Coaching Challenges
“Culture that encourages Creativity”
It’s a challenge for all coaches these days in the construction of your training sessions to find that sweet spot and balance point between structured learning & free play, blocked teaching v random, coach lead & player empowerment processes.
A key element that is part of the fabric of all aspects of training is the “creativity” of players. How do you encourage it? How does your environment facilitate the opportunities for players to develop it, while also working towards collective buy-in and alignment with your plan of how the game can be successfully played. There is no simple answer nor a right or wrong approach in my opinion. However it is important to be cognisant of it when planning and more importantly are you in-tune to it during the session. Through trial and error below are a few of my on-going learnings, but before we get to that it is important to accept that this is written on the premiss that creativity is critical to the development of people, it fosters engagement of individuals into a team context and helps build confidence through a fun learning environment.
Be OK with imperfect possessions and execution
The old adage that you learn from mistakes stands firm here but easier said then done when you’re observing practise and have to wrestle with that inner monologue that wants to stop practise to correct, teach, improve etc. If you are fully bought into developing creativity then there are going to be many mistakes and you have to live with it. “Praise the process” not the outcome (especially with kids but relevant to all athletes).
Manage the amount of “stressors” in drill contruction
If a desired outcome is to foster decision making and creativity then we have to be smart about how many “constraints”, “rules”, “manipulations”, “drill constructs” and “teaching points” we add to the recipe when on the court kitchen. We also have to be prepared to simplify or regress a drill live and conversely extend it if the desired outcomes are too easily reached. We deliberately put objectives or incentives in place in drills or game play to work towards an outcome (end point), or to establish a point of orientation in which athletes can “internally assess” themselves against the objective, their progress, and their team mates (we’re all human and a are lying if we don’t admit to comparing ourselves to others). Bookend the drill / game explanations with the focus skill/area is of the drill and reinforce the primary skills and decisions that will be practised. The will provide context and focus for players so then they can apply their creativity while in action.
The Use Questioning for Comprehension
We want to support players who are prepared to take a leap out of their comfort zone and try a new skill (ie. the weak hand pass or lay-up) especially while having to cognitively process the environment to ascertain the required information to execute a skill. So the “feedback loop” is key to supporting an athletes decision making, skill execution (where the creativity is showcased). As coaches we want to help by providing the answers for our athletes (is it a self-fulling prophecy of “good coaching”), it means we are supporting their development, building confidence etc. but it’s a fine line and the real magic is in the struggle. Granted this introduces resilience which is a skill that is ever increasingly becoming a challenge to teach (this topic is for another day). How do we know if an athlete truely comprehends the concept verses just being compliant when we ask questions? Simple questions like “what did you see”, “do you think you were early, on-time, or late on that one? Why? What can you do next time? We are the safety matt as the players are up on the uneven bars doing their routines. We are there to catch them if they fall but it’s ultimately their performance (, whether it’s a 9.5 or 4.5). The creativity looks, and feels different for everyone, some are “naturally” creative thinkers and problem solvers others are less. We just have to be aware that what it looks like for each individual is different as does the internal “creativity rating system”. Uniformity is not the goal here, confidence to have-a-go, make a decision and learn from the outcome to improve the next rep is.
Reps. Reps.Reps
Once we’ve got the hang of implementing appropriate sessions and we are adaptable while in the trenches with the players, it’s important that they get plenty of reps to help foster development (skill acquisition guru’s jump in here). No matter how much of a “‘players coach” or “FUN-damentals” coach you are, there is still no substitute to hard work and repetition. Where the art meets the science is how much “time-on-task” you can generate within your sessions. Work to rest ratio, “coaching on the run”, minimising interventions, effective feedback loops, quick transitions are all part of ensuring that maximum time is spent active so players have the greatest opportunity to attempt, review, and repeat. Creating a positive learning environment is a great step towards fostering strongly motivated athletes who will invest further “unseen work” time, which is where the real creativity flourishes.
Review, Reflect & Run it Back
We all perceive and process our success and failure’s differently. Our behavioural responses to this are unique also. So what’s important in “coachland” is to ensure that we encourage a process where players have the opportunity during and after practise or games to learn from their experience with the goal of improving their experience the next time around. If this process is “mentally safe”, allows individuality (not talking about team reviews here), realistic around engagement time and re-connects to the next contact points focus then it can be a solid process for your players to immerse themselves in.