What's a Team Notebook?
The basic Team Notebook introduced in Writing on the Bus contains five sections for athletes: –Preseason Thoughts –Competition Analysis I –Competition Analysis II –Postseason Thoughts –Athletes’ Notes |
What do coaches say about Team Notebooks?"The notebooks really helped my coaching … the players were able to put voice to their frustrations and concerns. They were also able to objectively view what they did well and focus on what needed to be improved. The sheets did assist in open communication between coaching staff and players.” –Matt Grawrock, Head Coach Southern Virginia University |
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–Preseason Thoughts: The prompts on this page of the Team Notebook help athletes think about the previous season and the upcoming season. Athletes write about their preparation and goals for the season. Writing Preseason Thoughts takes the average athlete 10-15 minutes. Depending on the number of athletes, a coach will read and perhaps take notes
on the collection in 15 to 30 minutes. –Competition Analysis I: The prompts on this page help athletes reflect on a game or match. The one-page reflection takes an average player 3-5 minutes to complete. Depending on the number of athletes, coaches will read and perhaps take notes on the collection in 10-20 minutes. –Competition Analysis II: The prompts on this page assist athletes in writing about a game that a team watches together. The two-page observation takes athletes approximately 10 minutes to complete and may be used as a discussion guide. Coaches may read and perhaps take notes on the collection in 10-20 minutes. –Postseason Thoughts: The prompts on this page help players in thinking about the past season while making plans for the future. As with Preseason Thoughts, an athlete may take 15-20 minutes to write out these thoughts and a coach may read and perhaps take notes on the collection in 15-30 minutes. –Athlete’s Notes: These pages are for keeping notes, sketching plays, and storing information like handouts from the coach. The pages may be blank pieces of paper or the coach (or players) may create any number of different page styles. Also in this section, for travel or select teams, a coach might include directions to venues as well as background information on the teams to be watched, schools to be played, or tourist sights to be seen. |
"With the use of the Match Analysis I, we were able to address issues individ- ually that we would not be aware of otherwise. It was also such a great learning tool for the players.” –Amy Edwards, Head Coach Gonzaga University "Team notebooks create a different way for players to learn.” –Mike Keller, Head Coach University of Southern Maine "Writing provides another avenue for strengthening the player/coach relationship.” –Brian Bold, Head Coach Burnt Hills-Ballston Lake HS "I like to have my student-athletes write about their experiences, be it about practice, a game, or even an injury. It helps them to analyze their play, thought processes, and feelings. It brings more meaning to what they are experiencing. Writing … is a reminder of what we all are playing for and working towards.” –Nicole Moore, Assistant Coach University of Vermont  ––Darrell Gray, US Ski Team Domestic Coach of the Year, 2006 |
