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Benchwarmers: The best seats in the house

By Tom Fakehany

    Some people play volleyball to record points, or block attacks with an executed barrier.  Some enjoy the thrill of a systematically place spike. Other players just perch on their butts.

    For benchwarmers, volleyball consists of chasing balls, cheering teammates, keeping score, officiating lines and dreaming of praise.  You may not always see them, but they're there. Benchwarmers are on every team, yet you might never see them play.  They are the hearts of any team.  They go to all the practices and, for the most part, work as hard as anyone -- but they are lucky to get a chance to engage the opposition every three or so matches.   Benchwarmers might get an ace service or score a point, and then realize the game score is 13-3 and nobody really cares anymore.

    Do you know what it's like, or did you always get to play.  Since I have established Volleyball Southern California Style on the Internet I have often received notes from those who sit on the bench, waiting for a chance to play.  They have written to me as freshmen, sophomores, juniors and seniors longing to start a game with some authentic competition, yearning to be first team.  While there are only a few benchwarmers sitting on those hard metal chairs in each gym, watching the action unfold in front of them, their numbers add up.

    Let's see, the coach is on the end of the team area, flashing signs and yelling instructions to the players on the court.  A spike.  A bump follows.  Then a long misguided quick hit that dives and slithers to the gym wall.  A rally is starting and the fans are starting to get excited, as it seems that the team is going to win another game.   The benchwarmers look satisfied.  They stand up, cheering, and congratulating other players as they return to the bench for a time out, instruction and quick water break.  However, on the inside, the benchwarmers are torn apart by the fact that they can't get into the action.

    This for many benchwarmers is a typical game, wasting away on the bench, feeling useless and not really part of the team. Every person handles sitting on the bench his or her own way. Some are very upset with their role.   "I'm not happy about it. It's boring sitting on the bench with nothing to do, not being able to play," wrote Tony Chavez, a junior at University Central who plays on the fighting Anteaters volleyball team.  A benchwarmer that did not want to be identified wrote, "This isn't what my parents paid the athletic fee for.  It doesn't feel like I'm even on the team."

    Some volleyball players have written me that when told that their playing time is going to be reduced, they resort to throwing things, most often a temper tantrum.  There is a rare class of high school benchwarmers, though, who are resigned to the fact that once in a while, and they aren't going to play.  Mary Sterlin, a junior who plays volleyball and softball, said that she "understood why I was sitting on the bench.  It gives other kids a chance to play, and it gives me a chance to relax."

    Some benchwarmers' outlook on sitting on the bench combines resignation with anger.  I am frustrated, stated one email that I am not able to play more and contribute, but I understand that there are better players who deserve the time more than I do.   The real problem lies with younger players, especially in lower grades and leagues, which never get the chance they deserve.  If you've been playing volleyball for five or so years and feel bad about sitting bench, imagine how a kid just starting out feels when they are told by a coach that they're not good enough to play for their team.

    One young 14 year old girl that Fullerton Community College coach, Dr. Jerry Gregg, responded to in an email stated that that when she tried to talk to her high school coach about playing time, her varsity coach responded with "complaining is a sin, and a sure way to go to hell."    A coach who wants that elusive championship can crush a young player's dreams.  Dr. Gregg further stated, "That some coaches evaluate teams of the basis of the weakest player--if my weakest player is better than yours, I should win most of the time--it pays off then to prepare weaker players. I would agree (for the most part--good teams need at least one 'big stick').

    As a purely practical matter concern ONLY for win/loss, over a whole season (feeling and finances of players aside), and especially when working with younger teams, bench players had better get some experience because it is inevitable that at some time "starters" will not be available. If bench players are not prepared and ready, the team loses.  You can't expect an inexperienced and therefore, unprepared, player to 'rise to the occasion'. As a coach of younger players (14 and under for example), early in a season it is a little scary to play weaker players, but later on in the season it pays off in win/loss. In terms of rewards for your efforts, it sure is nice to send 8 or 9 fourteen and under players on to high school varsity teams when they are freshmen."

    For those discouraged players who email me, I have asked some of the mothers, fathers and coaches I have met on the Internet to give them advice.  Some of which follows:
 

    "Be patient. Some players don't develop until they get older.  Everyone has to pay their dues."

    "Be supportive.  Only five players can play at one time.  If you have the desire, enjoy the game, and really want to be a volleyball player, eventually you'll get the chance."

     Jeffrey Warren of the St. Helena, California wrote to me "substituting your benchwarmers is a complex issue.  But it is vital, and one that is not paid proper attention.  It is often approached too simplistically.  One side says play all players equally, and the other says play the best players until the game is in the bag (one way or another) and then empty the bench."

        Both arguments he contends lack sufficient subtly.  Proper substituting is an important teaching tool. Playing everyone equally is not only unrealistic, it is unfair to the kids who work hard to excel and improve their skills.

       "Unfortunately" he states, "it appears many of today's coaches have not learned (or are not focused) on 'The art of substitution'.   The good coach will use playing time many different ways for many different reasons.  The good coach knows that the team will be better if there is an incentive for hard work, improvement, good attitude, following directions, good sportsmanship, sacrifice, etc.   And that there is a punishment for failing to exhibit any of these qualities.  The incentive, of course, is playing time, and the punishment is naturally, lack of playing time."

     Mr. Warren's says,  "The good coach makes it plain that "starting" will be merit based.  However, any starter who disobeys rules, slacks off, exhibits poor sportsmanship, etc. should immediately find her playing time reduced (regardless of her ability), and the good coach makes it clear to the team why this is happening.  'Jenny is going to sit out the first 10 pints because she was late for practice.'  'Becky is going to start the second game because her serve has improved so much'.  'Sandra is being benched for the rest of the match because she exhibited poor sportsmanship by slamming the ball down'.  'Betty is going to start the last game because she hasn't started all season and she's never missed a practice and never complained'."

     Writer Warren declares, "that by articulating to the team the reasons for disciplinary substitutions, everyone learns what the rules are and has incentives to follow them.   There are other substitutions that need not be articulated for they will cause resentment, but should take place and set a "tonality" for any team.  A promising sophomore must play more than her ability because the coach owes it to her for bringing her up to varsity from a JV team she could have starred on.  Generally, seniors ought to play bit more than equal ability juniors.

    A child with social problems might benefit from some extra playing time--maybe the kid with the highest g.p.a. gets time for the example she sets.   Players will 'get' what's going on without the coach actually explaining it and embarrassing the child.

     The good coach knows (what the late George Davis used to preach) that it's the 3rd string running back that wins or loses you a championship.  (All 49er fans remember Adam Walker).  It's a variation on you're only as strong as your weakest link.  To make the team as a whole better, the Good Coach will work the weaker players in with the stronger ones--all during a match.  Weaker players don't improve if they're all thrown in together.

     In the old days it was unsporting to run up scores.  Coaches always put there second and third teams in as soon as possible.  It was not uncommon in football, for example, for a team that was way behind, to gain on the opposing teams' reserves, to the point where the coach was forced to put his starters back in.  One rarely sees this any more.

     Contrary to popular opinion, volleyball is particularly well suited to substitution.  In St. Helena, varsity girls play best of five.  They are quite good.  They have played teams they totally dominate.  Yet, the coach misses
the opportunity to 'lose' one or two games.  I know this is heresy but in non- league games, especially, there is nothing wrong with losing two games to an obviously inferior team.  It doesn’t mean one has to lose the match.  The good coach would (after going up an easy two zip), play the reserves, even hoping to extend it to four or five games. It allows the first team to test themselves under pressure to win that fifth game.   And the lesser players would improve dramatically with the additional game experience, thereby strengthening the team for league play.

     Last year, St. Helena girls' basketball team led an opponent in the playoffs by 29 points going into an 8 minute 4th quarter.  The bench was finally cleared with 4 minutes to go, yet the game ended with the county 's best player (ours) still on the floor.  Why?  The other team would have had to score at an average of 120 points per game and we would have had to score zero, for us to have lost.

    It was an embarrassment to the whole town--yet the coaches didn't even notice.  It would be proper for each high school's athletic director to sit down each individual coach and discuss the "art of substitution and encourage them to incorporate it into their philosophy.  This discussion should also go on in league conference meetings.

    Tricky as it is, substitution is a solvable problem, which though it will never go away, each individual coach can go a long way towards raising the "contentment quotient" of both parents and kids.  There's no better way to teach 'fair play' than to substitute fairly."
 

    Volleyball is an allegorical play about America, a poetic, complex and subtle play of courage, fear, good luck, mistakes, warming the bench and patience about fate, and other self-esteem

What is wrong about volleyball will be fixed by what is right about volleyball.  

Maybe, then, the message to coaches is that what players want is very simple.