The goal of any team is to be the best by improving each person’s individual skills throughout the entire season. To be the best, some athletes are placed on the bench so the more talented players can play and hopefully give the team a better chance at victory. However, sitting on the bench does not mean that an athlete is out of the game. Players still need to focus so that when the coach puts them in, they are prepared to try their best for the entire team.

Practices are key to improving the skill set of any player on any team. Practice is where players can use new drills to improve from the previous game. If an athlete puts in effort to get better, it can be noticed by the coach and help the player receive more playing time in the next game.

“A major part of the drills are to communicate positioning and where players should be in certain situations,” head JV baseball coach Robert Hafer said. “Let them think about the plays in practice before they happen during a game. The focus is working on the basics of fundamentals in hopes that they will improve.”

Working to get better at practice is important, but if a player does not have passion for the game, they are more likely to give up and not try hard. This can pull down the entire team because it is imperative that everyone keeps their morale up and tries their best. If an athlete does not have passion for the sport that they are playing, it is very difficult to excel in their position.

According to Livestrong Foundation, “In order to excel at anything, you need to have a passion for it…What this passion will do, however, is give you the drive you’ll need to keep going with all the other, less-fun parts of working at your game.”

If a bench player wants to prove that practice has helped them, they need to stay focused and execute what they have learned. If the player cannot do this, they can go back to sitting on the bench and hope that the next practice can help improve the specific skill that they need to work on.

“You just try to keep your mind clear of what you did in the past and focus on the rest of the game,” Varsity baseball player Patrick Day said. “You play seven innings and you got to make sure you are in tune to all seven.”

If a bench player wants to receive more playing time during a game, they need to stay focused, work hard and show passion for the game. By doing this, an athlete can show the coach that they want to play and that they are ready to play at any moment.