Subscribe to the NCSA BlogConquering benchophobia!
October 20th, 2008 - byThis is not to say that it needs to be your friend all four or five years. Actually, it definitely shouldn’t be your friend for your entire college career. Let me explain.
A couple of weeks ago, I talked about my recent discovery of “divisiononeitis” — the intense desire most student-athletes have to play at a NCAA Div. I institution. Today, I want to focus on another syndrome: benchophobia.
Benchophobia means exactly what it sounds like – a fear of the bench, or more specifically, a fear of sitting on the bench.
Of course, this is understandable. Every student-athlete who wants to play college athletics actually wants to play. Your position is guard or tight end or libero or attackman or shortstop. Your position is not benchwarmer.
Here’s the thing, though – college athletics is a whole new ballgame. You’re now playing with players who could be three years older than you, but who also have the benefit of playing in college for three years longer than you. That means that you might not automatically get the chance to get on the field or the court right away.
But that’s not necessarily a bad thing. College sports are a lot different from high schools sports. You’ll have to adjust to different practices, plays, formations, signals and pressure. And often times, “different” translates to “more intense and more complex.”
So, practicing with a team but not getting a whole lot of playing time, or even possibly having to redshirt, shouldn’t be looked upon as the worst thing in the world. It gives you a year or so to make the adjustment from high school to college (and that includes school as well), so when you take over as a full-time starter or start to see significant playing time, you’re a lot more acclimated to the college game and the college curriculum.
Don’t fear the bench, but don’t get too comfortable either. They’re made out of wood or aluminum for a reason …
