In a perfect coaching world, every game is close but your team wins because you have prepared your players better than your opponent. In other words… you out-coached them!! Granted, during the course of a season there’s going to be some close games and probably several more where there is a larger margin. However, what we hate as coaches are those games where one team is so dominant that the outcome of the game has been determined in the first 5 minutes. Coaching in these blowouts is one of the more demanding roles of a coach and needs to be handled with sportsmanship and dignity. If not, it’s a lose-lose situation… for both teams.

Coaching in these games is difficult because if you continue to score, you’ll embarrass your opponents by running the score up. Coaches try to prevent this by playing their bench or playing defenders on offense. Realize that if you empty your bench, they want to score as much as the others. And the defenders moving up to offense? They’re even worse about wanting to score!! In both cases, everyone wants to score! You still end up running up the score.
If you play keep-away, you embarrass the other team by “teasing” them.

We’ve seen some other “tactics” that actually embarrass the team more than if they just continued to run the score up.
For example, one of the prep schools here in Baltimore had an extremely big and fast RB at the middle school level. After giving the ball to this guy 4-5 times straight and having him run for touchdowns the coach decided to switch it up in an attempt to exhibit “good sportsmanship”. This star RB was also the 3rd string QB so the coach moved this stud to QB. OK, sounds like a nice gesture. Unfortunately, the coach called for QB draws and options which enabled this player to run for 2 more touchdowns. Basically they took the “handoff” out of the equation. When he was challenged by the opposing coach, the coach responded that this player was the 3rd string QB and there wasn’t anything he could do about it.
Lesson here is to make sure that your intention is actually effective.

Coaching Strategies in a Blowout are sport specific. I’ve noted some of the basic strategies we’ve seen exhibited but would welcome more ideas from our viewers.
These are strategies for the dominating team.

Basketball:
Defense- go into a tight zone where every player has to keep one foot inside the lane. This will allow the other team to at least get to shoot.
Offensively, Have a 5 pass rule or “windshield wiper” rule. Players have to complete 5 passes or get the ball from one side baseline by the 3-point line to the other side. Or possibly limit their shots to ones off of backdoor cuts or from a pick and roll.

Lacrosse:
Defense, everyone has to have one foot in a zone (girls: be aware of the 3 second call for being in the 8M)
Play off-hand. Work on the weak hand. Try to get something productive out of the game. Possess the ball for either a certain number of passes or a certain length of time.

Soccer:
Play possession. Get the ball into the offensive zone and then switch fields while bringing the ball back to defenders Focus on changing the attack.
Avoid- Keeper Sweeper or playing with fewer players. These tend to embarrass the other team and make your team appear to be cocky.

Baseball:
Bring in your players who don’t pitch that much. Could be painful if they can’t find the plate.
Offensively: You don’t want to bunt… that’s just plain disrespectful. Have your players work on hitting to the opposite field.
What you can’t do a whole lot about:
If their pitcher can’t find the plate. You don’t want your players swinging at bad pitches and developing bad habits.
If their fielders can’t field. Your team puts the ball in play. As long as they’re not knocking it over the fence, really nothing you have to do. Just don’t bunt.

There’s a balance between running the score up and embarrassing the team by exhibiting certain strategies that actually backfire.
If you have the right attitude and approach, you could go up to the opposing coach and say, “Coach, I’m aware of the score and we don’t want to run it up. I’ve got my subs in and we’re going to work on switching the field, connecting 8-10 passes before we attack the goal. We’re still going to be working hard and I know your team is still going to work hard.” Maybe say this at halftime (certainly not after 2 minutes… that’s a little arrogant!) Hopefully you’ve already talked with the coach and have established some connection with them.

Kudda welcomes comments and other strategies/tactics that coaches can use in a blowout situation.