Solution focussed coaching - The gap

The next step is to examine the difference between the athlete’s current situation and the situation they ultimately want to reach. By “situation,” everything related to the athlete’s performance is meant. In this method, the main areas considered are technique, tactics, physical condition, mental state, and other relevant aspects.

The current situation likely differs greatly from the benchmark the athlete has set. It is important for the athlete to assess how far they are from the benchmark on these areas but also to recognize what they already possess. Acknowledging how far the athlete has already come in these areas contributes to their self-confidence and belief in their ability to develop.

Besides seeing what has already been achieved, the athlete’s development potential must also be clarified. Where can the athlete easily make progress? How large are the gaps? And importantly: where will the athlete start?

A thorough description of “The Gap” provides an overview of what the athlete still needs to do. It is often easy to see something that needs improvement, but harder to see everything that needs attention. Having a comprehensive overview and thoughtful analysis of one’s own situation helps the athlete and coach to prioritize and make choices. It prevents the athlete from losing sight of the end goal and just focusing on the first thing they can improve.

Scaling Questions

When the coach works with the athlete on “The Gap,” it is helpful to use scaling questions. Scaling helps the athlete visualize what they have already achieved in particular areas and how far they still are from their desired outcome.

The athlete must clearly know what “1” and “10” represent on the scale. This way, both coach and athlete understand the extremes between which the assessment lies.

When the athlete indicates their perceived position on the scale, the following questions can be used to deepen understanding:

• What makes you stand at a “6”?

• How did you move from “1” to “6”?

• How long have you been at a “6”?

• If you moved from “6” to “6.5,” what would you do that you are not doing now?

• What makes you score a “6” and not a “5”?

• What makes you score a “6” and not a “7”?

• What do you do to prevent scoring lower than a “6”?

• How likely do you estimate it is that you will score a “10” someday?

Scaling questions provide insight into where the athlete feels they are and offer a clearer perspective on distances to be covered. Determining the athlete’s current position helps with planning the next steps. Many athletes tend to want to jump immediately from a “6” to a “10.” The athlete must realize that stepwise progression (e.g., from “6” to “6.5”) ultimately yields more sustainable results than trying to make a giant leap.

Exceptions

The athlete must come to realize that much of the required knowledge and skills already reside within their system. In most cases, the athlete already knows what behavior is ultimately required or how a technique looks when performed very well.

It is important that the coach holds this same assumption and helps the athlete see that they must find the right behavior, feeling, or thought. Once the athlete finds it, they need only consistently perform it in every situation.

To help the athlete realize that most necessary behaviors are already present, the coach can ask about exceptions or situations where the desired behavior has already been shown. Helpful questions include:

• Have you ever managed to do it successfully?

• Are there situations where you were able to display the behavior you ultimately want to show?

• Have you ever performed the technique in a way that made you think, “Yes, that’s it!”?

It is very interesting to observe that when athletes are asked about situations where they already showed the behavior, they usually provide immediate examples. This shows the athlete they can trust themselves to perform the behavior.

As a coach, it is crucial to explore the exception or positive experience further. The coach should help the athlete understand how they reached that exception or positive experience. Useful questions include:

• What did you do at that time to perform that behavior?

• Who helped you in that situation?

• What supported you in that moment?

• Do you remember what feeling that generated?

• When you performed the technique perfectly, how did that repetition feel? How did the technique feel?

• What do you need to repeat that behavior now?

• Can you list differences between when it went very well and how it is currently?

• What did you do differently then?