Providing an overview of the session to athletes is an important aspect of any training session. When an athlete knows what the aims are of the training session and how these aims are going to be achieved, it improves the results of training. This is because the athlete understands the purpose of each activity, why they are doing it and how it should help them in competition.
A session overview is not normally a lengthy process, but helps get the athletes on side with the coach and allows for more effective feedback and session evaluations. Providing an overview of the session to the athletes will also allow the athletes to know that the coach has thought through and prepared the training session, seeking to improve their performance in a particular area.
Often a session overview will be completed just prior to a warm up, or even during the warm up. Session overviews outline what is happening in the training session and links the activities with specific outcomes or goals for the athletes.
Providing an overview of the session to athletes also allows the athletes to have input and provides a chance to conduct the more formal aspects of training. This includes: marking roles, checking on player injuries, reviewing the latest competitions, and tactical discussions. However, the usual focus is always on the specific goals of the session and how the coach, with the athletes, intends to achieve the goals.