Think Like a Teacher, Not Just a Tactician
You’re teaching a class.
The problem is, most of us got trained in what to coach—skills, schemes, systems—but not how to teach it to a group of distracted, tired teenagers who just had a math test and a fight with their girlfriend.
Thinking like a teacher changes everything about how you run practice.
A teacher asks:
“What do they already know?”
“What’s the next step, not the tenth?”
“How can I check if they actually understand this?”
A tactician asks:
“Why can’t they just do what I told them?”
If you want your players to learn faster, start stealing from great teachers.
1. Give them the “why” in one sentence.
Before a drill, answer this out loud:
“We’re doing this to help you ____ in games.”
“We’re working closeout footwork so you stop giving up straight-line drives.”
“We’re repping communication so you can trust the guy next to you when it’s loud.”
One clear “why” turns a drill from punishment into purpose.
2. Chunk it down.
Teachers don’t hand a fifth grader a calculus book.
But coaches routinely throw three new concepts, four new calls, and a conditioning test at a team in one practice and then get mad when nobody remembers anything.
Try this: decide the one teaching priority for the day.
“Today is all about help-side defense.”
“Today is all about first-touch in the box.”
Everything else is bonus. Hit that one thing over and over in different drills, then name it when it shows up.
3. Use “I do, we do, you do.”
Classic teaching model:
I do it – you demonstrate and talk through what you’re doing.
We do it – they do it with you, slowly, with lots of feedback.
You do it – they do it live, closer to game speed.
Most coaches skip straight to “you do” at full speed, then scream corrections over the top.
Slow it down. Especially early. You’ll get more done in the long run.
4. Ask, don’t just tell.
After a rep, try:
“What did you see there?”
“What could you have done differently?”
“Why do you think that broke down?”
You’ll learn how they’re thinking, not just what they’re doing. And they’ll learn to self-correct instead of waiting for you to bark the answer.
5. Remember different kids learn in different ways.
Some need to see it—use film, demonstrations, and diagrams.
Some need to hear it—say it simply and repeat key phrases.
Some need to do it—walk-throughs, slow reps, physical cues.
If a kid isn’t getting it, it doesn’t automatically mean they’re lazy or defiant.
It might mean you’re speaking “lecture” to a “hands-on” learner.
Here’s the bottom line:
You’re not just running practices. You’re running a classroom on movement, mindset, and teamwork.
When you start thinking like a teacher, your patience goes up, your communication gets clearer, and your players start doing something magical:
They get better without you having to yell more.
Tactics win games.
Teaching changes people.
The best coaches quietly do both.
