Ask, don't tell

Why questions beat instructions

When a coach shouts the answer, a player follows it once. When a player works the answer out, they own it, and they can find it again in a game when nobody is there to shout.

Asking also tells you what your players actually understand, which is often not what you thought.

Questions you can use tonight

• What did you see?
• What could you do if the defender is that close?
• Where was the space?
• What made that one work?
• What would you try differently next time?
• How can you help your teammate get open?

How to ask well

• Ask open questions. "What could you do there?" teaches more than "Should you have passed?"
• Wait. Count to five in your head before you say anything else. The silence is where the thinking happens.
• Take more than one answer, and don't rush to name the right one.
• Keep it short: one question, a few answers, back to playing.
• Ask the quiet ones too, by name, kindly.

Let the game ask the question

The best questions are built into the activity. Want players to pass and move? Play a game where nobody may dribble. Want them to use their weaker hand? Baskets with it count double. Change a rule and the players have to work out a new answer, without you saying a word.

When to just tell them

Sometimes telling is right: for safety, for the rules, and for a brand new skill nobody has seen. Show it, keep it brief, and go back to asking once they have something to work with.