Top 5 tips from a grassroots coach

Want to run better sessions that feel fun, focused and rewarding for your players and for you? Here are five lessons our People & Education Manager and grassroots coach Hannah has learned the hard way!

Keep it simple

It's tempting to pack loads into your session - different activities, transitions, setups - but honestly, most players just want to play and enjoy themselves.

Too much chopping and changing can feel disjointed, and all that setup eats into valuable playing minutes.

Don't overcoach. Keep it simple, make it flow better, reduce stress for you, and help players get more out of it.

Be a thief (and proud of it!)

You don't need to reinvent the wheel. Some of the best sessions I've run have come from ideas I've borrowed and tweaked to suit my players.

Activities labelled for "kids" or for "beginners" can often work brilliantly with adults too - they're active, fun, and can be easily dialled up or down. Don't dismiss something just because it's not designed for your group or sport - you might be surprised how much your players enjoy it.

The more you coach, the better you'll get at adapting things. Look around, share ideas, and pinch great stuff. It's not cheating, it's smart coaching.

Be patient

I used to think people would get bored if we stayed on the same activity too long, but I've realised that giving players time to master something is really satisfying for them - learning doesn't happen in five minutes, or even ten!

Yes, be responsive - if players are getting frustrated, switch things up, but that doesn't mean starting from scratch.

Sometimes all it takes is tweaking the challenge, adding a fun twist, or simplyfying slightly.

See success differently

Recently I ran a session with two groups at different levels. The more advanced group got to grips with it quickly and clearly enjoyed the challenge. Meanwhile, the beginners were taking longer to get it, but they kept trying.

I couldn't be everywhere at once, but what stuck with me were the shouts of laughter and encouragement for one another coming from the beginner group.They were having a great time!

That's also success - connection, confidence, enjoyment. It doesn't always have to look like technical mastery.

Use games to teach without teaching

Don't underestimate the power of gameplay. I used to think lots of gameplay would be chaotic (and sometimes it is!), but putting skills into fun, game-based scenarios has boosted my players' decision-making, confidence and enjoyment.