How to Use Video to Self-Evaluate Your Coaching

A positive coach uses all tools at their disposal to create a sports environment where athletes can grow as competitors while developing life skills. Constant self-reflection and self-evaluation can help a coach identify strengths and areas for improvement. One useful tool a coach can use to evaluate their coaching is watching themselves coach by having an assistant coach or trusted person film them.

Things to Consider

• Film during practice or game
  • Choose between recording during a practice or game as each can provide the coach with different scenarios for observation. 
  • Practice: Better for evaluating delivery of feedback, individual interactions, and delivery of instructions.
  • Game: Better for evaluating reactions to officials, player performance, and sideline body language.

• Be vulnerable
  • When reflecting on your own performance, lean into vulnerability and honesty which can help you better identify and address places to improve. Look at this exercise as an attempt to gain information that can lead to growth.
• Impact vs. intent
  •  Identify moments where your words and actions do not land well – regardless of the intent, focus on the impact. (By focusing on the impact, you can better devise strategies to deliver a similar message in a way that is more receivable).
• Evaluate biases
  • Self-reflect and acknowledge any biases that you have that may be impacting how you are responding to individuals on your team. 

Reviewing Recordings

Watching recordings in three different ways can help you notice different things each time. We suggest you watch it:

• Without sound to pick up on your body language and non-verbal reactions to things happening during the game or practice.
• Listen to audio without picture to focus on your tone of voice and the type of feedback you are giving.
• With both audio and picture to put it all together and observe fully your interactions in context of what is happening around you.

What to Look and Listen For In Your Coaching

• Interactions with athletes
  • What do you remember about the conversations you had with athletes?
  • Are you Incorporating Empathy into those interactions?
  • Could there be any cultural differences that affect the athletes’ reactions?
• Body language
  • Are you exhibiting positive body language no matter what is going on?
  • Did you find any instances where you’d hope your body language improved? What could you have done differently?
  • How often did you smile or laugh during the competition or practice?
• Clear & concise instructions
  • Are you using clear and concise instructions when describing tactics or activities to your team?
• Tone of Voice
  • What is your tone of voice? Is it positive and uplifting?
• Player names
  • Are you referring to players by their preferred names throughout the practice/game?
• Providing feedback
  • Are you giving players specific, truthful feedback?
  • Did you use ‘feed forward’ by telling players not what they did, but how they could improve next time?
  • Did you wait to provide feedback in private or in a way that was comfortable for the athlete?
• Official’s call
  • How did you react to the official’s calls – especially those you disagreed with? What was your body language like?
• Recognizing any bias
  • Did you notice any instances where you may have acted upon biases that you have?
  • How can you recognize and prevent this next time?

What To Look For In Your Athletes

• Interactions with athletes
  • How are athletes receiving your messages?
  • What is the athlete’s body language during your interactions?
• Body language
  • How are your athletes’ nonverbals when you sub them out of the competition?
  • How are their nonverbals when your team is losing? How about when they are winning?
  • How are their nonverbals when they are struggling with a skill during practice?
• Clear and concise instructions
  • Do athletes execute your instructions properly? Do they seem confused by what you are looking for?
• Tone of voice
  • Are there any instances where you can see your tone of voice impacting the athletes (positive or negative)?
• Official’s calls
  • How did your team react to official’s calls that they disagreed with?
• Recognizing bias
  • Did you observe a player reacting in a way that may require more context? What assumption did you make during this incident? 
  • How could you better understand them moving forward?

After reviewing the film and thinking about these questions, write down up to three things you will commit to next practice/game. Ex: I commit to listening to my players better, being mindful of my body language, and continuing to be enthusiastic when welcoming them to practice.