Coach Better With Reflection

Coaching isn’t just about improving your players - it’s also about improving yourself.

The best coaches constantly reflect on their sessions, decisions, and interactions to refine their methods and enhance player development. But how do you become better at reflecting on your coaching?

Here we share some key tips to help you develop a strong reflective practice, ensuring you continuously grow as a coach and provide the best possible experience for your players.

Make Reflection A Habit

Just like training sessions need structure, so does reflection. Set aside time after every session or game to think about what worked, what didn’t, and what you can improve.

Reflection isn’t something that should happen once in a while—it should become part of your coaching routine.

After every session, ask yourself:

• What went well?
• What could have been better?
• What will I do differently next time?

Reflect Both In and On Action

Great coaches don’t just reflect after a session - they also adapt in the moment. This is known as reflection-in-action, where you make real-time adjustments based on what you observe during training or matches.

During training or games, ask yourself:

• Is this drill achieving its goal?
• Are the players engaged and learning?
• Do I need to adjust my approach?

After the session (reflection-on-action), review:

• Why did I make that decision?
• What impact did it have?
• Would I do it differently next time?

Use a Reflection Model to Structure Your Thinking 

Sometimes, it’s hard to know where to start with reflection. Using a structured approach like Gibbs’ Reflective Cycle or Kolb’s Experiential Learning Cycle can help you organize your thoughts and get deeper insights.

Gibbs’ Reflective Cycle (1988):
Description – What happened?
Feelings – What were my emotions during the event?
Evaluation – What went well and what didn’t?
Analysis – Why did things happen that way?
Conclusion – What have I learned?
Action Plan – How will I improve next time?

Use simple reflection prompts:

• What’s one thing I’d keep the same next time?
• What’s one thing I’d change?

Seek Feedback from Others

Self-reflection is powerful, but getting an outside perspective can be even more valuable. Asking fellow coaches, mentors, or even your players for feedback can help you identify blind spots in your coaching.

Ask trusted colleagues:

• What did you notice about my coaching today?
• Is there anything you think I could improve?
• Did my instructions make sense?

Encourage player feedback:

• What did you learn from today’s session?
• Was there anything you found unclear or confusing?
• What drills or activities helped you the most?

Focus on the “Why” Behind Your Coaching Decisions

Good coaches don’t just focus on what they do, they reflect on why they do it. Understanding the reasoning behind your coaching choices will help you make more intentional and effective decisions.

Before a session, ask yourself:

• Why am I using this drill?
• How does it fit into my team’s development plan?
• What outcomes do I want to see?

After a session, reflect on:

• Did the drill achieve what I intended?
• Did I adapt effectively to challenges?
• How could I tweak my approach next time?

Turn Reflection into Action

Reflection is only valuable if it leads to improvement. The final step in any reflective practice is to turn insights into action by setting specific, measurable goals for your development.

Identify 1-2 action points after every reflection:

• Next session, I will…
• I want to improve my… by…

Track your progress:

• Set small, measurable goals for coaching improvement (e.g., “Improve my session planning by using more game-related drills.”)
• Revisit your reflections after a few weeks to see if you’ve improved.

The best coaches don’t just coach—they reflect, adapt, and improve.

By making reflection a habit, using structured models, seeking feedback, and turning insights into action, you can become a more effective, self-aware, and impactful coach.

Are you ready to continue learning and take your coaching to the next level?

Our ‘Reflective Practice’ online CPD course is part of our extensive library of coaching courses and content on the MiMentor Coaching Platform.

The course explores possibly the most important skill to getting better as a coach, which is the ability to critically reflect on how we do what we do so that we might do it differently and better in the future.

Click here to find out more and enrol today!

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