What should I be looking for? Part 2

Learning to observe your athletes. This week: executive functioning

Welcome to part 2 of our “What should I be looking for?” series. This week we are diving into everything executive functioning.

I find it helpful to think of executive functioning as the brain's management system. The Executive Function Specialists¹ have a helpful acronym to remember the important skills that make up executive functioning.

P.O.S.I.T.I.V.E.

Planning

Organization

Self-management

Initiation

Time management

Inhibition

Vision & Goal setting

Evaluating priorities

As cited by the Executive Function Specialists¹, executive functioning development begins at birth, shows rapid growth between ages 3-5, and eventually reaches a plateau around 25-30 years old, with studies suggesting full brain development at 25 years old. This is not to say we have all peaked at 25 and can’t learn anything else (I certainly hope not!). Neuroplasticity (the brain’s ability to create new neural networks/connections) allows us to continue to grow and learn throughout our lives.

This research should highlight something extremely important as we think about supporting all the brains on our team. Most coaches are coaching college-aged athletes or younger.

Every athlete in that category has a brain that is not fully developed. That means they will need your support and systems in place to learn how to stay P.O.S.I.T.I.V.E. (see what I did there?).

This does not mean you’re a lawn mower coach, doing it for them and making their process extremely easy. Think of yourself as a farmer. A farmer helps cultivate the environment that is ideal for the flower, crop, etc. to grow. That means recognizing which situations your athlete struggles with and creating the “just right” challenge for them to thrive and develop the skills they need. Think Goldilocks!

Now, for the regular reminders before we get into what you should be looking for…

Attuning your attention to these types of behaviors is a skill you’ve started to strengthen (because you’ve been following along with the posts!), and like any skill, it'll feel uncomfortable at first (think about the first time you stepped in the weight room!). Your ability to observe your athletes, make adjustments, and notice patterns comes straight out of your ability to challenge your own assumptions. So if you haven't read the post on challenging your assumptions as a coach, or worked through the reflection guide, start here BEFORE anything else.

Two things before we get into it. First, we are not diagnosing anyone. We're observing behaviors and adjusting based on what we see. If a parent shares a formal diagnosis, great. You've got a head start on what that athlete might need, but you still have to do the observing, because if you've met one neurodivergent person, you've met one neurodivergent person. Second, everything below is a starting point, not a prescription. Every individual is different, and I don't know your context, so take these and adjust them to fit your athletes and your environment.

One last thing. I'm only pointing out behaviors that might go against what you're used to seeing. Every single person has strengths and areas to grow, and every team is better for having a variety of brains on the team.

This week: executive functioning

I've paired a few of the letters together where the observations overlap in practice. You'll see them combined below.

Planning and Time management

1. Your observation: The athlete is consistently arriving late to practice, meetings, etc. And when their parents bring them to practice, you hear them talk about how the athlete needs to be ready by a certain time to make it to practice on time.
   1. Questions to ask: What has the parent already tried to help their athlete make it to practice on time? What has the athlete tried to remind themselves of when to leave for practice? What is stopping the athlete from getting to practice on time? Does this happen in all areas of their life?
   2. Possible adjustment: Suggest setting multiple alarms for when the athlete needs to start gathering their belongings.
   3. Possible adjustment: Suggest putting together a list of items the athlete needs and making it visible to them. You could also place the items needed closer to the door. Or give the everyday belongings a place to go so the athlete always knows exactly where everything is.

Organization

1. Your observation: The athlete regularly shows up without all their gear (water bottle, proper shoes, jersey), or their bag is a disorganized pile they dig through for several minutes looking for one thing.
   1. Questions to ask: Do you notice the same item consistently missing, or is it different each practice? Do they have a system at home for prepping their bag, or do they just put things in it at the last minute? Has the parent mentioned this being an issue at school too?
   2. Possible adjustment: Give the athlete a checklist card for their bag (they can pin it to the outside, or laminate it and pin it inside). Or, post the checklist on the team board so every athlete can reference it.
   3. Possible adjustment: Before games or travel, write/text a packing list on a whiteboard or in a group chat so athletes can easily access it.

Self-management

1. Your observation: The athlete has a hard time bouncing back after a bad rep, a missed shot, or harsh feedback. They shut down, sulk, get quiet, or lash out for longer than what you think the moment calls for. You notice the rest of practice suffers because they can't reset.
   1. To note: This is one of the areas where it could be a mental performance issue. Now, it could also be a mental performance issue that is exacerbated by neurodivergence or something in the environment that isn’t supportive. Once again, we aren’t trying to diagnose, just observing and adjusting.
   2. Questions to ask: Do you notice this happening more, or only, after specific triggers (feedback, comparison to teammates, mistakes in front of the group vs. in an individual setting)? Does the athlete generally recover on their own if you give them space, or do they need something to help them bounce back? What have you tried in the past, and what was the outcome? Have you talked with them about what helps them reset?
   3. Possible adjustment: Create a bounce-back routine with your team. A simple reset they can do in the middle of the game, when they come out to sit on the bench, or in the middle of a drill. This could be something as simple as a two-clap reset (mistake/frustration happens > two claps > get back into the game). No matter what it is, I suggest the bounce-back routine include a physical component. By physical component, I mean something they do with their body, for example, clap their hands, ball up their fists, fix their hair, rub their hands together, one deep breath, etc.
      It is also helpful if you create a word or phrase they can say to themselves, or you can say to them, that reminds them to move forward. One that I like is “W.I.N,” which stands for “What’s Important Now?” or “What Is Needed?” If you find your team responds best to something more reaffirming vs. action-oriented, it could be more mantra-focused, “I trust my stuff” or “I trust my training.”
      1. Creating shared language within the team allows you and the athletes to remind one another and hold each other accountable, in a gentle way. It also allows you to get to know your athletes and understand what helps them.
   4. Possible adjustment: You can build in specific reset times: a 30-second water break, walk to the sideline and back, 3 deep breaths.
      1. You intentionally creating these moments, and telling your athletes why (“I saw some of you getting frustrated, so I wanted to give everyone a quick 30 seconds to reset”) helps the athletes understand themselves better, too. They slowly start to recognize when their systems are out of whack and what they need to get their heads back in it. Eventually, they will start to tell you what they need. Bonus here: if you have already introduced the idea of a reset/bounce back routine, this is the perfect time to remind them of it.
      2. These are so personal and context-dependent. What helps one athlete in one moment might not help the next. This is why it’s important to have multiple options for you and them to choose from.

Initiation

1. Your observation: You notice that when there are certain transitions (getting water, changing shoes, coming back from the sideline), everything takes longer than you think it should, even though it seems like they're trying their hardest.
   1. Questions to ask: Does it seem like the athlete is losing focus during the transition? Or is there a specific step that slows them down? Have you set a time expectation for the transition, or is it open-ended?
   2. Possible adjustment: Make the transitions predictable. Let the athletes know exactly where you want them to be once they finish. Set a transition timer (whistle at 30 seconds, then again at 15). If the constant whistle is distracting or too loud, announce transitions with a specific number and give them a halfway count (60 seconds and then I want you back on the baseline, then say that again at 30 seconds, and 10 seconds).

Inhibition

1. Your observation: The athlete interrupts you while you’re talking, often excitedly, and you don’t believe it’s being done out of disrespect. Maybe they ask a question before you’ve finished explaining.
   1. Questions to ask: Is the interruption on-topic or off-topic? When you correct them or ask them to wait for you to finish, do they follow those instructions?
   2. Possible adjustment: In huddles, establish a signal or agreement with your athletes. For example, agree that any questions an athlete has while you’re explaining a drill have to be asked after you finish explaining.
   3. Possible adjustment: If the athlete tells you they'll lose the thought if they wait, give them a way to write it down in the moment so that they can ask about it after. If that’s not possible, create a system where they raise their hand instead of blurting it out.

Vision & Goal setting and Evaluating priorities

1. Your observation: The athlete has a hard time articulating what they’re working towards beyond “getting better.” When asked or prompted about their goals, they give a generic answer that you think is rehearsed, or you get the impression they’re saying what they think you want to hear.
   1. Questions to ask: Has anyone ever walked them through the goal-setting process? Why it’s important and how they can set goals? Do you get a sense that the athlete is overwhelmed by the question or that they’re genuinely unsure? Do they show up with clear intent on some days but not others?
   2. Possible adjustment: Create concrete guiding questions when talking about goals. Instead of “what are your goals?” ask “what was one thing about last practice that you would want to do differently?”
      1. Depending on the athlete's age, I would honestly start broad and then narrow. You never know what an athlete is thinking, and I’m always a fan of giving them an opportunity to surprise you. For example, start with “What are your goals?” and if it’s clear they’re not understanding the question, you can start to narrow: “What are 2 things you want to get better at?” > “What’s something you want to do more in games/practice?” > “What’s one thing about last practice that you would want to do differently?”

Here is the same reminder from last week…

I know it’s a lot to take in, so don't try to use it all at once. Pick one observation that reminded you of an athlete you actually coach, watch for it this week, and try one adjustment. Remember, it’s a slow process. Plus, your athletes’ brains aren’t fully developed. Expecting them to get it all “right” is setting them, and yourself, up for failure. Your goal is to continue to move them up the development ladder. It’s a messy process; you're not trying to catch everything; you're building the habit of noticing.

We'll keep adding categories over the next few weeks. Next week will be sensory processing.

For now, remember what we started with: we're not diagnosing anyone, and these are starting points, not prescriptions.

Let me know which observation sounded most familiar, and what you decided to try.

Make sure to download the guide below. It’s a tracker for your observations, questions, and adjustments.

I always love hearing from you. Let me know what you come up with.

Resources:

1. McCormick, Sean, and Kelsey Sinclair. "Which Executive Function Skills Should I See At Different Ages?" Executive Function Specialists, 8 July 2025, efspecialists.com/post/ef-skills-different-ages.