After The Whistle: Making The Cut, The Most Difficult Part of Coaching

Mark Lidbetter, of Pointe Claire Quebec, states that you should always point out the players current strengths as well as where he needs to improve on his game. This gives the player some goals to work on during the season in preparation for the try outs the following season. Mark also indicates that it is important to wish the child well in the coming season and indicate that you would like to see him try again.

Coaches feel that it is best to speak in person to the child, however, if that is not possible due to time constraints, speaking over the phone is the next best thing. Do not, under any circumstances, post the cuts in a list on the wall or the door.

Several coaches have tried reversing the process and instead of cutting players, they have identified and spoken to the players who have "made the team". This puts a positive spin on the process. It works best when there are many players trying out and you are not really in a hurry to pick your team. The players trying out then know how many spots are remaining to be filled. Once all of the spots are filled, the tryouts are over. The coach is then responsible for announcing the people who have made the spots. After the final selection has been made, the rest of the players who were unsuccessful can be thanked as a large group and no one has to feel embarrassed about being cut first or last.

John Wynne is a minor hockey coach in southern Ontario. He offers some valuable advice on this topic to the readers of After The Whistle, "I have had to deal with this issue. This issue has been even further muddied with the Graham James scandal and the greater issues with parents."

He continued, "Unfortunately, I think this answer varies from age group to age group." And then John provided us with a brief overview of how to deal with each of the major age groups:

Atom and younger: Player should be cut face to face in a meeting with player's parent, coach and 2nd assistant. This way everyone understands the reasons for the player being cut and there will be no misunderstandings for the parents.

Pee Wee to Bantam: Player should again be cut face to face in a meeting with coach and 2nd assistant. Coach should always be straight forward and honest. No sugar coating.

Midget to Junior: Player should have face to face meeting with coach and team manager. If necessary player's agent or parent should be involved.

John concluded by stating that there are also several other things that should be considered, "The final denominator should be being truthful and honest. Having information on who to contact with coach and team below. Having more than one person in the room allows the coach to be understood and have no reason to have parent to come back afterwards."

Laura Jones, of Victoria, B.C., states that, "Any child cut from a Rep team should be asked to come out and attend practices. Not only does it encourage skill growth in that child, but it gives them another resource to draw from while learning. It is easy for the coach to give instant feedback and tips on how to improve. This also leads to a better chance of making the team next year."

Several coaches were approached with Laura's suggestion and all dismissed it as an option. One senior coach pointed out that there just wouldn't be any time to work with kids who are not playing with the regular club. Another problem is that most kids who are cut from a Rep team end up playing on some other club, be that house league or with some other Rep club. Therefore, the kids who are cut are already receiving satisfactory instruction from their current coach.

In response to the "traditional coaches" who found Laura's idea impossible to implement, Laura offered the following, " I believe that although my idea may not work in all situations, it should be instituted in the lower levels of Minor Hockey or smaller towns. The kids that get cut from the rep team often are cut for only one reason; they do not fit on the team. Whether it is that they are not fast enough, not big enough or that they can’t score goals depends on the team. I can think of no better way than to continue to go to practices that operate at a higher level. It is hard to learn and improve your skills on a house team on which you are the best player. The female program from my town believed in incorporating girls of all different skills and abilities. Everyone could teach each other something different. Not only did the inexperienced girls learn quickly but the older girls got a crash course in learning to “coach”. I realize that this can be close to impossible in larger towns, but wouldn’t it be nice to have a larger pool of talent to choose from when you are choosing your team?"

David Cavilla states that when you have to tell a player he is not going to be selected for the team, it is simply a matter of, "Tell him he needs a little more practice, to keep working, and give it another try next year." That should make the child feel better and know that the door is always open if he improves.

Sharon Kilborn-Keeney, from Southern California, stated, "If a child is being cut, I think the best way is to be upfront and truthful. Tell them they aren't making it this year, and they should work on their passing...shooting...skating or whatever it is they need to improve in or just say you're looking for a bigger team...more ... game skills...or whatever. If there's no way then say you just aren't a fit for us period. You have to sugar coat it or be brutal either.

It is particularly difficult for returning players who are cut. The best thing to do is during the season leading up be upfront about work needed to be done. Don't wait until the next season and let it be a surprise to a player who thinks he is coming back. There are always those who don't listen, but I find that the kids generally know if they are keeping up or
not - the parents are a different story.

I've always been a fan of evaluations even though most coaches don't like to do them. Evaluations are a good way to tell a child where they need to focus their improvement efforts. Its generally clear after one season to the coach whether a player fits his needs, has the skills, will do the travel/lessons/practices, etc. that the team requires, has the mental game, and the parents are not a problem. It should also be clear to the coach where the short falls are.

Some parents are oblivious to the reality on the rink and try to achieve a spot by politics, lessons with the coach, etc. I have no respect for coaches who pick teams this way at higher levels. At house hockey more things are acceptable on choices, but at select or rep a coach should be picking a team that will do well as a team."