Having another coach watch you and then offer feedback can help take your coaching to the next level.

Here are some tips to get the best out of the experience and make them focused, less invasive and ultimately productive.

Choose your observer carefully

Think about who you want observing you.

It could be another coach in your club whose style you like, someone from elsewhere who you admire, or even a coach whose methods are completely different to yours, but who could help you identify things you haven’t thought about.

Start by thinking about what you want from the experience, and match that to the ideal candidate.

Set a clear agenda

Before the observed session, set out a clear agenda with some questions you feel you need to answer.

It should be the focus of what you are working on. For example, you might think you need to improve your ball-rolling time, or how much technical advice you give players.

For the former, you may want the observer to ask: ‘Did the players spend more time playing than they did being talked to?’.

"Think about who you want observing you and what you want from the experience..."

You could also ask your observer to keep accurate track of your ball-rolling time with a stopwatch.

In terms of the technical advice, you might want the observer to ask: ‘How do you feel about the language you used? Was there a lot of jargon, or language appropriate to the age and level of your players?’.

Give these questions to the observer so they can ask you them.

Consider when the feedback will be delivered

Are you going to speak immediately after your session? Will you meet the next day to chat? Settle on a time that works for both you and the observer.

A combination of both might be best – initial feedback straight after the session so it is fresh in the mind, and a follow-up chat once both parties have had time to reflect.

Tell your players what is going on

It can be quite unnerving for players to see an unknown person show up to their session!

If the observer is someone your players are not used to seeing, tell them who they are and what they are doing, emphasising there is no added pressure on the players.