Three Methods to Help You Coach Better During Games

Coaching in the Flow is difficult. Fortunately, there's a process you can use to help players learn.

Coaching in the Flow

Coaching in the Flow refers to the interventions a coach makes while an exercise or match is being played. There are many teaching moments a coach can choose from, such as asking questions before an exercise begins, but Coaching in the Flow is crucial to player development. In this article we’re going to look at three coaching methods to help players learn: Commands, Leading Questions and Knowledge Questions.

Joystick Coaching

A good place to start is explaining what Coaching in the Flow is not. It it not a way of directing players across the pitch as if you are a 4-star General. That is more commonly referred to as Joystick Coaching; when a coach uses their voice to control every action and decision happening on the pitch.

Joystick Coaching is direct, constant, and is usually focused on the player with the ball. A coach who uses Joystick Coaching might sound like this:

“Hanna! Pass to the middle! The middle! Turn Mya! Mya pass to Laurie up top!”

Joystick Coaching removes the decision-making from the player and robs them of a crucial component of the trial-and-error process (i.e. learning). It is the ultimate form of micro-managing where coaches turn real players into their own personal video game characters.

What Coaching in the Flow is

Coaching in the Flow differs along a few key lines:

First, it recognizes that players have a hard time listening, understanding and reacting to a coach’s feedback while under match pressure. Coaching in the Flow is more patient – waiting until the ball-carrier has made their decision before quickly giving a coaching point. This patience ensures that players have the mental space to hear what is being said.

Second, Coaching in the Flow is future-oriented. While Joystick Coaching commands players what to do in the moment, Coaching in the Flow looks to reinforce or give information that they can use in the future.

All of this leads to greater autonomy for players to make their own decisions. Not only does it increase player learning, but it can lead to coach learning as well. Players may make a different decision than the one a coach would have provided, and still achieve the same (or better) result.

Choosing the Right Moment

The most important part of Coaching in the Flow is choosing when to do it. Good feedback should be given quickly after the player’s action so it can be internalized to the relevant moment.

A general rule is to make your coaching point within the first 10 seconds after a player’s action. The longer you wait the less potent the feedback becomes. This is because the human brain’s working memory only lasts about 10-15 seconds, and it’s harder for players to recall specific historical moments when they’re under game pressure.

So even if there’s a moment that needs to be corrected, it doesn’t mean it’s the right time to do it.

Commands

One method of Coaching in the Flow is through Commands. Commands give information to players to either remind or reinforce what’s already been taught. Commands should be short, sweet, and quickly cut to the core of the issue. It should not be a 15-sentence one-sided conversation that’s shouted across the field. Ideally, it is only one or two sentences that gives players information and gets them back to playing. It should read like this:

“Javi, when you turn inside look to combine with Isaac to switch the play!”

“Vanessa, when Emma cuts inside you need to run down the line to provide width!”

There is a general formula to follow: First, use their name to get their attention (“Shannon…”), give them the specific moment they need to pay attention to (“when X….”), an action to execute (“do Y…”), and a brief reason why (“to do Z!”).

The language used should match-up with the terminology players have heard before that describes key objectives and aspects of your game model. Avoid using any language that they are not familiar with as that will either confuse them or just be ignored.

Leading & Knowledge Questions

The other Coaching in the Flow technique involves the use of questions. In broad strokes, there are two different types of questions a coach can use: Leading Questions and Knowledge Questions.

Knowledge Questions are broad questions that shape a player’s thinking to arrive at an alternative solution (i.e. generate knowledge). They don’t guide players toward an answer, but instead recreate the moment to help players accurately understand the situation and engage in problem-solving. These questions are best used for older players that have the ability to grasp and manipulate concepts quickly.

Leading Questions are the opposite. Best used with younger players, Leading Questions provide information within the question that guides players toward a better solution or option.

Neither of these question methods should be deep or infinitely open-ended. Within the rapidly changing environments of a match, we want players to generate an answer quickly and move forward with it. Questions that involve discussions should be reserved for training sessions when answers can be evaluated, explained, and built-upon.

Here are examples of Leading Questions that have information embedded in them:

“Javi, when you have the ball in midfield, who should you combine with?”

This question tells Javi that he needs to combine with somebody, but it’s his responsibility to determine who, where they are, and how to do it.

“Javi, when you get the ball in midfield, where do you turn to combine with Isaac?”

This Leading Question gives even more information. It tells Javi that he needs to combine with Isaac and that he must change how he’s turning with the ball to do it. Now Javi must decide which way to turn with the ball and right technique to do it.

It’s worth pointing out the structure of Leading Questions, which is similar to a Command. First, get their attention (“Charlie…”), give them the moment and location they need to focus on (“when you’re pressing in the attacking third…”), then use your Leading Question (“...who do you cover shadow?”)

Here are examples of Knowledge Questions:

“Javi, how many holding midfielders do they have?”

By drawing Javi’s attention to the number of holding midfielders they have (just one in this example), it will help him realize that we have a numerical advantage (we have two attacking midfielders; him and Isaac), so he needs to combine with Isaac in the center of the pitch. A second Knowledge Question could be tacked on to this as well to shape his problem-solving:

“Javi, how many holding mid do they have? How many attacking midfielders do we have?”

Knowledge Questions should draw a player’s attention to a specific aspect of the game that leads to a change in behavior. Knowledge Questions can be combined with Commands and Leading Questions to help players arrive at answers and scaffold their learning.

An example of scaffolding Knowledge Questions with Leading Questions is:

“Javi, how many holding mids do they have? Who can you combine with?”

Javi needs to make a tactical observation regarding the opposition (Knowledge generation) and use it to determine who he should combine with (Leading information).

Coaches should use these methods to help players arrive at a solution or reinforce content that’s been taught during prior training sessions. Deciding which technique to use depends on the context of the game and the mental capabilities of the athlete.

In broad strokes, for players who are able, it’s best to start with a Knowledge Question, then move on to (or mix with) a Leading Question. If there’s no change in behavior, then a Command can be given. No matter the method though, the most important thing is for coaches to observe what happens after the coaching intervention to see if learning has occurred.

Wrapping Up

Despite all these words, the biggest takeaway is not to coach players when they have the ball. It is the simplest correction that will have the biggest impact. Next, it’s a matter of being concise with your Coaching in the Flow interventions, and mixing these three methods to help players learn from their experiences on the field. Each method should gain the player’s attention, orient them to a specific moment to watch out for in the future, and either provide or help them come up with an alternative solution to use when the moment arises again.