At PlayBook our values are rooted in helping athletes of all ages and abilities play better, gain confidence and build a lifelong love of play. We sat down with some experienced PlayBook Coaches to discuss how they honed their skills as a private sports coach. In this article we share their advice on how to plan sessions, how to bring value to clients and how to engage the athlete you’re working with. 

What makes a great coach?

A great coach strikes the balance between wanting kids to improve and excel by providing skills and challenges on the court, and becoming a genuine friend invested in their journey and what they want to achieve.
Paige Hadley

One important component to becoming a great coach is mastering strong interpersonal skills, starting from the first interaction. As the saying goes, first impressions last and responding quickly to training requests and messages and communicating clearly and proactively creates a positive first experience for prospective athletes. Coaches who are flexible in coordinating session times and show genuine interest will have greater success developing rapport with athletes. This in turn leads to more sessions converted to bookings and more word-of-mouth recommendations. 

Tips for honing your private coaching skills

When we chatted to Josh Dunkley about starting out in coaching he said that it’s important to approach it with the mindset of continuous learning. From JOsh’s experience he said that you’ll grow and improve with each session. A part of that is preparing lots of fun drills and games for the first session which are relevant to the athlete’s level of ability. Here’s a list of top tips to help you develop your fundamental coaching skills and drill repertoire:

• Search social media, such a Youtube or Instagram, looking for sports-specific hashtags and saving great drills for future reference
• Complete introductory coaching qualifications through your national sporting body (if you haven’t already)
• Volunteer at local clubs for rep selections and carnivals to build your experience base and also relationships with other coaches for mentorship
• Draw from lived experience as a player, noting what drills you have enjoyed and which ones elicit the best outcomes
• Be flexible to simply concepts that you’re teaching and be able to break them down so you can practise good communication skills to help young athletes understand the concepts you’re working on together

The reality is that you’ll also learn through trial and errors, the same drills won’t always work for everyone. It’s good to seek feedback and take notice when one of your planned drills doesn’t translate to the skill development you expected.

Brisbane Lions’ Assistant Coach Murray Lions also highlights the importance of what to consider when delivering feedback and the coaching approach through the highs and lows, in this article. 

Tips for coaches just starting out at private coaching

Matt Ballin says that building your personal coaching brand will gradually evolve one session at a time. He says, just start, self-reflect and look to get better with each session. Share your coach profile link on social media because if you don’t promote yourself the general public won’t know you’re available for private coaching. Talk to local clubs and encourage word-of-mouth referral by running great sessions for one player and the rest will follow.

If self-doubt creeps in, Paige Hadley recommends trusting the value you bring to the equation and that passion for the sport is key. 

Be confident in your ability with coaching but know that the main thing that shines through is passion. There’s no right or wrong with coaching and you don’t want to be like someone else, you want to be different. Develop rapport and build good relationships with your athletes.

Paige Hadley

As a PlayBook Coach you’ll also receive regular feedback. At the conclusion of each session the athlete is asked for this feedback and this is always shared with you, and displayed on your coach profile, so you’ll quickly find out what they love most about working with you.

Shaping fun, athlete-centred sessions around shared goals, focusing on confidence and enjoyment while being adaptable to their learning style is the foundation to running great private coaching sessions. Read more about evolving as a coach in our blog article with Alana Thomas.

How do you create an impactful session?

It’s the little details that add up to a great coaching experience to build your coaching reputation and drive more athletes to your private coaching services. Our PlayBook coaches shared with us their recipe for a great session, here’s quick list of their recommendations: 

• Personalise the session to the individual by understanding the athlete goals and skill level
• Plan beforehand, coaches who come well-prepared with training notes, drills, and exercises are appreciated
• Build foundations by always including fundamental skills work
• a Variety of drills keeps it interesting and boosts athlete engagement and having variation options up your sleeve to make things harder or easier helps
• Play-based games up the enjoyment factor
• Challenge the athlete in a game-like environment
• Participate when you can
• Be positive, coaches who maintain a friendly and encouraging demeanor create a positive learning environment for athlete
• Be invested in the athlete, understanding their sporting history as well as who they are as a person and how their life shapes their sporting journey
• Fuel confidence by planning drills that ensure success and boost self-esteem
• Talk about mindset to help kids focus on the mental aspect of their game for success
• Remember the details by taking notes on what was completed in the session to make planning next time easier
• Ask how their last game / trial / training session went, it will give you insight into how they’re feeling and what they might like to work out
• Connection mastery, connect with the athlete/their parents, recapping what you worked on and what was achieved in the session  

Read more about some of Matt Ballin’s insights on honesty and what Des Hasler taught him about coaching and motivating What the best coaches taught me.

What do you love about private coaching through PlayBook?

It’s very impactful. Providing athletes with the one-on-one attention they may not get in a team training often results in improvements within minutes, says Tara Hinchcliffe.

Interestingly, coaching can also have a positive impact on your personal sporting performance too. Laura Scherian and Jack Cogger both pointed out that the more coaching they do the better their performance in their own game. These benefits were attributed to an improved ability to listen and communicate what is required of an athlete and regularly practising fundamental drills. 

The enjoyment I get out of seeing the improvement in the kids from the start to the end of the session, I just love it, it’s an incredible thing to witness first hand. The sense of achievement and happiness when they just ‘get’ something they’ve been working on in the session.
Josh Dunkley

If you have any questions about what PlayBook athletes are looking for from their coach just check in with the PlayBook team, we’re always happy to help.