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Coach Mock Interview

Question 19 of 30 for our Coach Mock Interview

Coach was written by on November 11th, 2019. Learn more here.

Question 19 of 30

How do you manage playing time?

"As a coach I want to see all my players getting the same amount of playing time, but that isn't always possible. I have to make calls that are best for the team as a whole, but I always try to pull players in to even out playing time whenever possible."

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How to Answer: How do you manage playing time?

Advice and answer examples written specifically for a Coach job interview.

  • 19. How do you manage playing time?

      How to Answer

      Coaches will get questions about playing time from all angles. When working within a school setting the conversation gets trickier, because grades are also involved with sports. Most schools require at least a C average in order to continue to be part of a sports team, so if a student's grades keep dropping they may have to be pulled off the team or benched until their grades get better. This is a part of playing time you can't control.

      What you can control is who is on the court when. To get everyone on 100% equal playing time is impossible. There are lots of different variables that come into play- related to position, level of player, injuries, how many players are on the team, etc.- trying to make everyone completely equal isn't going to happen. Ultimately the decision is yours who is on the field and who isn't. As a coach you want to give the team the best opportunity to succeed, sometimes that means some players aren't going to get the same amount of play. You can be honest with the interviewer about this, because that is a part of playing a sport- especially in upper grade levels.

      Written by Cassandra Bates on November 11th, 2019

      Answer Example

      "As a coach I want to see all my players getting the same amount of playing time, but that isn't always possible. I have to make calls that are best for the team as a whole, but I always try to pull players in to even out playing time whenever possible."

      Written by Cassandra Bates on November 11th, 2019

      Anonymous Interview Answers with Professional Feedback

      Anonymous Answer

      "By rotating players after a certain amount of time. I do believe in having core players that don't get subbed unless they are tired or injured. But core players are my strongest players and usually don't get subbed out; that's about 4 players that stay in the game. So the rotation is 15-20 min of rotating."

      Rachelle's Feedback

      Good answer! It seems that you have a reliable system in place. When it comes to rotating every 15-20 mins while maintaining your core players, do you receive positive feedback on your approach? If so, it may be a good idea to qualify the fact that your approach to playing time is successful/broadly accepted.
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