How To Assess Your Performance Post Game

The New Post Game Routine

myPerforma Mindset Performance Indicators (or MPIs) serve as game-to-game, routine evaluation feedback that aligns athletes, coaches and directors from consistent review for communicating information immediately following a game or competition.

The intersection of sports and technology present day provides an opportunity for athletes and coaches to become more intentional about how they perform. Any team that does not use an application that provides performance review will soon be left behind. Every team that does, gains a slight edge over the competition.

Reflective Evaluation Conversation About Performance (RECAP)

The dialogue (conversation) between player/athlete and coach is one of the most important aspects of developing impactful relationships in sports. Athletes must develop a post-game habit of reflection in order to assess performance quality and effectiveness and realistically compete with intent. In doing so, it supports developing individual and team accountability, self-awareness and focus to improve performance.

Questions to Ponder

• What do all if not the majority of coaches do post game?
• Are post game speeches really effective or counter-productive?
• Why don’t the majority of coaches in sports today have a consistent conversation about performance with every athlete game-to-game instead of telling them how they did, as a basic practice?
• Do the programs and teams I oversee have a similar practice that we use?
• How could having athletes assess their performance after every game improve, individuals and the team?

A Mindset Performance Indicator (MPI) is a performance review that athletes complete after each game. The Mindset Performance Indicator (MPI) establishes a feedback loop and regular cadence of communication that defines perception and highlights the gap between a coaches perspective, down to the individual.

This ongoing conversation about performance routinely asks the questions:

• How do you (the athlete) think you did overall?
• What do you (the athlete) think you did well (Strengths)?
• What are your (the athlete) areas to improve (AIMs)?
• What other insights and observations did you (the athlete) learn based on the game/competition?

If the game/competition is the test for team, athlete and coach — how do you define success and failure with performance? Stats? Wins — Losses?

Success and failure with performance looks different coach to coach, team to team and level of competition. However, the foundation to performance success is based upon the character of the individual. Success and Failure is based on how YOU define it but the root of it all should be the effort you aim at the result you pursue.

Listen to Brett Ledbetter talk about what society values in sports performance and “What Drives Winning”.

The Frequency of Communication

myPerforma’s performance self-assessment for athletes is designed for use game-to-game and creates a competition review index composed of quality ratings, strengths, areas to improve and hindsight notes.

Three important things, whether in sports or life is mindset, discipline and habits. Self-reflection and self-evaluation communicates mindset. Doing it after every game requires discipline. Developing the habit of consistent self-assessment fosters greater self-discovery for the individual.

myPerforma’s provides three-fold objective is to serve the athletic community as: 1) a post-game routine evaluation practice (REP), 2) a multi-sport coaching tool that focuses on developing character/culture/identity and 3) a system for communicating sport performance information.

Games are the test for athletes/players and coaches. In contrast, a student always knows where they are in class because of a grade but how do athletes understand performance? On the flip side, how do coaches communicate progress for the team down to the individual? Because sports performance is such a moving target, myPerforma provides a universal scale for communicating success and failure. It is a qualitative measure that communicates mindset, highlights the need of the individual and showcases collective growth.

Coaching By Objectives

Standard (S) + Expectations (E) + Priorities (P) = Objectives (O)

Standards are the same person to person. Standards are consistent. Standards don’t change. Example: In basketball, a coach expects his point guard to rebound like his center from a technique standpoint.

Expectations are different from person to person as well game to game. Factors dictate expectations for how to perform. Using the example above, a coach might not expect his point guard to rebound as much as his/her center simply because of height, and position.

Priorities are different from person to person as well game to game. Opponents change. The game plan changes to adjust to strategy based on talent, athleticism or body type of personnel. Again, using the example above, the priorities for a point guard are vastly different in comparison to a center.

In team sports, teams must learn to work towards a common goal by organizing the skills, talents and abilities of the individuals. However, players must work to achieve both team and individual goals. How do teams work to achieve a common goal and balance individual objectives?

It is the responsibility of a head coach (or coaching staff) to coordinate individual efforts for collective success. In order to do this, the most successful coaches must effectively communicate S + E + P = O.

7 Keys For Coaching Success

1. Define your standards for the team.
2. Communicate expectations for individuals, ongoing.
3. Set priorities (Keys To the Game or KTGs) before every “test”.
4. Enable and Encourage athletes to complete a RECAP before sharing post-game thoughts.
5. Coaches compare & contrast (your expectations and the athletes against the outcome) and close the feedback loop with a response to every athlete’s MPI.
6. Give a post-game wrap up speech - AFTER - all players/athletes have completed their MPI (or RECAP) and use team and individual indices to hold them accountable for completing the objectives throughout the entire season.
7. Compete and repeat after every game.