Some things that the coach should record are:

  • Any injuries that occurred or other incidents (such as players arguing). This is particularly important with junior players so that the coach can discuss with the parents if necessary;
  • Any activities that were planned but that were not done;
  • Scores achieved in any activities (e.g. number of lay-ups made in two minutes) which can be compared to future practices to measure improvement;
  • Any skills or concepts that the coach wants to work on at future practices (whether for the whole team or individual players);
  • Any activities that worked particularly well (perhaps because the players really enjoyed them) and the coach wants to use it again;
  • Any activities that did not work well (perhaps because they were poorly explained or did not achieve the intensity the coach hoped for), with any suggestions on how they could be improved.

This simple review will help the coach to prepare their next practice and, importantly, to get continuity from one practice to another. The better the players know the activities that are being used the less time is required to do them (as the coach does not need to explain the activity), although having some variety will help to reduce complacency.