Before I get into the second installment of Van Zee’s vault series “How to build a winning program,” I wanted to share my word of thanks for all the positive reactions that the recruiting segment got from fellow coaches. The whole point of this series is to share ideas with coaches to help them in the ultimate goal and that is to win. The reaction was overwhelmingly positive (minus one disgruntled reader) which makes me excited to continue on to the next topic.
While not nearly as sexy as recruiting, how a coach builds a schedule each year can have just as much of an impact on a team’s success. Obviously talent is important as is player development, but success can be found even in the teams that struggle in the aforementioned areas. This article is meant for teams outside of the top 20 or even 30. My suggestions for those teams are play anybody and everybody above you that your schedule, budget, and travel will allow. That is especially the case for teams that are not the dominant force in their conference. The dominant conference teams are almost guaranteed an AQ spot (i.e Whitman, Tyler, Trinity, etc). For those teams not in that situation, you need to provide your players ample opportunity to earn an at-large Pool C bid which are increasingly difficult to get. So below are my keys to building a successful schedule:
Ensure a few guaranteed wins
I wanted to make this point most notably for the teams that are short on talent. My experience at Earlham was inheriting a winless team in the previous year and having to build a schedule to avoid repeating that feat. I assure you, there are teams out there that have less talent. It may take a bit of searching, but every team can get a win (I found 4). For teams in a little better situation, ensuring a few timely wins can also be important. There is a reason why many top D1 football programs schedule a few cupcakes each year. Early in the season, it allows your freshman to get a W in their first dual match of their careers. It allows the rest of your team to get the pre-match routine down and know how to prepare physically and mentally. While it is hard to predict the weather, a few easier matches might be beneficial around the time cold weather schools expect to move outside. The transition to outdoors can be rough. The point is to schedule a few strategically placed easy wins for your team to build confidence. You should always continue to build on the number of wins each year.
Don’t overload on Spring Break matches
This is one things that I feel many coaches and program mismanage. I can give multiple examples of teams that get a surprise loss on spring break. Spring break to me should be an intense training period just as much as it is a great time for a team to bond and become a more cohesive unit. Obviously this doesn’t affect the schools in the west and south, but many times it is the first outdoor tennis for Central and Northeast schools. Spend the first few days acclimating to the elements and playing outdoors, training multiple times a day, and then back load the end of the week with 3 or 4 matches. There are teams that go out and play 6 matches in 7 days or even more. I understand that a few teams have expansive rosters and can play split squad. I am ok with this, but you better be sure you won’t drop any important D3 matches because you have tired legs. Finally, don’t forget to have some fun. My favorite memories as a player and a coach are from spring break trips with my team (all of which didn’t involve alcohol, ok MOST didn’t involve alcohol). Whether it be the yearly epic putt putt battles, indoor go-karting, or touring the local attractions, spring break needs to be fun. You are taking away a whole week where the rest of the college students are likely enjoying their time elsewhere.
Seek matches that will likely end up close (5-4 or 6-3)
As much as I hate to admit it, tennis as a team sport is one that you can likely predict what matches are going to be competitive and which are not. Scheduling matches that should be a battle at every position is important mainly because it builds match toughness for the important time of year in May. Whether that means for your conference tournament or the national tournament. You also should spread them out. This is a mistake that I made with my best team in my last year at Earlham. We had a huge win against Denison early in the season and followed it with two losses on the same day against Chicago (6-3) and Depauw (5-4) in March, but really didn’t have any difficult matches after that. Our conference schedule kicked in and sadly we didn’t have a match closer than 8-1 until we ran into Coe at nationals. I think if we had a few other tough matches in April, we would have been more prepared to take on Coe. I am not going to claim it would have changed the result, but it would have helped. Create a competitive schedule for your team that will challenge your players to show up each day and compete at their best throughout the season.
Avoid trap matches
What is a trap match?!? A trap match can be a couple different scenarios, but for the most part, I would define a trap match as one against a team who either is under the radar with a young and talented recruiting class or a team that can take advantage of you. This can happen because of tired legs at the end of a long stretch of matches on spring break or the second match of the day. It could also be a match directly following a big win or one that occurs doing a typically busy time academically (midterms, finals, etc). The way to avoid trap matches is to be an educated coach. Stay up on the D3 tennis landscape and know your opponents. Luckily, there’s a blog for that. Also, understand your own personnel. If you have a team that has issues with cramping, either prepare better, or don’t schedule a challenging match as the second match of the day. Very few teams have the depth necessary to replace a starter and it not affect the result.
Create your own trap matches
This is one of the best ways to keep your team moving forward. If your goal is to get noticed and enter in the rankings, either regionally or nationally, winning a trap match that you created might be the best way to do so. A lot of times these are difficult to schedule because the opponent likely is trying to avoid a loss just as much as you are trying to create a win. When we beat Denison in 2013, that match was the classic trap match. I had a good team the previous year, but we weren’t great quite yet. I knew I was bringing in a top 25 recruiting class with 3 impact players for that year. Denison on the other hand was graduating a few key seniors and were due to have freshmen filling some big shoes. I was able to schedule the match which also happened to be Denison’s first match of the spring and our 4th. We won that match 5-4 when one of my senior’s took out a freshman at #6 in a third set tiebreaker. The other trap match that I scheduled that year was against Chicago. We played them at Depauw, but immediately after they played the Tigers. So the goal was that they would be playing on tired legs. Chicago was the more talented team, but we took a 2-1 doubles lead and gave us a chance to upset them. Unfortunately they had enough to take us down. Moral of the story is similar to the previous one, be educated about D3 tennis and know what your team is capable of and exploit that as much as you can.
Don’t forget about individuals
The one caveat to these scheduling tips deals with a top singles or doubles tandem that happen to be on a weaker team. If you have a #1 singles or #1 doubles tandem that has a chance to qualify as an individual, you need to schedule them enough tough opponents to give them a shot to get wins or negate a loss in the season. Having only one big match on the schedule puts a lot of pressure on that player to win that only match. While your team might take a few beatings playing the top national competition, your top player gets his chance to qualify. At a small school, that is a big deal. It is increasingly difficult to to be in the top 7 or 8. The good news is the system is set up to favor top players over #2’s from a top school. As a coach, it is up to you to do the things necessary to give your player the chances to break into the top 8.
Don’t take scheduling for granted. Half of your matches are already set with conference dates necessary. What you do with the rest of your competitive dates can make or break a season. Don’t be afraid to challenge your team to be better. The results can pay immediate dividends with wins and long term dividends with recruiting. That’s it for now! Next installment of this season will address another key aspect of building a successful program. Everyone have a great holiday!