3 Simple Ways to Improve Your Coaching Questions
How to get more out of the questions you ask to players
“Asking the right questions takes as much skill as giving the right answers.” – Robert Half
Asking questions is a skill. Similar to how players use technical skills to unlock on-field situations, a coach’s questions are dependent on the context they find themselves in. I cannot give you a list of great questions to ask, because great questions depend on what’s happening in the moment. What I can do though is share a few ways to get more out the questions you already ask.
Start with Information
Good questioning will align with the Third and Fourth Principles of Good Coaching. We need to use questions efficiently so players can spend more time applying what’s been taught, rather than being taught.
One simple way to improve our questions is to (counter-intuitively) not use them. Instead, start by giving players information first, then use questions to reinforce what you said and check where players have gaps in their knowledge.
Here’s an example I’ve seen other coaches do and that I’ve done as well:
I’m trying to get players to understand the concept of checking to the ball. I say “Amy, is Bella able to pass you the ball right now?”
Amy shrugs, so I turn to Bella. “Bella, do you think you can pass the ball that far?” Bella says maybe but she could miss.
“Did you hear that Amy?” I ask. “Can you get closer to Bella?”
Amy finally moves toward Bella. “Good!” I say. “This is called ‘checking’. We need to check to the ball when we’re far away.”
Did my questions do anything besides use up time? Was I reinforcing or teaching new things? Were players creating new knowledge? Not really, I was guiding them along. While questions can be used to help players create new solutions (even solutions that us coaches may not have thought of), in these situations, unless Bella was suddenly able to pass the ball further and more accurately, there was no other solution to the problem posed.
In these situations, it’s preferable to give information first then follow it up with questions to reinforce their understanding.
I get in my time-machine and try again, this time starting with information. “Checking to the ball means we move closer to the dribbler when we’re far away so they can pass the ball to us. Amy, run towards Bella. This is called ‘checking’. We need to check to the ball when we’re far away so our teammate can pass to us.”
I call on players and use questions to gauge their understanding. “What does it mean to ‘check to the ball’? When do we check? Why do we check?”
Start with clear information that can be addressed in three parts to avoid overloading the players’ working memory. In this example, the three parts are What we are doing (checking to the ball), When to do it (when the player is far away), and Why (so the ball-carrier can pass).
Reading the above example again, you’ll see I gave the information twice. I introduced it to prime the players then said it again to reinforce the concept. After the information is given, I use questions to help teach and reinforce what ‘checking’ is. Once the players start playing the next exercise, we can fine tune their situational recognition, spacing, timing, etc. We’ve spent less time teaching the concept so players can have more time applying it.
Check for Understanding
As you may have noticed from the example above, none of the questions I asked could have been answered with a Yes or No. Each question was pertinent to a specific piece of information. These questions are called Check for Understanding (CfU) and they do two things: reinforce information/learning and, maybe more importantly, tell you what’s happening inside their heads. If players cannot answer one of your CfUs, then it means the topic needs to be re-taught.
Too often I’ve asked “Does that make sense?” or “Any questions?” after I’ve explained something. These aren’t good questions because A) It’s difficult for young players to ask questions about something they don’t understand, and B) Few kids want to spend their time asking questions when they could be playing a game.
A good way to check if you’re using CfUs is by paying attention to the first word in the question. Broadly speaking, CfUs will start with Who, What When, Where, Why or How, although that’s not the only way. The purpose of CfUs is to get players to restate what’s been taught so you can figure out if anything needs reviewing or if it’s time to move on.
Cold Calling
This is a questioning technique where coaches randomly choose players to answer questions (i.e. not have players raise their hands or shout out answers). This method creates engaged listeners because at any given moment a player may be asked to contribute. If a coach only calls on players who raise their hands, it sub-consciously tells those who don’t that there’s no need to pay attention.
A Cold Calling question would read like this “Why do we check to the ball, Marissa?”
However, how we get to the Cold Calling question matters. Cold Calling is not a way of picking on players or increasing their anxiety, and it must be communicated as such. The goal is to create an atmosphere of comfort and contribution, where players learn it’s okay to make mistakes and that the focus is on learning. As always, it helps to explicitly state this to the players and then prove it in your methods and behavior.
To help achieve this end, the first step in Cold Calling is to have players raise their hands, you ask your question, and then call on someone. This lets players know that you’re asking questions and players are expected to participate and pay attention.
It would read like this: “Now raise your hand to answer the question. What does it mean to check to the ball? Yes, Kiara.”
The second step is to show players that they no longer need to raise their hand. You call on someone ahead of time, wait for a moment so they can focus on what you’re saying and realize they’re expected to answer, then ask your questions:
“Layla, [pause] when do we check to the ball?”
The last step is to Cold Call; ask your question and then choose someone to answer. Players should all be listening and prepared to contribute to the conversation.
“Why do we check to the ball, Marissa?”
While Cold Calling and CfU’s can be coach-led, it’s even better if you have players build and elaborate on each other’s answers. This forces them to listen to each other and engage with one another, thus reinforcing the Second Principle of Good Coaching.
Wrapping Up
Broadly speaking, questions can do a few things: force players to create new solutions thus engendering new knowledge, reinforce information that they are already familiar with, and give you information about their level of understanding. Starting with information, using CfUs and Cold Calling on players all help with these last two categories. These methods are crucial to teaching players – especially young ones who need to understand the basic building blocks so they can construct their own knowledge in the future. Yet asking questions is simply one half of the equation, how players answer those questions (and what we do with them as coaches) is just as important, and one that we’ll look at next week.
If you liked this article, be sure to check out the follow-up piece: How to Respond When Players Give Wrong Answers