A recent blog introduced you to a reflective practice process that has been designed based on a model created by The Football Association (F.A), soccer’s governing body in the UK. The process is designed to help players and coaches evaluate the effectiveness of their performances and identify opportunities to improve and develop.

It's constructed around the following phases:

• What went well (WWW)
• What could be Even Better If (EBI)
• What you would do Next Time (NT)
• What Success Looks Like (SLL)

For reflective practice to be effective, coaches need to have a specific purpose, dedicate real time and quality thinking, and make a commitment to drive the change required.

As coaches, we should go into every session armed with at least two sets of goals. The first is player-focused, and identifies what specifically players will achieve by the end of the session. No doubt you do this, do it well and have designed the session around this what-to-coach goal.

The second goal is coach-centered. It identifies what you'll do to help the player learn. This is your how-to-coach goal. Be specific when creating this, perhaps even add it to your session plan. Ensure that the language you use is clear, actionable and targets the skill(s) you need to model to be effective.

For example, integrate more problem-solving activities to let players explore and identify on-field solutions to problems set up by the defense. Or, another might be to ask more open questions to establish player awareness and understanding.

The goal you create shouldn't be arbitrary. It should be designed after you have created the session or what-to-coach goal, focused on helping your players learn and develop.

Coaches are constantly reflecting. Inevitably, most of this is focused on player performance and future development. Having a personal goal is critical to help you learn and develop, and is essential to support detailed reflection on practice.

How good coaches are at capturing reflections, and actually doing something with them, is challenging. I often hear coaches say, "I haven’t the time to reflect," yet today’s technology is much more refined and can help coaches capture real-time and immediate reflections that don’t require additional time and space.

Our smart phones are incredibly useful. Voice recording features let us capture immediate reflections, while walking away from the practice/game or travelling home, and those immediate reflections, often the most insightful, are not lost. Equally, we can record our and player feedback. If you're a scribbler, the notes app is also useful. 

Learning to reflect well, especially on your own coaching performance, is like any physical skill - it's difficult initially, and will feel clunky and awkward. Over time, your reflective practice skills will improve. The process will feel slicker and easier, you'll become more effective and get better results.

Effective reflective practice involves creating a daily habit, structure or routine. You'll need to dedicate the time, opportunity, tools and resources to integrate this into your daily practice.

Challenge yourself to undertake reflective practice every day for a time-defined period. If you've never reflected on your own performance with any degree of purpose, try it every day for a week. If you have some experience, then challenge yourself to a two-week period. If you've done this and think you could enhance the process and outcomes, consider how you reflect and perhaps change up your strategies, tools and focus.

Sarah McQuade is an independent coach education consultant, owner and director of e.t.c coaching consultants and co-director with The Coach Learning Group. To learn more about accessing how-to coach skills workshops click the Coaching Skills button at www.etcoachingconsultants.com.