{"id":11150,"date":"2026-11-09T10:30:00","date_gmt":"2026-11-09T09:30:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/mentalnitrening.com\/?p=11150"},"modified":"2026-11-08T23:53:52","modified_gmt":"2026-11-08T22:53:52","slug":"sitting-on-the-bench-and-not-playing-as-much-as-youd-like-how-to-make-the-most-of-that-period","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/mentalnitrening.com\/en\/athletes\/sitting-on-the-bench-and-not-playing-as-much-as-youd-like-how-to-make-the-most-of-that-period\/","title":{"rendered":"Sitting on the bench and not playing as much as you&#8217;d like: how to make the most of that period?"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">When the coach reads the lineup and your name isn&#8217;t on it, that moment lasts only briefly, but your whole body feels it. This isn&#8217;t dramatization; research shows that the brain processes social exclusion through the exact same pathways as physical pain.<\/p>\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Problem nije to \u0161to si na klupi. Problem nastaje tjedan, dva ili tri dana kasnije, kad frustracija po\u010dne usmjeravati pona\u0161anje: na treningu radi\u0161 bez cilja, misli te vode prema onome \u0161to trener radi krivo, a jezik tijela govori ekipi sve ono \u0161to ne izgovori\u0161. Trener to primijeti. I onda \u010deka\u0161 du\u017ee.<\/p>\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Sporta\u0161i koji iz toga iza\u0111u br\u017ee ne \u010dine ni\u0161ta herojsko. Preusmjere pa\u017enju na ono \u0161to je u njihovoj kontroli.<\/p>\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>Why is it so hard to sit on the bench?<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Statistics, tactics, and teammates&#8217; current form are out of your control, and that is a part of sports you cannot change. But there are things that remain in your control, and they are thought about in the team much more often than they are spoken about.<br\/>Practice intensity is one of them\u2014not the kind you put on while the coach is watching. What you do when you think they aren&#8217;t looking speaks louder. Your reaction when the lineup is announced also defines you, sometimes more than the next game. <a href=\"https:\/\/mentalnitrening.com\/en\/athletes\/mental-training-for-athletes-a-guide-to-emotions-motivation-and-focus\/\">The self-talk<\/a> you have with yourself on the bench and after the game follows a specific trajectory: &#8220;the coach doesn&#8217;t like me&#8221; and &#8220;I need to work on my exit from defense&#8221; are equally exhausting in a bad week, but they lead to completely different outcomes. And of course, readiness to enter the game: are you warmed up, are you tracking the player at your position, do you know what you&#8217;ll do on the very first play? An athlete who enters unprepared wastes those first two minutes just catching the rhythm, and people remember that.<\/p>\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>What you can specifically do with that freedom<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Fewer games open up space for work that is hard to fit into a crowded match schedule.<\/p>\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><strong>Watch the game like an analyst.<\/strong>Where is the opponent leaving space? What is the player at your position doing? What would you do differently? After every game, write down two things you noticed. In a month, you&#8217;ll have a concrete overview you can show your coach, which also gives you the feeling that the period didn&#8217;t go to waste.<\/p>\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><strong>Work on physical preparation<\/strong>. Strength, endurance, and speed are easier to upgrade when you are playing less. Agree with your head coach or strength coach on what would make sense to add.<\/p>\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><a href=\"https:\/\/mentalnitrening.com\/en\/athletes\/mental-training-for-athletes-a-guide-to-emotions-motivation-and-focus\/\">Uvedi mentalni trening<\/a>. Visualization of entering the game, working on self-talk, and pre-game routines are easiest to learn during a quieter period, while there is room to experiment in practice before you actually need them in a real match.<\/p>\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><em>The most common mistake we see in practice is quiet quitting:<\/em>the athlete still shows up, but without purpose, angry, and harboring a grudge against the coach or the situation. Opportunities usually arrive unexpectedly\u2014a teammate&#8217;s injury, a suspension, a tactical change. The one who is ready for that moment is usually the one who kept working in the meantime, because it shows as soon as they step on the court.<\/p>\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>How much is it worth being part of the team from the bench?<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">At the 2025 World Men&#8217;s Handball Championship, Domagoj Duvnjak showed what presence on the bench looks like when playing time drops. He wasn&#8217;t the star of that match, but he was part of the team in a way that is clearly visible from the outside. Coaches notice this behavior because they have been through similar periods themselves and know what it means.<\/p>\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">In a team sport, you hold multiple roles at once, and when playing time drops, your role as a teammate, a fan, and a locker room presence remains. From the bench, you can cheer on the team, spot something in the opponent&#8217;s gameplay and share it at halftime, or be the first one to pick up a teammate after a mistake. It sounds like small things, but in the locker room, that is remembered.<\/p>\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>Talking to the coach about playing time<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">This conversation usually doesn&#8217;t go well when you have it right after a match or when it starts from a place of attack. &#8220;Why am I not playing?&#8221; almost always triggers a defensive response because the coach hears it as an accusation. &#8220;What do I need to improve to get more minutes?&#8221; opens a concrete conversation about work.<\/p>\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Choose a quiet moment after practice. Write down what the coach told you and revisit it in three to four weeks with examples of what you&#8217;ve done in the meantime, rather than just another round of the same frustration. If you are a younger athlete, it&#8217;s useful to run through what you want to ask once with your parents or someone you trust\u2014not to have them lead the conversation for you, but so you can go into it with a clear head.<\/p>\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong><a href=\"https:\/\/mentalnitrening.com\/en\/athletes\/when-changing-clubs-means-changing-everything\/\">When changing clubs is the right move<\/a><\/strong><\/h2>\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">This is a conversation that makes sense only after you have gone through everything listed above. If you have spent a long time working on what the coach asked of you, and they clearly state they don&#8217;t see you in the squad, a new environment can be a good move. It brings uncertainty with it and success is not guaranteed, but for some athletes, a new club is precisely what brings them the playing time and role they needed to progress.<\/p>\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>Task for the next game<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">After every game where you sit on the bench, write down two things you noticed in the game and one thing you will work on in the next practice. In a month, you&#8217;ll have a concrete overview of your progress.<\/p>\n\n<hr class=\"wp-block-separator has-alpha-channel-opacity\"\/>\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>Frequently Asked Questions<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><\/p>\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><strong>Is it normal for anger to linger for days?<\/strong><br\/>Anger and disappointment usually subside within a few days. If they last for weeks and start affecting your sleep, school, or willingness to practice, it&#8217;s worth talking to a <a href=\"https:\/\/mentalnitrening.com\/en\/services\/youth-athletes\/\">sports psychologist about it.<\/a><\/p>\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><strong>What if I think the coach&#8217;s decision is unfair?<\/strong><br\/>A coach can make a mistake; that&#8217;s part of sports. It&#8217;s much more useful to ask what they want to see from you than to complain about the decision in front of teammates, because that almost always extends your time on the bench.<\/p>\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><strong>How do I stay motivated for practice when I&#8217;m not playing?<\/strong><br\/>Set goals that don&#8217;t depend on the lineup: a result on a fitness test, one technical thing the coach mentioned. Training <a href=\"https:\/\/mentalnitrening.com\/en\/athletes\/mental-training-for-athletes-a-guide-to-emotions-motivation-and-focus\/\">motivation<\/a> needs something to strive for, and that cannot be the coach&#8217;s decision.<\/p>\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><strong>How do I prepare to enter the game off the bench?<\/strong><br\/>Stay warmed up, track the player at your position, and have your first play in mind. A short visualization of entering the game reduces the number of minutes you waste catching the rhythm.<\/p>\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><strong>Can a sports psychologist help me with this?<\/strong><br\/>Yes. Working on self-talk, motivation, and pre-game routines is part of <a href=\"https:\/\/mentalnitrening.com\/en\/services\/youth-athletes\/\">individual mental training<\/a>. Sometimes it&#8217;s simply enough to have someone to talk to about it without being judged.<\/p>\n\n<hr class=\"wp-block-separator has-alpha-channel-opacity\"\/>\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><strong>If any of this sounds familiar, we can talk.<\/strong><\/p>\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><a href=\"https:\/\/mentalnitrening.com\/en\/contact\/\"><strong>Schedule a conversation<\/strong><\/a><br\/>The introductory consultation lasts 15 minutes, is free, and comes with no obligation.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Sitting on the bench can feel like a setback, but it offers a unique opportunity for athletic growth. Learn how to stay ready, control what you can, and turn low playing time into a strategic advantage.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":5,"featured_media":11148,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[102],"tags":[127,108,126,111],"class_list":["post-11150","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-athletes","tag-emotional-regulation","tag-mentalni-trening-techniques","tag-motivation","tag-self-confidence"],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO plugin v28.6 - https:\/\/yoast.com\/product\/yoast-seo-wordpress\/ -->\n<title>Sitting on the bench and not playing as much as you&#039;d like: how to make the most of that period? | Mentalni Trening<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"Low playing time is frustrating, but athletes who make good use of it enter the game better prepared than those who just wait. 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