Pros And Cons: Should Coaches Micromanage Or Let Players Freelance?

How much influence should a coach have on the flow of a game?

As a coach, you obviously want to install a certain style of play and pace, sets of plays and structure to the way your team plays the game. Yet game flow varies from sport-to-sport — as ice hockey obviously has a much looser flow than a sport like football — so not every coach has the same opportunity to affect what their players do on the field, pitch, court or ice.

There is a line between micromanaging and letting your players go out and execute. Are you better off setting your players up in a basic set and letting them be creative or should you manage all aspects of the game and make each play call meticulously?

Let’s take a look at some of the pros and cons of being too controlling as a game manager:

Pro: Structure Is Educating

Providing a structured game plan with sets of plays actually helps to educate your athletes on the nuances of the game. After all, that is your role as a coach.

Your players rely on your knowledge, experience and guidance to help them get prepared for games and put them in a position to succeed.

Remember, when you properly prepare your players for the mental aspects of the game, they are better able to perform the physical tasks.

Con: Structure Is Limiting

While a structured game plan and play calling may guarantee a certain level of success, too rigid of a structure may actually limit that success.

You never know what your opponent may actually show you once the game action begins, so you need to remain flexible and be willing to adjust on the fly. If your players see an opportunity to improvise, let them “run with it.” You may just unlock some unseen potential or a big play.

Predictability is the quickest way to kill your game plan, so if your team has the ability to switch things up mid-action, that improvisation may keep your opponent on their heels.

Pro: Planning Means Cohesion

Your job as a coach is to take a group of individuals and turn them into a cohesive unit. You can’t simply ask your players to just go out and run around. To have any success, you must give your team direction.

With set plays and a game plan, your entire team is on the same page playing towards the same goal.

Without a game plan, there is no rhyme or reason to what your players are doing, and they all have their own individual goal — which leads to chaos.

Con: You May Not Have All The Answers

Yes, you are the leader and you have a vision for how your team should play. But sometimes, you have to simply be flexible and not set things in stone.

If your quarterback sees a blitz, he should have the ability to audible to a better play; if your forward sees a defender fatigued and bending at the waist, she should be able to attack.

Limiting your player’s ability to freelance and act on their instincts limits your team’s ability to be successful. It’s important to trust your players and give them some autonomy while they play.

Con: You’re Not On The Field, Pitch, Court Or Ice

While you may want your players to run a specific play or scheme, you’re not in the middle of the action. Your players may actually be able to recognize something you can’t from the sideline.

Again, let them trust their instincts. While instruction and training of proper or preferred techniques is important to help your athletes grow and improve, having them actually apply their skills and athleticism during a game is the best way to help them push their game to the next level.

Should you be a micromanager as a coach, or should you give your players the freedom to improvise during game action? There are pros and cons for both, so striking the right balance is key.

Manage Your Team

Author Bio

Travis Armideo, marketing manager at Gladiator Custom Mouthguards, is a lifelong ice hockey player. He began playing for various clubs at a young age and continued onto junior teams, while also playing lacrosse at the collegiate level. Travis is still heavily involved in athletics, coaching high school and youth ice hockey athletes, as well as playing men’s league ice hockey on a regular basis.