Tips to Limit Practice Delay Due to Latecomers

Latecomers are a nuisance in every sphere of life, but with sports the problem becomes all the more potent because, for one – it’s indiscipline which is anti-sports, and two – it’s a waste of everyone else’s time and can have a domino effect on tightly scheduled student-life. If your team suffers with this problem and you’ve been looking for a way out, we have some tips that may help.

1. Clearly define rules regarding indiscipline and late-coming. Let the team sit and deliberate on the consequences, such that there is better understanding, agreement and acceptance of these rules.

2. While scheduling a practice on the InstaTeam app, do mention show-up time, warm-up time and practice time very clearly, and define consequences for those who miss the show-up time.

3. Instead of harsh consequences, think of softer consequences, latecomers get to warm-up on the side, or latecomers need to clear the ground after the practice. Think of a variety of consequences, it will not only bring in a little fun in the practice but also, habitual latecomers will not get accustomed to the drill of the same consequence every time.

4. Like latecomers have consequences, on-timers and punctual players should have some reward too which would serve as motivation for other kids.

5. Do not entertain reasons. Late is late. Miss is a miss. Doesn’t matter how hard you tried. Because ultimately, that’s the life lesson that kids need to learn from sports.

6. Before scheduling a practice on a holiday or a special day, send a survey or attendance seeking message on the InstaTeam app. When kids or parents mark their attendance, you will know how many people can make it to the practice, likewise if it would make sense scheduling or not scheduling the game.

7. Do not disparage or single out the latecomer. Make the exercise more fun than daunting, you wouldn’t want to scar a child’s brain.

8. If there is a habitual latecomer, it would probably be a good idea to understand their situation. There might be something you can do to help, or a situation that might need a concerning adult’s situation.