Giving The Gift Of Feedback
A key thing we would like to see our Cougars coaches do more often within their trainings (but also in games), is to provide regular and ‘snackable’ feedback to athletes.
Providing feedback when it relates to skill development requires the coach to hold three skills:
Skill #1 - Identifying the error / area of improvement: A coaches ability to scan the activity and detect when a player has applied a technique or decision incorrectly.
Skill #2 - Knowing the solution: Knowing what the correct technique or decision looks like, and knowing effective teaching points or ‘cues’ to remedy it.
Skill #3 - Communication: Having the confidence, voice projection, and encouraging tone to engage with the athlete and provide the necessary feedback.
How to Provide Feedback
Coaching “On The Go”
The skilled coach can teach their players without disrupting the momentum and energy of the training session by ‘coaching on the go’. Rather than pausing the activity, the coach uses short, frequent, and targeted bursts of information to the group that serve to:
Remind players about key cues and teaching points
Maintain and add to the energy levels within the activity
Getting In Their ‘FLIGHT PATH’
The skilled coach recognises where players will exit/enter an activity and positions themselves where they can deliver a short burst of feedback while that player is moving past them.
Praise, Prompt, Leave
The sandwich principle (positive - constructive - positive) is out ❌, and perhaps only reserved for a sit-down meeting with players or parents. It is otherwise inefficient for the coach to deliver 3 pieces of info during a drill when 1 or 2 is needed, and increases the chances a message won’t be received. We recommend applying Basketball Australia’s recommended method of “Praise, Prompt, Leave”, a three-step method for coaching on the go:
PRAISE: Praise the effort shown by the player in their performance.
PROMPT: Give them “prescriptive encouragement”, which is an instruction of what to do next time issued with an encouraging tone. Focus on “DOs” rather than “DON’Ts”, for example:
✔️“Next time hold your follow-through until the ball hits the ring”
❌“Next time avoid dropping your arm as soon as you release the ball”
LEAVE: Leave the player’s space and move your attention elsewhere - giving the player autonomy to implement your feedback.
Prescriptive Encouragement = What to do next time + encouraging tone
Quick Pauses, not lectures
Only if an undesired behaviour is not being remedied through coaching on the go, should a coach halt the activity and gather the group for re-instruction. This should be framed as a ‘quick pause’ by the coach though, signalling to the players that you understand the importance of them playing but also that your message is urgent and important.
If you build a habit of slow, measured instruction, you will over time drain the energy and enjoyment from your trainings.
“Magic Feedback”
In his book The Culture Code, Daniel Coyle shares research from Stanford and University of Texas about the 19 words that improve a person’s effort by 40%, dubbed as ‘magic feedback’:
‘I’m giving you these comments because I have very high expectations and I know that you can reach them.’
If you can lace your feedback to players with signals that 1) you have high standards and 2) you believe in the player’s potential, the impact of your message will be maximised.
When to Provide Feedback - How often is too much?
It’s not beneficial for children to receive feedback after every repetition. Our aim is to develop athletes who can self-reflect on their own performance - we don’t want them dependent on us, like someone who needs Google Maps to get around their neighbourhood.
Giving Feedback In the Moment
I recommend a “3 strikes” approach when a coach notices a player make an error (e.g uses the opposite hand to what was instructed):
“Strike 1” (first observation of a skill error): Don’t intervene. Refrain from correcting it yourself and see if the athlete corrects themselves next time.
“Strike 2” (same skill error repeated): Intervene with a clue. Prompt them to think about what has been taught, or ask a question to test their knowledge of the skill. For example, “Think about what footwork you need to use to protect the ball from the defender”
“Strike 3” (3rd time error performed): Intervene with the answer. Instruct the athlete on the specific technique/decision required without disrupting the other players in the game.
GROUPING FEEDBACK
Giving summary feedback once every minute or two (combining observations of the individual/team into a single feedback moment) can be useful and efficient, as it allows you to share common trends/themes you’re seeing. But it shouldn’t be the only form of feedback you provide players, which is a trap many coaches fall into. Summary and group feedback lacks the personal connection and clarity that giving individual feedback in the moment provides, so coaches should combine summary feedback with frequent bursts of personalised feedback.
KEY TAKEAWAYS 🔑
“Coaching on the go” is a critical skill for the youth sport coach, ensuring that players receive attention whilst contributing to an energetic training environment.
The coach should leave space for players to self-correct, but not ignore repeated errors.
Feedback needs to convey a coach’s genuine belief in the player to reach a high standard of performance.