No matter how much you love sports or how great an athlete you are, you do need a day or two off with yourself just to let it go and enjoy it with yourself or your friends and family. But, you can not always state that reason to your coach, can you? Your coach may be friendly or understanding, but when you give them a silly excuse no one in the world is going to help you get away with it. You need to plan a good excuse when you want to miss practice. Here are some good excuses for missing practice
A good excuse does not welcome any suspicion or doubt on the part of your coach. You need to frame it well so that when you go out there to give him that excuse, he is left with no choice but to grant you leave. A good excuse not only grants you leave for a day or two but also makes your coach sympathetic and emotional towards you. Try to sound as honest as you can, abstain from the drama, and give your best excuse out there.
To know how you can pen a good excuse down, read the report till the end!
How to form a good excuse
When reflecting on a nice excuse, you should always keep in mind to follow the given tips. These tips will help you in crafting the most reasonable and valid excuse:
Keep it real
Yes, you read it right. We know excuses are stark opposite to what we count as real. Even so, if your excuse sounds fake, you have lost the game. You should, at all times, keep your excuse as real as you can. Your coach is no fool and he can know where you are bluffing and where you are reporting a real and absolute reason. Abstain from any kind of hysterics or melodrama, never be dramatic about your excuse by saying something like- you woke up one day and your house was filled with water up to the cleaning, sorry what?
Inform early
Do yourself, your team, and your coach some good by informing him way before you take leave. Tell him why you are planning to take leave. You don’t want to return to the practice after your leave to welcome a cold treatment from both your teammates and your coach, do you? Informing early ask shows that you are a responsible player and care for your team. It will help you make a good impression on your coach. So always make sure to tell your boss beforehand that you will be absent from the office for the required number of dates.
Don’t give too much on information
Too much information sets up the perfect trap for your getting caught red-handed. The more matter you give to your coach to scrutinize and judge you, the more trouble you’re calling. So keep it short, keep it concise and keep it as accurate as you can. Always take care of the brevity of the excuse when thinking of taking a leave of absence.
Look for the right day
We all know how crucial relationships are for maintaining a sound and healthy environment on the field which in turn is very important for your career as a whole. So, whenever you decide to take leave, look for a day or days that are not that important for team practice. Do not make your day of leave a day of strenuous work and exhaustion for your teammates. After all, you have to return to the same place once your leave ends. And you would not like it if you are welcomed with a cold and hostile attitude. So, look for the right day and take leave accordingly.
Go natural
Try to be or pretend to be as authentic and natural as you can. There are some basic rules while making an excuse like do not hurt the same uncle or relative again and again, do not make the same cousin sick, and so on. Do not create a fictional story but create believable factual stories. Create real-world problems. No one would believe you if you say that it was raining so bad that you nearly drowned but if you rather simply say that it was raining and you were completely drenched in water as you forgot your umbrella, well that’s something believable and plausible.
Give proof
Giving proof is the magic mantra. It saves you even from the time you have to spend making an excuse. If you have the right documentation with you like a medical report or a certificate, you’re always good to go. But if your coach isn’t that cautious and doesn’t ask for it, you may as well just state that your appointment with the doctor was last minute and so you cannot provide proof or else you would have. Documents, though helpful, can also be risky if your coach is too skeptical. So be careful with this one.
Cover up for your position
Always make sure to cover up for your position while you’re not on the field. Discuss with your teammates how they would go on without you and provide solutions. Never leave your team in a state of complete dilemma and chaos. Always make up for the time that you will not be there to help your team and support it. This will show very good teamwork skills and also raise your bar higher in your coach’s eyes.
Remain cautious
If you have mentioned an excuse like you’re sick or your family member is sick, do not go about flaunting your vacation at the beach or a holiday destination on your social media handles. This is a small world we’re living in given the advent of social media and your teammates or coach might find you sipping your glass of cola on the beach and then you know what’s awaiting…
Provide regular updates
There are situations like when you’re sick or say, have met with an accident, that you cannot say when you would be returning exactly. This happens all the time with players as they undergo several injuries during their practice journey. In such situations, you must not deter from providing regular updates and information as to when you would be returning. You must always give them regular updates about the improvement in your health so that they have a good idea as to when you would likely be returning.
I got robbed
Simply state that you were on your way to practice but unfortunately got robbed in the middle of the street. You could do nothing about it as all your money was stolen and clothes tattered and you had to walk back home. These simple words will not only gain you your leave but also a sympathetic and generous ear from your coach.
Mental health day
Almost every other person is fighting for better mental health today. Asking for leave for your good and healthy mental health is justified and you deserve a good day devoted to the peace of your mind. Just state this reason and you will be followed up with no more questions.
Babysitter on leave
Say you have a kid and your babysitter was on leave on the day of practice. Everyone knows how strenuous it is to handle and care for a baby. Your coach will not question you any further on this because probably he too has a baby and knows about the hardships.
Your car or bike got punctured on the way
This may sound kiddish to some but this is a very legitimate and obvious excuse as this can happen to anyone anytime. Your bike getting punctured is not something you could have controlled. Moreover, this excuse will convey to your coach that you were on your way to practice eager to attend it but your bike gave way. There was nothing you could probably have done other than waking back home.
Illness
Cliche as it sounds, this is the most common excuse because it works every time. No coach would like you to attend practice when you have attained a contagious disease because you may spread it to their teammates and make the whole team tick. So say you are down with flu, cough, cold, or fever and you’re good to go!
Death in the family
Well, this is a topic so sensitive that no one likes to discuss or delve into it. Stating that someone has died in your family makes for a perfect excuse and reason to gain sympathies and easy leave. Plainly stating that someone has died and you need to be there will give you all the understanding you want.
Family illness
Illness can come upon anyone anytime. State that your father, mother, or sibling is severely ill and you need to be there at home to take care of them. No one can stop you from taking leave when it is your family that you need to look after. Just make sure not to make the same person sick again and again.
Moving to a new home
If you’re moving, there’s no way you can attend practice that day. You have to do a lot of things while you move, right from packing, loading, and unloading to settling things in your new home, and for all of this, you do need some time off to get acquainted with a new place and lodging.
Met with an accident
Accidents are unfortunate and unpredictable. You can meet with an accident on your way to practice and then no one would expect you to trudge to practice, of course. So saying something like your bike was speeding and you hit a car is a very legitimate and valid excuse with the least possible suspicion possible.
Had a sprain on my hand
You would do no good to yourself and your team members if you walk on the field with a strain in your hand. The field requires physical action and you can’t possibly do it with a sprain in your hand. As an athlete, you have a very good excuse to use as strains and strains are the normal parts of an athlete’s life which goes through many injuries. So this excuse can work for you anytime you want to take a day off.
Had a doctor’s appointment
Athletes are the ones who value health and fitness the most. So if you tell your coach that you have a doctor’s appointment he would be more than willing to grant you leave as health and physical and medical fitness are of the topmost priority to all the sports coaches.
Sibling’s wedding
Everyone knows how happening and time-consuming weddings can be. You have to be there no matter what because they mark an important day in any family. So saying that you had a sibling’s wedding to attend will grant you leave as well as good wishes from your coach.
Your pet died
If your coach is a pet lover and there are many probabilities that he is, this excuse will work wonders for you. A pet dying is the worst thing to happen to a pet lover. Use this excuse to be granted leave as well as receive words of sympathy and remorse.
Out of station
You can in no way attend your practice if you’re not in town. And no one can bring you back from a remote location, in like a few seconds to attend your practice. So this excuse is the perfect excuse as it is valid, legitimate, genuine, and seems real too. You can choose any country in the world for any reason and rather lay on your couch slugging all day.
Bowel disorder
Well, all you gotta do is mention this and they will want no further details. Bowel disorders are the most disgusting but also the most inevitable conditions that can happen to anyone. And you cannot in any way attend practice if you do not have your bowels working in order. So use this excuse to receive no further follow-up questions from them and enjoy your time off.
Traffic jam
This excuse can work in any scenario as it works well in every situation be it school, work, or practice that you want to miss. Staying that you were on your way to practice but could never reach due to the jam-packed traffic can grant you easy access to your time off from the field. Traffic jams are unpredictable and impossible to deter. So this excuse can help you when you need some time off from the field and on your bed.
Bad weather
Bad weather is a condition that can hamper almost every activity. You cannot drive or walk to your practice if the weather doesn’t support it. If you live at a far-off location from where your practice is held, this can work as the best excuse for you as your coach would never know what the weather conditions are like in your neighborhood.
Allergic reaction
Peanuts can make some people go nuts. Peanut reaction is a thing and many people in America suffer from an acute peanut allergy where they can lead to fatal consequences even though exposure to something as minor as peanut dust. So state that you are allergic to peanuts and you had one by mistake and were rushed to the hospital. You didn’t know if you would come back alive let alone come to practice.
Wisdom tooth emergency
Wisdom teeth are one of the most painful experiences of life. The wisdom tooth can hurt not only your jaws but can also give you a migraine and an earache. There is no way you can attend practice if you have a soaring wisdom tooth aching real bad. All you are left to do is to take your time off and relax on your couch.
Conclusion
We’re all humans and we all need some time to rejuvenate and energize ourselves by moving away from our daily routines and taking some time off just with ourselves. Use these excuses the next time you want to treat yourself and make use of the tips to put them out there in the best way you can.