Well...How Do We Know?

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At the end of a training session, while still on the field, Japan Rugby head coach Eddie Jones circles up his staff. Acting as a facilitator, Jones goes around the circle seeking immediate feedback on the session:

1) How did the session go?
2) What went well?
3) What didn’t go well?

On the Sweat The Technique podcast, Doug Lemov asked Jones for his perspective on why he likes that approach, and what he thinks it adds to the coaching environment.

“There are a couple of things,” Jones says. “Firstly, the best feedback is always straight after the action. I think that’s true for players and for coaches, you’re better off getting the feedback straight away while it’s fresh in your mind.”

Continuing, Jones goes deeper: “Also, I think it encourages coaches to be more observant. Increasingly, coaches have become more specialist. Rugby has become more specialist, but they’re all connected, so you’ve got to be observing the whole training session, not just your special area.”

I’ll add a third benefit to this approach: you’re actually teaching the craft of coaching. Coaches have become over-reliant on video and it’s increasingly difficult to get an opinion out of them without the ability to watch it back on film. The true craft of coaching is being able to spot the detail in real time, have an opinion about that detail, and change if necessary. Training for coaches is an exercise in practicing your ability to notice in real-time, and notice for long durations of time.

“Young coaches coming through now are not dissimilar to young players. They get a lot of their information from highlights and discreet bits of information, rather than watching the whole game. [Seeking their immediate feedback] is asking them to be an active participant in the whole session, not just an active participant in their part of the session.

Daily Accountability

Rest assured, Jones’ after action reviews are no place for soft platitudes or throwaway responses.

Lemov recalls observing a training session where Jones’ team were practicing a particular strategy to nullify Antoine Dupont — France’s talisman and the world’s best player. During the after action review, an assistant coach offered that he thought they’d practiced the Dupont strategy really well.

Skeptical, Jones went deeper: “Well, how do we know?”

It can be easy for assistant coaches and support staff to offer up a generic response to make the question go away, but if the aim is to spot detail in real-time, form an opinion, and change if necessary, coaches should be prepared to respond to a follow-up question about their observations.

The next day, Jones’ staff watched for the Dupont strategy even closer, and it turns out they weren’t executing it nearly as much as the assistant coach had thought.

The coaching staff had two problems:

1. An execution problem, and

2. A noticing problem.

Not only did the players require correction on how to repeatedly execute the Dupont strategy at a high level, the staff needed careful guidance on what and how to pay attention to such a key element without getting distracted or drifting off task.

Jones believes it’s diligent preparation that is key to coaches developing their ability to notice within sessions, and it starts with understanding what it is you’re doing. He suggests having a checklist for every session to confirm your intent:

1. What am I coaching today?

2. What are the teaching points?

3. Who’s going to help me with it?

4. What are the key things I’m going to look for?

5. What could go bad?

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