Timing is everything!

For the coaches out there……..Timing is everything! 

Ever hear something and have it go in one ear and out the other to only hear the exact same thing another time period in your life and have it click like the cue you’ve been waiting for?

There are some real tricks to good coaching and one topic I think it regularly overlooked is knowing IF an athlete is ready and receptive to hearing what you have to say, suggest or request at that given time. 

Your goal as a coach is to help an athlete improve, learn and develop. Push them to new levels, help them achieve goals, and give them the tools, resources, education and outside long term foresight to help them keep moving forward.

Knowing if and when an athlete is receptive to change is really important. There are times when you might get push back and it’s the right coaching call to push them through that. But it’s also very important to know when someone isn’t open to change or hearing something at that specific time. That timing can make or break a lot of things. 

Ever see the “coach” who comes barreling in on an athlete giving unsolicited advice with no permission to give that advice at that time? Or the coach who says a million things when the athlete is clearly checked out or not in the right headspace to take that information in? For example when someone is right at their redline they might not be open to hearing technical cues in that moment, or if someone has fear, or anger they might not be ready to hear something needing change. One trick I learned a really long time ago if you’re not sure how to handle this is ASK!! You might approach an athlete and say, “ Are you open to some suggestions right now?”  Or, you might say, “ When you are ready I have some feedback that might help.” Then walk away and let them come to you. These very small differences can be make or break if an athlete makes the progression you are looking for.

In order to change you need to be ready. Knowing when an athlete is ready is your job as a coach. Presenting change, feedback, delivery the right way, at the right time can change literally everything.

As a coach, before you start pushing forward with your intentions, PAUSE and ask, “Are they in the right place to receive this right now so I get the desired result I’m hoping for.” This simple cue might be one of the most effective, yet overlooked, coaching improvements you can make.