Feedback in Practice: Keeping Practice in Motion
During an intense practice last week, amidst the chaos of defensive fouls and turnovers, I found myself at a familiar crossroads.
A breakdown in our offense prompted me to stop the session, the pause intended for correction. Yet, as the minutes ticked by and my explanation stretched longer than anticipated, a voice, clear and respectful, cut through the noise: “Coach, can we get going again?”
There was a time when such an interruption might have sparked a different reaction in me.
A younger version of myself might have seen this as a challenge to authority, responding with punitive laps or a stern lecture, asserting dominance over the dialogue of practice. But this time, I simply nodded, and we resumed play.
Why the change?
This moment of reflection has led me to ponder the nuances of feedback and correction during practice, especially when working with teenage athletes in high-performance environments.
Understanding Attention and Engagement
First, there’s the reality of attention spans.
Young athletes, like all of us, have limits to their focus. Prolonged talks can transform from instructive moments to idle intermissions. Players may drift, their minds wandering away from the tactical insights being shared, waiting instead for the signal to dive back into action.
The question then arises: Is the point of the message lost in translation if my players are merely counting the seconds until they can move again?
Clarity and Conciseness
The incident also prompted me to reflect on my clarity of thought.
Could it be that a lengthy discourse betrays a lack of precision in my understanding? The most impactful feedback is both clear and concise. It's about striking the core of the issue with the precision of a sniper, not the burst of a bank robber with a shotgun. Therefore, I need to learn to be more clear with my message.
If the message requires a marathon to convey, perhaps its essence hasn’t been fully distilled by the messenger (i.e. me).
How can I structure my feedback to be brief, clear and concise before stopping play to ensure it is efficient?
The Flow of Practice
Feedback, especially in elite performance environments, is a delicate dance with the flow of practice.
It’s about maintaining the rhythm and keeping the energy alive. Each pause for correction is a potential disruption to this flow, a break in the athletes’ physical and mental engagement.
Finding the balance—where feedback enriches rather than interrupts—should be the ongoing quest.
How long should an intervention be? What is the balance of teaching vs maintaining the flow of practice?
Reflecting on the Coach’s Role
This moment of unsolicited feedback from a player served as a mirror to my coaching style.
It reminded me that the practice floor is a shared space for learning, not a lectern from which to preach. My role is to guide, not to dominate; to illuminate, not to overshadow.
It’s a partnership where my voice is but one part of a larger symphony. Perhaps, this demonstrates how far I’ve come in my coaching journey.
In Conclusion
There are no definitive answers here, only reflections from one practice to the next.
Each session offers a canvas for exploration with timing, tone, and the tenor of our feedback. The goal remains constant: to foster an environment where athletes grow, not just in their skills but in their love for the game.
As a coach, I’m not trying to sculpt athletes; instead, I’m nurturing their minds.
My feedback is more than correction—it’s a bridge to understanding, a testament to my belief in their potential. Perhaps, then, the true art of coaching lies not in how much I say, but in how thoughtfully I engage, pausing just long enough to inspire, and then stepping back to let the game flow.
At the end of the day, I am still learning about the art of coaching and the dance of providing feedback. I don’t have any definite answers, but I am open to keep learning.