I play a professional sport. The team flys players in for practices on Thursday night with games on Friday. On Thursday, there is an intense practice with sprinting up and down the floor. Then Friday morning there is another practice with the same sort of drills. Since I know the game is on Friday night, I take it easy in the practices and don’t push myself too hard.
Before the game the coach tells me that I’m a healthy scratch. He says he didn’t like my effort in the practices. Then a few days later I get an email saying that I’m cut.
This is the sadest thing I’ve ever seen. I got cut because I didn’t want to burn myself out for the game.
But it brings up the over-arching issue. Athletes are becoming more educated. Where does / should that fall against the expectation that they follow the direction of a coach? Knowledge in and of itself doesnt close the loop of self determination when often that knowledge (say in today’s high schoolers) comes with out experience and or maturity.
“You’ll do it my way” right or wrong… but a coach is most often accountable to an administrator who likely doesnt have any knowledge of the training principles being ignored.
Before registering indignance, who hasnt made a subordinate follow their orders in a situation that later they were proven to have been incorrect in.
27 years of coaching, and I constantly seek more and better understandings, counting acknowledged experts as friends. And I am comfortable with my level of knowledge and experience. But annually I have some 18 yr old (self-taught or “guru” trained) that subtily or overtly “tells” me I am wrong. It will be what finds me leaving coaching.
I think you need to explain yourself as soon as possible. Maybe it won’t change his mind but it might give him something to think about. Surely you would have a submax session in the days running upto the game anyway?
Well to be honest if he’s cut you and you’ve explained why, I would try to set up a meeting and discuss having “another chance” to show yourself in practice. If that doesn’t work, then perhaps talk to someone else in a high position and explain your situation. I think he’s just assuming that because you don’t try in practice you won’t try in the game, or that your ability in practice is your max effort and it won’t translate any better in a game.