced in the game of life, and hence they become more disoriented and uncertain about the future when these bonds are broken. It is quite a blow to their self-esteem when they learn, in effect, that they are not good enough for their group. The pain is compounded when they have to give up the uniform that has become part of their identity, so that someone better can wear it. Cutting a player is no picnic for the coach or parents, either. Though it occurs much more often than serious injury, the subject gets little or no attention at coaching clinics. There are generally three reasons why players are released from a team: The player cannot perform at a level suitable for the teams ambitions, The consensus among the team owners (i.e. parents) is that replacing weak with strong players is part of a larger formula for advancing the teams status, The player exhibits extremely bad behavior or breaks important rules in an egregious manner Nearly everyone agrees that a player with extremely bad behaviour should be dismissed with little consideration or fanfare. It is far more difficult to handle the situation where a player is not able to perform at the required level. The following guidelines are intended to address these types of cases. When you first present your concerns to the player and parents, also present a plan for her to improve her performance. As the expert, it is your place to decide what this plan might entail. Examples could include extra clinics or camps, a conditioning program, working out with other teams, and the like. Do your best not to allow this plan to raise unreaso