Athletes don't need more drills, they need better debriefs

Quote

“We don’t learn from experience… we learn from reflecting on experience.” – John Dewey

Observation

Athletes and coaches often assume improvement comes from more — more drills, more reps, more intensity. But without understanding what happened and why, those extra reps can actually reinforce the wrong habits or no learning is taking place.

That's why over time I now treat debriefs as a key part of my domains. In this instance, the Learning psychological domain. A debrief helps athletes connect the dots:

• What was the intention before the drill?

• What cues did you use/notice?

• What will you adjust next time?

  
  

This is where skill sticks and problem solving happens. Without it, practice becomes repetition without retention.

Actionable Idea

Next time you are approaching confidence topics with coaches or athletes, think about how they are learning around training. This is a simple framework to address negativity bias and attribution challenges.

1. Name one thing that went well.

2. Identify one thing to adjust.

3. Plan the what's most important for your next session.

   
   

Once you get a handle on this, you can start making them sport specific.

What have you tried?