Turn an Athlete Report into a Development Plan

SportsConfidence editorial team · Published 9 October 2026

Choose a situation that matters

A feedback report can produce many ideas. Trying to act on all of them at once makes it hard to practise consistently or understand what helps. Start with one sporting situation that the athlete wants to handle differently.

“Be more confident” is a broad ambition. “Commit to my next decision after an error” describes something that can be explored and practised. Choose the priority using the report, the athlete’s examples and the coach’s observations together.

Build on something that already works

The lowest score does not have to become the first target. Existing strengths can make a new routine easier to learn. An athlete who prepares conscientiously may welcome a scheduled practice slot. Someone who already uses imagery may rehearse a challenging situation through that familiar technique.

Ask what the athlete has done successfully before and how that approach could support the current priority. This makes the plan feel connected to their experience rather than imposed by the scorecard.

Specify a small action

Define the trigger and response. For an athlete who loses focus after a mistake, the trigger might be noticing repeated thoughts about the last play. The response might be a brief pause, a personal reset cue and attention to the next task.

Keep the routine short enough for the sport. A player between points has different opportunities from a runner during a race. Agree language that makes sense to the athlete and practise it before expecting it to appear in competition.

An illustrative two-week plan

The timetable is an example, not a prescribed programme. Adapt the pace to the athlete’s training, recovery and opportunities to practise.

Measure the behaviour before judging the result

A match result has many influences. Early review should ask whether the athlete recognised the trigger and used the response, whether it fitted the situation and whether attention returned to something useful.

A short log can capture the situation, the action, the athlete’s experience and one coach observation. Avoid a recording task so elaborate that it becomes another burden. A few clear notes are often enough to support a focused review.

Review without forcing a success story

Ask what worked, what did not and what surprised the athlete. If the routine was not used, explore why: perhaps the cue was hard to remember, the timing was wrong or the original priority did not capture the real difficulty.

If it was used but felt unhelpful, adjust it. If it helped only in some situations, examine the difference. The purpose of the plan is learning through practice, not proving that the first interpretation was correct.

Let AI help draft, then adapt together

Once the priority is agreed, ChatGPT can organise a draft plan or practice log. Give it the sport, training schedule and agreed action, and ask for a small number of realistic tasks. Do not ask it to prescribe a programme from scores alone.

Try: “Create a two-week draft around this agreed priority. Include practice opportunities, a brief log and review questions. Identify assumptions that the athlete and coach need to check.” Use the AI guide for preparation and privacy guidance.

Keep the next step manageable

At review, decide what to continue before adding another priority. Questionnaire changes alone do not establish improved performance. The more useful evidence is what the athlete practised, how consistently they used it and what changed in their sporting experience.

Explore SPQ20 coaching applications · Read the evidence overview · All articles