Closing Out the Season

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Closing Out the Season 

by Coach Doug Reese, TTNL Sports Network 

 

Following the end of the season is a perfect time for the coach to motivate and give direction to the team members for the upcoming season.

All the returning athletes have goals and dreams they would like to accomplish. The athletes need direction...they are not sure what they should do, what they need to do, and how to go about it. One way of handling these emotions and uncertainties is by using a series of meeting to clarify the season's results, help remove anxieties, and even plan activities for the off-season training. Effectively closing the season takes organization, time, and commitment from both the coaches and the athletes.

It takes communication

First, there needs to be continued communication and cooperation between the coaches and the team after the season comes to a close. There are several methods accomplished this. The simplest way is for both coaches and athletes to keep the lines of communication open through keeping an "open door" policy. This allows the athlete to freely check-in to discuss the off-season progress and questions, and it allows the coaches to offer help, motivate and encourage, and while checking up on the athletes progress. Some teams use formal survey sheets that cover important issues. Each team and coach has their own needs, but there are some very important questions that should be included in every evaluation.

How well did the team do?

What goals did the team reach?

What goals did the team fail to reach?

What are the team's goals for next season?

How can we reach those goals?

How did you (the athlete) do?

What worked?

What didn't work?

What are your goals for next year?

What do you need to do to reach these goals?

Coaches and athletes can then use those questions as an outline for discussions of:

Where you have been?

Where you want to go?

What they can do to help accomplish these goals?

Developing Season Closure

There are two types of meetings that should be used to carry out your season's closure. The first is a team gathering. These group meetings should cover the achievements of the team as a whole. The group discusses the team's records, strengths, weaknesses, scheduling, practices and any other topic (injury, weather, illnesses, etc.) that may have affected the team and its performances.

Individual meeting come next. Private discussions should be scheduled with the coaches. Topics are similar to the group discussions, except that they are geared to meeting the needs of the individual athlete. It is often a surprise to hear the disclosures that are offered during these meetings, as athletes will have many things on their mind that will surprise even the most experienced coach.

This is also a time when the athlete can get to know their coaches' expectations and to build rapport with them. Coaches and athletes almost always leave these meetings with a better understanding of each other, and of what needs to be done to motivate the athlete towards their goals.

Use these meetings to work on positive planning. Avoid becoming emotional, negative, or placing blame. Agree upon goals at you both find attractive. Athletes respond better to goals that they own, so the athlete should help develop the plans and decide what needs to be done. As you agree on the goals, write them down. This produces a document that can be used as a schedule, check list, motivational tool, or a reminder.