Solution focussed coaching - The experiment

Improvement can only be achieved through practice. During the conversation with the coach, the athlete will not have the opportunity to fully acquire the necessary skills. Therefore, it is important to agree with the athlete on what they will work on between sessions, what they will ‘experiment’ with.

The Experiment

Between sessions, the athlete works on their experiment. When the athlete engages with their own behavior between sessions, several things are important.

First, it is crucial that the athlete thinks differently. The athlete needs to know which behavior they want to change and how they plan to do so. Moreover, it is important that the athlete knows how to perform the ‘new behavior.’

Besides knowing which behavior to show to make progress, the athlete must also believe they can perform it. Furthermore, the athlete needs confidence that it would benefit them to exhibit that behavior more often.

The athlete should be aware that they must continue to repeat behaviors that already work. Maintaining the right course by repeating successful behavior is more important than trying to do too much too soon.

The coach should encourage the athlete to keep observing their own behavior. The athlete must keep checking what is already going well and what they do not want to change.

Outcomes

When the athlete returns for a next session, the coach should inquire about two important things:

• What has improved since our last conversation?

• What has changed?

Answers to these questions generally fall into three categories:

• There are positive changes

• The situation has remained the same

• The situation has worsened

Positive Changes

When the athlete recognizes they have made positive changes, it is important for the coach to help them pause and reflect on these successes. Reflecting on successes increases the athlete’s self-confidence and thus the likelihood that the same behavior will be repeated.

Furthermore, it is important that the athlete internalizes successful changes. Many athletes tend initially to attribute successes to others, coincidence, or external circumstances.

Other ways the coach can highlight progress for the athlete include:

• Showing improvement on a scale

• Letting the athlete assess if they can repeat the improvement

• Continually encouraging the athlete to repeat what works

The Situation Has Remained the Same

When athletes say the situation has stayed the same or nothing has changed, they essentially indicate they have not seen improvement themselves. It is important to recognize that the athlete’s perception does not necessarily mean no real improvement has occurred.

Another important principle is: if the situation has remained the same, it has not worsened. As a coach, you can ask what the athlete did to keep the situation stable.

The Situation Has Worsened

Sometimes, an athlete may say the situation has gotten worse. This can be difficult for a coach.

When an athlete relapses in behavior, the coach can follow this step-by-step plan:

• Return to earlier success, recalling when things went well.

• Ask: What was different before this happened?

• What were you doing then that you aren’t doing now?

• Ask what the athlete did to prevent further relapse.

• How did you notice you relapsed?

• How did you prevent doing things you shouldn’t do?

• What did you do when you realized you were relapsing?

• How did you notice it? (Internal and external signals)

• What did you do to get back on track?

• Ask about differences between the current and previous relapses.

• What has the relapse taught you?

In Conclusion

The above outlines a particular coaching approach. Besides the theory presented, it is important to connect theory to practice. This step from theory to practice will be addressed in the next section.

The next section will focus on creating a plan for the athlete. The plan will, like the theory above, cover an endpoint, goals, and a route.