The idea of delivering the ‘perfect’ coaching session can prove restrictive for coaches who want to improve. In this blog, The FA’s Graeme Carrick provides some advice to help coaches develop themselves and their sessions through reflection.
Step out of the comfort zone and reflect
As coaches we have to learn, and part of learning is that we have to step out of our comfort zone and go through the different stages of learning. If we do a session for the first time, the chance is it’s not going to be perfect.
We’re learning as well as the players. We would expect players to self-correct and reflect on decisions and say ‘next time I would do this or that differently’. It’s the same for coaches when you find there’s a problem in the session.
It’s important that after the session you ask: how did it go? What was good about it? What would you do again? What would you not do again? And for all of the questions ask: why? It’s about trying to make sense of it all.
If you can do this over a block of work, you’ll start to see development in yourself over the longer term. You’ll see a shift in yourself as well as in the kids.
Have clear learning objectives
It’s important to have clarity in terms of what you’re going to look for in the session and clarity in terms of the things you want to see and bring out. That will give you things to reflect against during the session and you will be able to look at the things the kids are doing.
Within any group there’s going to be lots of stuff going on – so it’s important to answer: what are you looking for and what are you looking at? Sometimes when you try to see everything, you see nothing.
When we first start out with coaching, we’re really concerned with organisation, sessions, and how it looks and a feeling of control. As you become more experienced you realise you’re more comfortable with that and so that doesn’t take up your attention as much - you’re quite happy with that so you can move on. Now you’re free to look more closely at the players and how they’re getting on individually.
Try starting with a game
If you start with a game it’s a great way of getting the kids active, but it’s also a great of way seeing how they’re getting on with the task and challenges. You can focus your observations more around that than the organisation and how the session is running.
The challenge might be as simple as: you want the kids to take up better supporting positions. So, you’re looking at what the kids are doing off the ball.
Then you’re reflecting on, how well they did and did they get a chance to practice it. If so, why? If not, why? And most importantly: what are you going to do for next time? That might be your reflective process. The same observation and reflective process is also equally important on matchdays.
For more insight into reflection, check out these blogs: