When exploring various concepts on how to apply coaching in different contexts, we encounter a plethora of ideas. Some of these ideas revolve around agile coaching, developed primarily for teams in software development. Concepts like Agile Leadership, Scrum, Kanban, or Design Thinking are circulating worldwide. While they differ in some aspects, they also share several overlaps, one being the necessity for regular retrospectives.

In Scrum, for instance, a retrospective is a pivotal meeting held at the end of a specific working step, typically lasting 60 to 90 minutes. Its aim is to enable the team to reflect on the just-concluded step and identify improvement opportunities. During the retrospective, team members review successes, areas for improvement, and actions to enhance future steps. It’s a collaborative and constructive discussion where the coach facilitates, ensuring all voices are heard and guiding the team toward actionable insights. Regular retrospectives allow teams to continuously adapt and refine their processes, fostering a culture of ongoing improvement.

Now, this approach can easily be applied to the sports world—after matches, tournaments, and certainly after an entire season. While some teams regularly engage in such reflection, others don’t. They argue that they don’t have the time to do so; they need to get back to training ASAP, thus leaving valuable learnings on the pitch, in the box, or on the court. In other situations athletes often express frustration at the lack of opportunity to discuss learnings with coaches, whether due to time constraints or skepticism about the effectiveness of reflection. However, I firmly believe that implementing regular retrospectives can benefit athletes, teams, and coaches by extracting valuable insights from past experiences and fostering new ideas for improvement in training or competition routines.

Now comes the question: How to organize and conduct retrospectives?

One invaluable resource, www.reviewing.co.uk by Roger Greenaway, offers a wealth of approaches rooted in experiential training.

Another commendable resource is www.retromat.org, curated by Corinna Baldauf and Timon Fiddike, offering (at the moment – it’s ever growing…) 146 activities for retrospectives. While not all methods directly translate to sports, the abundance of ideas ensures that conducting retrospectives remains engaging and beneficial even throughout an entire season. These activities are shared on a Miro Board, providing flexibility for both in-person and online workshops. While the authors encourage purchasing access to the board, it’s not essential; I often use it as inspiration and tailor the ideas to fit my clients’ needs.

I hope the idea of regular retrospectives resonates with you, and I encourage exploring the wealth of ideas shared on Retromat. These resources have greatly enriched my practice, and I trust they will benefit you too. For my part, I will utilize them over the next couple of weeks to assist athletes and teams in learning from recent competitions and preparing themselves for what lies ahead.

I’m genuinely curious about the methods you employ for reflection and review with your teams. Please feel free to hit reply and share one idea you find effective!

Lastly, I’m curious: What is the #1 thing you’ve learned in the last 24 hours? Whether from working with a client, reading a book or paper, or chatting with a friend. You don’t have to share it with me. Just think about it and how this learning might help you in the future.