Journaling for Growth: A Practical Framework for Coaches

Great coaches don’t just develop athletes—they develop themselves. One of the most powerful tools for growth is consistent journaling. Not the abstract, stream-of-consciousness kind, but intentional, structured reflection that helps you become more aware of your habits, tone, communication, and leadership.

A coaching journal becomes a living record of your evolution: the culture you’re building, the decisions you make, the patterns that move your team forward or hold you back. Revisited each preseason, it becomes a strategic asset. Shared with trusted peers, it becomes mentorship material. And most importantly, it keeps you accountable to the coach you say you want to be. I could not think of a better topic to end the year with.

Below is a complete, coach-friendly journaling framework you can use throughout the 2026 season.

Photo by Jan Kahánek on Unsplash

Why Coaches Should Journal

A well-kept coaching journal helps you:

• Build self-awareness of your tone, energy, and leadership.

• Track team culture as it develops, strengthens, or drifts.

• Identify patterns behind success and setbacks—especially success dependent components such as penalties, turnovers, and communication issues.

• Create a long-term record that informs your preseason planning year after year.

• Hold yourself accountable to continuous improvement.

The Structure of a Coaching Journal

Your journal can be divided into three major parts:

1. In-Season Reflections Pre-game, post-game, and weekly themes.

2. Off-Season Reflections Self-study, program development, and personal growth.

3. Annual Reflection & Reset A year-end wrap-up and preseason restart.

This structure keeps your reflections meaningful while giving you the flexibility to write daily or weekly, in long or short entries.

In-Season Journaling

Pre-Game Entries

Write before every game to set your intention and prepare your leadership approach.

Pre-game journaling helps you coach proactively rather than reactively. It clarifies the tone you want to set and the challenges you want to anticipate.

Prompts:

• What is my intention as a leader for this game?

• What energy, tone, or behaviors do I want to model?

• What personnel or partnership challenges might emerge today?

• What team-culture habits must I reinforce?

• What does “success” look like today beyond the scoreboard?

Post-Game Entries

Write after every game to capture honest evaluation and next steps.

Post-game journaling protects you from selective memory. It creates a clear snapshot of the truth—what worked, what didn’t, and how you coached.

Prompts:

• What actually happened—strategically, emotionally, culturally?

• What were our strengths and struggles?

• How did I coach: tone, timing, communication, body language?

• How did players respond to me, and what does that show me?

• What personnel or partnership issues became visible?

• Penalties & turnovers: what patterns emerged and why?

• Which choices am I proud of?

• What is one concrete action I’ll take next week?

Weekly Themes

Use these mid-week reflections to zoom out and check the temperature of your team and your own coaching.

You can rotate these categories or touch them all briefly each week.

1. Personnel & Staff Partnerships

• Where are our strengths and weaknesses?

• Which coaching partnership needs attention?

• What conversation am I avoiding that would unlock growth?

  
  

2. Team Culture & Expectations

• Where is the team aligned—and where are we drifting?

• Are expectations clear? Are players meeting them?

• What actions—not just words—am I taking to reinforce culture?

3. Penalties & Turnovers

• Which issues are technique-based vs. discipline-based?

• What can I coach differently this week to reduce them?

  
  

4. Self-Observation (When Filming Yourself, I would highly recommend this if you have the resources)

• What did my body language and voice convey?

• Was my timing supportive or disruptive?

• What surprised me when watching myself?

• How did the players react to me?

Off-Season Journaling

The off-season is where coaches do deep, honest work—away from the pressure of weekly competition.

Post-Season Decompression

Take time after the season ends to reflect without judgment. I would also recommend you set time aside for true feedback from your colleagues/supervisor and athletes.

Prompts:

• What did I learn about myself as a coach?

• What habits do I want to carry forward?

• Where did I fall into the “I’m doing fine” trap?

• Which moments revealed my true growth edges?

Program Building & Vision Setting

Use this space to build the program you want—not the one you inherited or settled into.

Prompts:

• What kind of program do I want to run next year—culture, standards, identity?

• What needs to change structurally (practice flow, meetings, communication)?

• What did I wish I had prepared for during the season?

• What is my plan for preseason development?

Personal Growth & Coaching Craft

This section is especially connected to the influence of coaches like Pat Summitt and your commitment to greater honesty and clarity. After reading Reach for the Summit, I was able to build out this personal plan for myself that I am now sharing.

Prompts:

• What did observing other coaches teach me this off-season?

• What biases or blind spots do I want to work on?

• How do I want players to describe me next season?

• What books, films, or clinics are shaping my coaching?

Annual Reflection & Reset

Before the new season begins, complete a yearly reset to anchor your identity and growth plan.

Prompts:

• What is the biggest lesson I’m carrying into the new year?

• What is my coaching identity right now—and what do I want it to become?

• What values or habits will define this next season?

• What is my growth plan for tone, body language, communication, and player responsiveness?

• How will I hold myself accountable?

Optional: Film-Observation Checklist

If you film your practices, this checklist makes your self-review direct and objective.

• What tone did I set with my first words?

• How did I respond to mistakes?

• Did my presence increase or decrease athlete confidence?

• Did players approach me for clarity or avoid me?

• How often did I clearly state expectations vs. assume understanding?

Final Thought

Journaling isn’t busywork—it’s a competitive advantage. The more you understand yourself, the more effectively you can shape your players, your staff, and your culture. Over time, your coaching journal becomes a map: where you were, where you improved, and where you’re determined to go next.