Conduct Practices & Prepare for Competitions
How well do you conduct practices or prepare for competitions in your program?
Read each question and then click on the question to evaluate your coaching. Based on your current coaching practice, consider whether this is an area that needs improvement, is acceptable, or is exceptional. If you are not sure, feel free to ask others (i.e., assistant coaches, athletes, administrators, community members, fans, etc.) or have another observe your practice to help you decide.
If you discover a need for improvement, refer to the resources available for ways to improve your coaching practice.
- 01
Description: Sport coaches structure plans that consider anticipated individual variability (little consistency) in physical, behavioral, and social maturity over the course of the season/year. Sport coaches plan for appropriate skill progressions based on the type of sport-specific skill and athletes’ stages of learning, memory and attentional capabilities, motivation, etc.
Needs Improvement - I base my seasonal plans on results that have worked for me in the past. I have some athletes that understand the basics I teach them, while others do not.
Acceptable - I employ seasonal plans that include athletes progressing in skills and tactics. I make sure these plans are based on the correct age and stage my team is currently at so that they can continuously improve.
Exceptional - I employ seasonal plans for each one of my athletes. These plans include how I can progress each of their skills and tactics, while also considering their current age and developmental stage. I also keep track of how each athlete is progressing throughout the season so I can adapt my coaching for them at that moment.
Check out these resources if you are interested in improving coaching practice:
Long Term Development in Sport and Physical Activity
The American Development Model
- 02
Description: Sport coaches understand the basic principles and applications of training and program design. They are responsible for the physical training and conditioning that facilitates athlete development and performance. It is also necessary to consider the principles holistically since many athletes are multi-sport athletes. Sport coaches design training programs and periodization (progressive cycling of various aspects of a training program during a specific period) plans that properly utilize physiological and biomechanical principles and implement nutritional guidelines for healthy eating to ensure optimal performance.
Needs Improvement- I have conditioning everyday so that my athletes will always be in the best shape when competitions arise. I allow athletes to find their own ways to best recover after practices.
Acceptable - I utilize periodization so that I do not wear out my athletes based on what they need at that moment. I also teach them ways to efficiently run/swim/wrestle, so that they expend less energy. I give my athletes the nutritional information they need to grow and recover based on what activities they went through in that day's practice.
Exceptional - I use periodization for my athletes based on what they need for that day and can identify what too much conditioning looks like for my athletes. I also teach each athlete the most efficient way to run/swim/wrestle, so that they expend the right amount of energy needed for the task. I give my athletes and their parents nutritional information based on what the athlete did for that day and that best promotes their growth and recovery.
Check out these resources if you are interested in improving coaching practice:
- 03
Description: Sport coaches create daily practice plans using practice plan guidelines (e.g., opening comments, warm-up, practice objectives, appropriate progression of skills and conditioning, cool down, closing comments, post-practice reflections) and address technical, tactical, and psychosocial development based on a variety of learning principles (e.g., demonstrations and game-based approaches).
Needs Improvement - I plan my practices based on what I think will work and how I was coached or how I have seen others coach.
Acceptable - I plan my practice plans based on competition strategies and scouting information that will best prepare my athletes for their next competition. I also employ tactics based on what they comprehend. I welcome my athletes input when making decisions, but ultimately, I make the final decisions during a game and throughout practices.
Exceptional - I think of my team's age, processing ability, and tactical and technical capabilities to plan practices that I know each individual will benefit. I use scouting information and competition strategies I have found to plan my practices so that athletes can get used to opposing tactics and be better suited to compete. I also value athletes' input when making decisions for the team and include times during practice to engage my athletes in strategic decision making in that moment.
Check out these resources if you are interested in improving coaching practice:
Responsible Coaches Guide for Successful Practices
How to Increase Player Learning by Creating Game-Like Situations
Good Coaching is the Effective Manipulation of Task Constraints
- 04
Needs Improvement - I have a set training strategy every week based on what I think we need to work on in the coming week. I do not change these plans throughout the week because I feel I have already figured out what my athletes need.
Acceptable - I take into account my athlete's fatigue, motivation and skill level to adjust my practices based on what they need that day. If the athletes are having issues during a practice in some facet, I make sure to adjust the remaining practice time into what will best help my team.
Exceptional- I take my time coming up with different practice plans based on what I noticed in scouting the other team. I design these plans based on what I know my athletes are capable of doing on that day and how fatigued they may be. I also take into account if they seem unmotivated for the day or their skill level on a specific topic so that I know what needs to be addressed for them to be successful.
Check out these resources if you are interested in improving coaching practice:
How Much Individualized Performance Training Do Athletes Need?
- 05
Needs improvement - I encourage my athletes to think about the physical demands of the sport. I do not offer avenues for them to develop mentally and if they come to me to ask about it, I either direct them to someone else, or tell them to figure it out themselves.
Acceptable - I incorporate different ways to teach mental skills in practice. For example, I have tried to incorporate ways to increase confidence, reduce anxiety and introduce positive self-talk. While doing all of this, I still push athletes to develop physically so they are at their peak performance at specific times of the week or season.
Exceptional - I actively employ different mental strategies in my practices daily. These skills allow my athletes to develop ways to build confidence, reduce anxiety, and enhance positive self-talks. Doing these very often allows me to progress my athletes’ mental skills and improve their performance. While incorporating these mental strategies, I also make sure each individual is progressing physically so that at specific times of the week or season, my athletes are at their peak performance level.
Check out these resources if you are interested in improving coaching practice:
Sport Psychology for Sport Coaches
An Integrated Approach to Mental Skills Training
How to Build Mental Toughness in High School Athletes: A Coach’s Guide
Integrating Mental Skills and Strategies Into Youth Sport Training: A Tool for Coaches
- 06
Description: Sport coaches plan strategies to teach important life skills such as: teamwork, leadership, persistence, and social/emotional skills. Sport coaches show athletes how life skills can be useful in life domains outside of sport to increase the likelihood that they will be learned, practiced, and developed.
Needs improvement - I do not discuss most life skills such as teamwork, goal setting, and leadership with my athletes. I believe that through participating in sports, athletes develop these skills and therefore I need to do nothing further.
Acceptable - I actively employ strategies to introduce life skills to athletes. I include a variety of life skills such as: teamwork, goal setting, social skills, problem solving, emotional skills, leadership, time management, communication, work ethic and fair play. I translate those that I teach to show how my athletes can use them outside of the sport and how it benefits their own personal lives.
Exceptional - I employ all of the strategies listed in the acceptable category, while also creating drills or activities to practice life skills in practice. I also include examples of where my athletes may find these life skills in their day to day lives.
Check out these resources if you are interested in improving coaching practice:
How Sport Can Prepare you for Life
Developing Life Skills through Football
A Strategy for Coaches to Develop Life Skills in Youth Sport
Click on this link: https://www.schoolcoach.ca/, click on Coaching Life Skills and Learn More. Register (it is free - just choose Alberta as the province), and select the Coaching for Life Skills Webinar. Modules 4 & 5 provides useful information for Coaching Life Skills in Practice.
- 07
Needs Improvement - I have certain things that I look for in my athletes at tryouts, but after I see what they can do, I only focus on where they are at during parts of the season. I also only see improvement from my team when we play other competition.
Acceptable - I have a form I use to evaluate athletes in tryouts. I use that to see where they are at before the season and how they can benefit the team. I also track how they are doing through different assessments throughout the season so that I can communicate how far my athletes have come since the pre-season and if they are on the correct developmental track.
Exceptional - I have a form that lays out the positives and negatives of an athlete's ability before the season that assists me in choosing athletes for my team at tryouts. I also use my information from before the season to see how my athletes are progressing and see if they are improving as an all-around athlete. After seeing their progress, I communicate with them to show what they still do well, and have improved on. I also communicate what they still can do to improve individually and benefit the team as a whole.
Check out these resources if you are interested in improving coaching practice:
Giving Impactful Athlete Evaluations
Better Coaching from Better Decisions: Coaching Tools to Increase Coaching Effectiveness
- 08
Description: Sport coaches make adjustments during competition considering factors like the underlying principles of strategy and tactics within the sport and the skills and patterns of play of the opponent. Sport coaches also maintain self-control and monitor stress levels to facilitate effective decision making.
Needs improvement - I have a set plan that I stick to for competitions. I have a hard time adjusting these plans during a game because I worry if I deviate from it, it may cause even more problems. I also have trouble controlling my emotions during games and sometimes lash out at my athletes if they are not doing what I tell them to, or the referee if I do not agree with their decisions.
Acceptable - I am very flexible when I am coaching a competition. I think that starting out with what works best for my team based on their strengths is the best way to start the game. Throughout the game I maintain self control which allows me to make adjustments based on what is and isn't working for my team so that we have the best chance to be successful.
Exceptional - I change my team’s lineup or strategy based on other teams tendencies and I have no trouble trying out something new that I think might work. I also understand my team’s strengths and weaknesses so that when the time comes to change tactics, I can do that. I keep myself level-headed for the entire contest as it allows me to make better decisions in the moment. I also make sure that my athletes stay level-headed and if I start seeing issues with them, I make sure to correct it so that they do not hurt the rest of the team with their actions.
Check out these resources if you are interested in improving coaching practice:
8 Tips for Making In-Game Adjustments