The Benefits of Putting Players in the Coaching Seat

If you’re reaching the stage where you’ve had enough of thinking up living room friendly agility and ball skills is too much, then I’m here to help. 

Ever thought about putting your players in the coaching seat? Not only might it give you a break, but the accountability and leadership it puts onto your players might actually be beneficial to their game. 

A few months ago I wrote an article about how you might best encourage decision making in athletes, and with the absence of actually being able to train on the court, asking them to lead and take the next zoom session might be the perfect moment to ask them to step up, be accountable for their training and take a lead of the group.

So what are the benefits of asking your athletes to take the session:

1. Encourages Ownership – Once they have the responsibility of leading a session, they can take ownership over what that session is about and work on providing something that they think is going to benefit their team.
2. Empowerment – Once they have lead their own session, players will feel empowered by their team and their coaches and it might even motivate them to train more themselves. The positive experience of taking your team through a sweaty session is just as endorphin releasing as completing the session yourself. 
3. Builds partnerships on court and individual leadership skills – All of a sudden athletes leading the session are required to check in on their teammates, encourage and support them. These skills will transfer to the court and your team will be all the better connected for it. 
4. An opportunity to reflect – By stepping away from leading the session yourself, you will have the rare opportunity to watch and observe. You can connect with your players on a different level and begin to understand what their strengths and weaknesses are from an outside perspective. 

Now, as good as it sounds, giving your session away to an athlete to run and control is difficult for us coaches who, let’s face it, don’t often like to relinquish control. So here’s a few tips to help make sure the session is a success and allow you to step back and observe:

TIP 1 – It doesn’t have to be perfect! This is important to remember. The session won’t be the same as your own but that’s ok. Remember the purpose is to build leadership and ownership in your players, not for them to complete everything perfectly. 

TIP 2 – Guide your players. This can help you to ‘damage control’ the session and lead your athletes in the right direction. Spend 10 minutes with them on the phone and make your expectations of the session clear, giving them a clear layout (with timings) to follow so they don’t feel overwhelmed. 

TIP 3 – Make it competitive. The thought of leading a whole session solo can be daunting, but less daunting if you deliver it as a team. Think about dividing up your court areas into small teams and have them to deliver a session each. Maybe you could even give a prize to the best session. 

TIP 4 – Trust the process. Things may go wrong and that’s ok. The main aim is to give your players ownership and to allow them to form connections with their team. You’ll be stronger because of it – trust me. 

We would love to hear if you give this a go and how you get on. Don’t be afraid to send us a message on socials or via email. If you want help planning your sessions, why not try our NEW Coaching Plan – IT’S FREE and can be found in the resources section on our booking page.

Good Luck!