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Better Words, Better Coaching

It's Just a Sport on how the language you use shapes what you can even see.

Cam Jolley

Cam Jolley

Co-Founder & Academy Coach, Coach Central

This one changed how I talk on the training ground — the words you use don't just describe what you see, they decide what you're able to notice, which means vague language literally makes you a worse coach.

The mechanism

The piece argues language is an attentional frame — like how speakers of a language with more words for blue actually distinguish shades faster. A coach who only has 'she didn't want it enough' can't diagnose anything; a coach with precise football vocabulary can pinpoint exactly where and why a play broke down, and then design a fix. Clearer words lead to sharper observation, which leads to better solutions.

How it shows up in my coaching

This is exactly why I fight against feedback like 'be better on the ball' — it's not coachable, it's just noise dressed as instruction. 'Check your shoulder before it arrives so your first touch can go forward' is a sentence a player can actually act on. And when a whole club shares precise, objective language, everyone's coaching gets sharper and the players hear a consistent message instead of ten different vocabularies. Precise language is how you turn a vague feeling into an actual coaching point.

How I'd use it this week

Catch one vague phrase you lean on ('be sharper', 'want it more') and rewrite it as a specific, observable cue before your next session. Use the new version and watch players actually respond to it.

Takeaways

  • Language is an attentional frame — vague words limit what you're able to notice and diagnose.
  • Replace judgments like 'wanted it more' with precise, observable cues players can act on.
  • Shared, precise club language makes everyone's coaching sharper and the message consistent.

Read the original

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