Have you ever finished a coaching instruction to players with “Okay?”
Maybe you say “understand?”, “got it?” Or “does that make sense?” I have many times, and I’m sure I will again.
But saying OK is unhelpful to coaches. Worse, it could be undermining your aims to help your players. I’m trying to stop saying it.
Here’s why.
OK adds nothing
Think back to the last time you were talking with a group of players. You make an excellent point then you say “okay?” at the end.
When was the last time a player replied that it was not OK?
How often - despite them agreeing it’s OK - do they misunderstand the instruction?
I’m willing to bet the answers are;
never
quite a lot
If the job of okay is to confirm player understanding, it does a rotten job.
There are other reasons you might find yourself saying OK, but they all suffer from adding nothing;
It’s a question. Coaches are told to ask questions. If you make a statement then finish with “OK” it feels like a question. But really, it’s still a statement.
It’s player-centred. By asking, you are confirming with players it’s what they want to do. Except, you are still really telling them. Worse, you are telling them with no conviction because you’re asking for permission as if you don’t really know.
There is nothing wrong with statements or instructions as a coaching tool. They have uses (although in Constraints-Led Approach coaching it is used far less often).
By bolting on a request for permission you reduce the power of an instruction. Players may or may not pick up on it - it depends who they are - but you can avoid the risk totally by dropping the OK.
Replace OK
So what do we do instead?
Ask actual questions. Instead of an instruction with an OK at the end, look to ask open questions that tease out answers.
Prime players. Tell players you are going to be asking more questions and it’s acceptable to not know the answer. Encourage a moment of thinking before an answer is shouted out (I find putting a larger group into pods of 2-4 players to discuss it first is powerful).
Use “What else?”, If you find yourself making a statement and are tempted to say okay, say “what else?” instead. Give the players a second to think about it - remembering not knowing is also acceptable - and you will get some gold back.
Use “show me”. If your statement is a strong one and players seem to understand, you can tell them to show you immediately. This is a much better check for understanding than a mindless nod.
Encourage the players to talk first and last. If you prime players that you only speak in the middle, and the rest of it is up to them, you can tease out answers from the players themselves.
If we do this, if the occasional verbal tick of “okay” slips out, it won’t undermine your goal of helping the players you coach.