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it was a good performance , how did you prepare ? How did you feel ? Can you replicate that for the next game ? If it was a bad performance , how did you prepare ? How did you feel ? What can you change for the next game ? The instrument forces players to “ get something out of the game — that ’ s called experience .”

In another instrument , Dr . Orlick asks competitors to think about their all-time-best performance ( or all-time-worst performance ). After these performances have been identified , there are a series of questions that the athletes answer to help them remember how they felt — what were their thoughts ? What was the preparation like , etc .? The idea is that the athletes should be able to replicate their feelings and the preparation that occurred before a game when they played well , and avoid the feelings and preparation used when they did not play well .

This is how athletes gain experience ! And they need your help .

What about coaches ? How can we gain useful experience ? How can we gain experience that will help us improve and do better the next time ? It isn ’ t easy , but it doesn ’ t happen by osmosis . Like players , we have to work at it . Coaches must undertake an honest and critical assessment of the program and find ways to make it better — and to make themselves better ! It doesn ’ t just “ happen .”

Coaches should reflect critically on the process , methods and variables they use in the program and evaluate the overall effectiveness of the program . Here are some ideas :

» Do you have a practice plan ? Do you assess its effectiveness after each practice ? What worked well ? What did not work ? What can you do next time ? You should then save the plan so you can use it as a reference later .

» Do you keep a log of every game ? It is a good practice to look back at the game and see what worked well , for example , substitutions ; warm-up ; mental preparation ; playing style ; formation ; etc . From this log , you can determine what has to be done in practice to correct certain things . From this log you can “ re-think ” game situations with a cool head and assess your actions — were they good , bad or indifferent ?

» Do you and your team set goals ? Set values of the program ? Create a sound team infrastructure ? Do you involve your team in the creation of the infrastructure ? It is their team !

» Have you assessed your recruiting practices lately ? How do you identify prospects ? How do you evaluate the recruits ? What does a recruit do upon arrival ? Is the yield what it should be ?

» These are just a few of the questions that coaches need to ask themselves to assess their programs correctly . When reflecting upon the effectiveness of a program , the coach needs to consider the following four questions :

» What was planned ? » What actually was completed ? » What were the outcomes ?

» How did these outcomes compare with the desired outcomes ?

This is a tough process . Coaches must “ bare their souls ” and take a deep look at their programs . No one can predict the yearly outcome of a soccer team with pinpoint accuracy . Even the best coaches run into unforeseeable problems . But , to keep doing the same things over and over and expecting different results just makes no sense . However , without using some kind of an analytical framework the coach will not be able to accurately assess the program and get better . Incorporate some of these suggestions into your program and see the improvement . That ’ s experience . n

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