A session plan can look clear to its author and still leave another coach guessing. Does a blue circle represent a player or a marker? Is an arrow showing movement or pointing towards the next activity? Does ‘left side’ mean left from the entrance or left from the coach’s position?
For clubs and schools sharing coaching plans, consider giving every marker diagram a small written key. The aim is to communicate the intended activity layout without relying on the author being present. The following is a suggested documentation workflow, with an example you can adapt to your own sessions.
Separate equipment symbols from movement instructions
Start by choosing how your plans will distinguish equipment, people and movement. For example, you might use labelled circles for marker positions, the letter P for players and arrows only for movement.
Write that convention beside the diagram. Avoid assuming that a symbol means the same thing to every coach, particularly when plans come from different contributors.
Give marker positions short identifiers such as A, B and C. These labels belong on the plan; they do not require modifying the equipment. A coach can then describe a change precisely: ‘Move the starting position from A to B’ is clearer than ‘Start at the other blue marker.’
If marker selection itself is still undecided, keep that purchasing discussion separate from the diagram. The training marker buyer’s guide and training markers collection are relevant navigation points for that stage.
Give the diagram a clear viewpoint
Add an orientation sentence using a recognisable venue reference. An example might be: ‘Read this diagram while facing the playing area from the equipment-store entrance.’
For a plan reused at several venues, leave a field for the coach delivering the session to complete rather than carrying over a reference that no longer makes sense. Avoid ‘usual end’ or ‘far corner’ unless the plan explains what those terms mean.
Also state whether the drawing is schematic. If spacing matters to the intended activity, have the session author record the planned spacing separately. Do not ask another coach to infer distances from the size of a printed sketch.
This document communicates coaching intentions. It does not establish equipment suitability or replace the exact manufacturer’s instructions for use, inspection, care or storage.
Use colour as a supporting label
Consider writing the purpose of each marker group before specifying its colour. For example:
- Group A: starting positions.
- Group B: activity boundaries.
- Group C: return points.
Then add the intended colours as a separate note. This gives the covering coach both the role and the visual cue, instead of an unexplained instruction to ‘put out the yellow ones’.
If colour is integral to the activity, say so and ask the coach to resolve any unavailable colour with the session author. If it is only an organisational preference, the author can explicitly allow a different colour and ask the coach delivering the session to update the key.
For physical pack organisation alongside the written plan, see training marker packs for rotating coaching stations.
Example: a short marker-plan note
Here is an illustrative note to accompany an existing activity diagram. It is a communication template, not a drill prescription:
- Session: Tuesday passing activity, opening block.
- Plan version: Revision B; replaces Revision A.
- Viewpoint: Facing the activity area from the store entrance.
- Drawing: Schematic; use the spacing written in the activity instructions.
- Marker labels: A identifies starting positions; B identifies return points.
- Colour preference: A uses blue; B uses yellow. Different colours may be used if the key is updated before the briefing.
- Arrows: Player movement only; they do not indicate equipment movement.
- Change from previous version: Return point B is shown on the opposite side. Earlier copies should not be used for this session.
- Open question: Session author to confirm the final grouping before the plan is issued.
Keep unresolved questions visible. A blank field can look like an accidental omission; a named question tells the recipient what still needs an answer.
Check the plan with a fresh reader
Before adding a plan to the shared session folder, ask another coach to explain it back using only the document. Suggested prompts include:
- Which symbols represent markers?
- Where is the reader standing relative to the drawing?
- What do the colours mean?
- Which version should be used?
- Who resolves an unclear instruction?
Revise the wording wherever the reader has to guess. Keep one current copy in the agreed location and identify superseded copies clearly, especially if printed plans are circulated.
If this planning exercise reveals a purchasing requirement, describe the intended activities and organisational needs in your enquiry. Clubs and schools can use the TAY Sports wholesale enquiry page to start that conversation.