Free coaching resource

Coach handoff checklist: give the next coach a useful starting point.

Use this checklist when an athlete changes teams, moves to a new age group, or meets a new coaching staff. The goal is a focused conversation about what helps the athlete learn.

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Print this page and complete the handoff in your program's approved system. Checking boxes here does not save or submit information. Keep sensitive personal or medical information out of general coaching notes.

1. Before sharing

Confirm who should receive the handoff and use your organization’s approved private channel.
Check your program’s policies and any required permissions before sharing athlete information.
Remove outdated judgments, unnecessary personal details, and information unrelated to coaching.

2. Capture useful coaching context

Record the season, age group, coaching role, and date so the context is clear.
Describe strengths with a specific observation rather than a broad label.
Identify a current development goal and the progress observed toward it.
Note an explanation, routine, or coaching approach that helped the athlete learn.
List a practical next step or question for the incoming coach to revisit.

3. Complete the handoff

Discuss the context with the incoming coach; distinguish observations from assumptions.
Identify what the new staff should confirm with the athlete rather than treating old notes as permanent facts.
Agree who owns any follow-up and where the approved record will live.
Review access and retention according to your organization’s policies.

A useful note connects evidence to a next step.

Fictional example: “In the final two practices, the athlete began asking alignment questions before the rep. A short walk-through helped. Next coach: revisit the explanation early in the new season and ask what feels clear.”

This note describes a setting, an observation, an approach, and a next step. It leaves room for the incoming coach and athlete to update the picture.

What this checklist does not establish.

Completing a checklist does not determine who may access athlete records or replace your program's policies. Use it as a coaching conversation guide within the permissions and practices your organization has established.