“We have even gone from lowlights to a really good standard thanks to everything I have learned from the course.”
A coach sent me that message and I asked him to tell me more. He did something I had not been doing. He showed me video from September and video from March. Same players. Completely different team.
The early footage was painful to watch. Bunched together. No understanding of space. First touches going everywhere. Shape that existed only in theory.
The later footage showed organised movement. Players finding space before receiving. Passes with purpose. A team that looked coached.
The transformation was undeniable because he had evidence. He could prove the journey because he had documented it.
I realised I had been coaching for years without documenting my own teams’ development. When progress felt slow, I had no perspective. When doubts crept in, I had no evidence to counter them. When parents questioned what we were doing, I had assertions instead of proof.
Why I Started Documenting
After that conversation, I recorded our next training session on my phone. Just fifteen minutes of the main activity. It was not quality production. It was proof of our starting point.
I did the same at our next match. Wide angle from the touchline. Nothing professional. Just a record of where we were.
Then I watched both videos with a notepad. I wrote down what I saw. What was working. What was not. Specific observations about individual players and the group as a whole.
That documentation became invaluable weeks later when I felt like we were not improving. I watched the early footage and compared it to current training. The progress was obvious once I had evidence to compare.
What To Document
I learned to capture different aspects of our journey.
For individual players, I noted current skill levels, specific technical gaps, comfort zones and stretch areas. One player’s weak foot was non-existent in September. By December she was using it confidently.
For the team collectively, I documented our capabilities as a group. Our understanding of shape. Our decision-making patterns. Our technical ceiling in different situations.
I tracked what players understood about positions and roles. About game phases and transitions. About when to press and when to hold. Early season tactical conversations revealed massive gaps in understanding that closed gradually over time.
Physical markers mattered too. Fitness levels at the start versus later in the season. Coordination improvements. Recovery capacity after intense matches.
And mental state perhaps mattered most. Confidence levels changed dramatically. Team cohesion built slowly then suddenly. Response to challenges evolved from panic to composure.
How I Document Now
Video remains the most powerful tool. Even phone footage creates valuable records. I record portions of early training sessions and matches. Brief clips, not full recordings. Enough to remember where we started.
Written notes after every session capture what happened while it is fresh. Date. What I noticed. Key challenges. Small wins. Takes three minutes and creates perspective over months.
Photos mark the journey too. Team photos at different points. Training snapshots. Match moments. Visual reminders of how we have grown together.
Individual player records track progress over time. Session observations. Skill development notes. Feedback given and received. Each player’s journey documented within the team’s journey.
Using Documentation
The monthly review transformed my coaching. Looking back at documentation each month revealed what had changed. What had stayed the same. What needed attention.
I started sharing documented progress with players. “Remember when you could not control this type of pass? Look at you now.” Evidence of development built their confidence more than praise ever could.
Documentation supported parent conversations too. When a parent questioned progress, I could show them specifically where their child started and where they were now. Concrete evidence beat abstract claims every time.
Season-end review became meaningful. What worked? What would I change? What would I carry forward? Documentation turned reflection from guesswork into analysis.
The Transformation Story
Every coach should be able to tell the transformation story specifically and evidentially.
Where did we start? What did we try? What worked? What did not? Where are we now?
That coach who messaged me could answer all those questions with evidence. His story was not just a feeling. It was documented reality.
He could show side-by-side analysis of early season versus late season. Same players, different capabilities. Same challenges, different responses. Same situations, different execution.
He could point to specific skills that changed. First touch quality. Passing accuracy. Decision-making speed. Positioning understanding.
He could compare matches from September to matches from March. Shape and organisation improved visibly. Ball retention increased measurably. Chance creation became systematic rather than accidental.
The Lowlights That Became Strengths
In his early footage, his team’s building from the back was chaotic. Goalkeeper panicking under pressure. Centre-backs bunched together. No passing options for the player on the ball.
By spring, the same scenario looked completely different. Goalkeeper composed. Centre-backs split appropriately. Midfielders offering angles. Progression through thirds happening consistently.
He could trace specific interventions to specific improvements. This session addressed this problem. This drill developed this skill. This conversation changed this understanding.
The lowlights from September became evidence of growth by March. Without documentation, he would have forgotten how bad those early moments were. With documentation, they became proof of transformation.
Start Where You Are
You do not need professional equipment or sophisticated systems. You need a phone and a notepad.
Record training this week. Not the whole session. One activity. Fifteen minutes.
Write three observations afterward. What worked. What did not. One thing to address next time.
Do the same at your next match. Wide angle from somewhere that captures team shape.
Next month, watch what you recorded. Compare it to current performance. Notice what changed.
That comparison is where documentation creates value. Not in the recording itself, but in the perspective it provides over time.
What I Wish I had Known Earlier
Every team I have coached started somewhere. I have memories of those starting points but few records. I cannot show players or parents the journey because I did not document it.
Documentation does not require extra time during sessions. Three minutes of phone recording. Three minutes of notes afterward. Minimal investment, massive return.
The story from lowlights to standard is worth telling. More importantly, it is worth preserving.
Start documenting this week. Future you will be grateful.
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