Reflections on Reflecting: And then I started thinking...

Six months ago, I thought I couldn’t possibly cram anything else into a day.  I was working full time, lecturing part-time, coaching and was half-way through a year long full time MSc in Sport Coaching.  And somewhere in there I was attempting to not be too much of a bad wife and mum of three little ones…

And then we moved house… meaning that three days a week I was going to spend anywhere from 4-6 hours driving to see students for my work. 

The first few days in the car I was incredibly grumpy, thinking about all the things I could be doing with my time instead of driving.  Thinking about the three assessments and the dissertation I had left to do for my Masters….

…but then I started thinking. A lot. 

This enforced time of doing nothing was actually an incredible opportunity to spend some real time reflecting on the previous six months; a six months packed with new learnings, lots of reading, teaching, experimenting with new ideas in my coaching, reflection in action and quickly iterating strategies and processes to improve my coaching.  But it had all happened at 100mph!

During these six intense months of learning and experimenting with ideas in practice, I had amassed a huge number of experiences to draw upon and a multitude of theories and concepts to help me begin to make real sense of it all.  But up until now, even reflection had been happening at an intense pace. 

This time of being unable to ‘do things’ suddenly created an incredibly rich opportunity for reflection: hours alone with just my thoughts – a slightly unnerving situation at first…especially when the first thing I was trying to get my head round was why I did things the way I did.

Having a greater understanding of myself brought clarity to why I coached in a certain way; I began to notice how parts of my personality constrained my coaching, and the potential negative impact on players as a result. 

I realised that, being quite introverted, at the start and end of sessions I typically busied myself with sorting equipment – anything so that I didn’t have to make small talk with players! Not because I didn’t want to, but because it didn’t come naturally and put me out of my comfort zone.  Yet a key learning from my MSc was about the importance of knowing your players and building positive coach-player relationships; the start and end of sessions was an ideal time to begin this process.

By recognising this was happening meant that I could start to create strategies to do something about it.  Previously I had been oblivious to it and the impact it had in my coaching.

I began to uncover biases in my coaching that I never even considered were biases, but again, strongly influenced how and what I coached, and what I valued in players. 

For example, as a player, although I was never the most skilful, I was always the fittest on every team I played for, at every level.  Fitness was something I felt I had complete control over – it was a choice and was all about making the effort to be fit.  I was unaware that as a coach, I was drawn to players who also valued fitness, and perhaps was less appreciative of players who didn’t, but who brought other important qualities to the team.

So when thinking about how best to spend your time, my advice is to start experimenting and iterate quickly.  Make it an intense and furious time of action.  And then stop.  Spend time reflecting just as intensely to break down what happened and what might have influenced this, and what this means for you moving forward.

Some questions that I’ve found helpful:

      ·      What was I actually trying to achieve?  Get clarity on this.
·      Why did that work? Or, why didn’t it work? Or, why did it work for some players and not others?
·      What theories and concepts are potentially at play?
·      Did it work?
·      How do I know if it worked?
·      Who decides if it worked?
·      Who did it work for? If it worked for me but not the players then did it actually work?
·      How can I use this learning? What does it actually mean for my coaching?

10 (Contradicting) Learnings from a Year of MSc Sport Coaching

Having just completed an incredible year long journey through a Masters in Sport Coaching at Leeds Beckett University, I've had some time to reflect on the experience and what I've learned about learning along the way. And yes, there are contradictions because at different times, different responses are needed, just like in coaching: 

• Be realistic
• Be unrealistic
• Get comfortable with being uncomfortable
• Get to know yourself
• Be kind to yourself
• Give yourself a shake
• Just do it
• Stop just doing
• Read, listen, watch and share
• Be curious 

1. Be realistic

If you’re working around your studies, have a family, or any other commitments, be realistic about the expectations you put on yourself.  Appreciate the love and support you have around you and be grateful for it – they’ll be with you on your journey and at times it’ll be tough for all of you.  Think about how to structure your time to create opportunities for everything you want do – be that family, work or studying.

2. Be unrealistic

Most of us never actually realise what we’re really capable of.  This could be the year you really challenge yourself and surprise yourself with what you can achieve.  Get a clear picture in your mind of what you want from this year and just go for it - every word you read and write takes you a step closer.  Immerse yourself in the learning process – if you really are determined, you’ll find a way to make it happen.  It always seems impossible until it’s done.

3. Get comfortable with being uncomfortable
Did you really join a Masters course just to confirm what you already knew?  Question your own practice. Ask others' opinions and listen, without defending why you've done it that way.  Seek out people who challenge you and have an energy for coaching and learning.  Get comfortable with not knowing the 'right' answers, because often there isn't one - 'it depends'.  The more you learn, the more you realise there’s so much more still to learn…

4. Get to know yourself

Understanding yourself is the glue that sticks everything else together.  You can begin to understand things that are engrained in your practice that you perhaps didn’t even realise were there, but in fact underpin your actions and behaviours.

5. Be kind to yourself

Don’t beat yourself up if you stray from your plan – it won’t help.  Get back on track and start afresh; focus on what you do next, not what you've just (not) done.  Worrying and being annoyed at yourself uses up brain power which could be used much more productively!

6. Give yourself a shake

Stop feeling sorry for yourself thinking about how much you have to do and so little time.  Prioritise your time: you’ve got 1440 minutes in a day – how are you going to use them? Think back to why you’re doing this, and how you’ll feel when you’ve accomplished it.  It is not enough to want to make the effort and to say we’ll make the effort. We must actually make the effort.  And number 7.

7. Just do it

Take action – experiment, implement and iterate at speed.  Whatever you’ve read or learned, get working with it in your coaching as quickly as possible.  Instead of taking 5 weeks to plan an intervention, much better to fail miserably with an idea first time, go through five iterations in a week resulting in a better idea which has been shaped by player feedback and your observations of it in action.   Vision without action is just a dream.

8. Stop just doing

Then stop… stop just doing and create time for deep reflection.  Allow yourself space to just think and reflect on what’s happened in your coaching.  How are the theories and ideas you’ve encountered in your reading showing up in your coaching? Can they help you understand why something’s working well, or not? This reflective unpacking of your coaching will help you identify transferable strategies you can apply in different situations and contexts.

9. Read, listen, watch and share

Take every opportunity to immerse yourself in coaching - go wide and deep.  Read a wide range of sources, and let them take you on a trail into new areas.  Listen to podcasts when you’re on the move. Watch other coaches work, with an appreciative eye instead of a critical eye.  Look at other sports and other areas: business, leadership, psychology.  What similarities and parallels can you see, and what do they do that is completely different, but just possibly could be worth trying in your coaching?

10. Be curious

Don’t just believe everything.  Take what you see, hear or read – what does it mean to your coaching or your own development?  Does it work or apply in your coaching context? Is it just something that’s always been done, without any real purpose or evidence that it works?  Take some advice from your 5 year old self and start asking why.  Get curious about just how awesome coaching could actually be!

And finally, enjoy the journey.  Be prepared to be challenged and to challenge yourself.  Support peers when you can, and listen to the support and guidance of others.  Be ready to have ups and downs, and the embrace the challenges which are ultimately developing you as a person as well as a coach.