Social Distancing Training Sessions

As a coach, you are always looking for ways to be creative and to be better. In our current circumstance in the world, I needed to keep my players engaged to be ready for when our season can eventually start.

I begin by communicating with my assistant coaches.  Together we come up with ideas, working within the recommendations for safety and social distancing, to come up with competitive based sessions that are fun and will keep my players engaged.  We start with a theme.  Then we think of fun competitions designed around that theme. 

We like to use Apps to communicate with the players.  We put our themed session on our MOTI App so the players can practice and know what they will need for the setup.  Then we notify them through our Sports Engine platform and give the players 3-4 days to work out the theme.

After getting the content out to the players, we then send out a signup sheet so we can grade the players on their technical skills.  We give points to the players for proper execution on the technique, theme, or challenge.

We utilize Zoom, so I can not only see the players execute the technique, but I am also able to show them examples of perfect technique.  Perfect practice makes perfect, or so says a wise former coach of mine.

Once the player completes the challenges, we then give the player feedback on areas to work on before the next session and build them up on what they really excelled in. We have put together a point chart to keep the players competing. At the end of the individual sessions, we invite all the players to a Zoom team meeting to talk over the session and to see how everyone is doing.  It is fun, challenging, and encouraging all in a safe environment.

When I was a player, I was blessed with some amazing coaches that have been there for me on and off the field to help shape me and my development as a young man. Being a coach is a good platform to be a positive role model for these young athletes, even in this time of social distancing.