Shadow Session 3: Timing, Pacing, and Energy

Fundamentals Coaching · Lesson 7 of 28All lessons

4 min read

Session 3 of 4 in the Shadow Protocol (Fundamentals). Read this before the class, then do the quiz and reflection after it.

What to Watch For

How does the coach manage the clock across the four segments (warmup, evergreen, retrieval, main topic)? Track the approximate minutes for each.
How much of class time are students playing vs listening?
How does the coach transition between segments?
How does the coach set the tone at the start of class?
What happens when someone is going too hard? Watch for the "chill out" cues from the Coaches Guide in action.
Does the class follow any progression within segments (isolated skill to game-like application)?
Watch for the entropy principle: within each segment, does chaos always increase (drill → constrained game → less constrained game)? Does the coach ever reverse direction by stopping a game to demonstrate a technique? If so, what happens to the room's energy?

After class, spend five minutes on these:

Talk through your timing. Did you feel rushed in any segment? Did you cut something you planned to cover? Trainees often assume the coach executes a perfect plan. Hearing that you made tradeoffs and cut material on the fly is one of the most useful things they can learn.
Describe how you set the energy. Did you have to redirect anyone? Was the energy in the room what you wanted? If not, what would you change?
Talk about entropy. Did chaos increase throughout each segment? Did you resist the urge to stop a game and demonstrate something? If you did stop to show something, what happened to the energy afterward?

Do this after you've shadowed the class, not before.

to keep track of what you have read

Fundamentals Coaching · Lesson 7 of 28All lessons

4 min read

Session 3 of 4 in the Shadow Protocol (Fundamentals). Read this before the class, then do the quiz and reflection after it.

How does the coach manage the clock across the four segments (warmup, evergreen, retrieval, main topic)? Track the approximate minutes for each.
How much of class time are students playing vs listening?
How does the coach transition between segments?
How does the coach set the tone at the start of class?
What happens when someone is going too hard? Watch for the "chill out" cues from the Coaches Guide in action.
Does the class follow any progression within segments (isolated skill to game-like application)?
Watch for the entropy principle: within each segment, does chaos always increase (drill → constrained game → less constrained game)? Does the coach ever reverse direction by stopping a game to demonstrate a technique? If so, what happens to the room's energy?

After class, spend five minutes on these:

Talk through your timing. Did you feel rushed in any segment? Did you cut something you planned to cover? Trainees often assume the coach executes a perfect plan. Hearing that you made tradeoffs and cut material on the fly is one of the most useful things they can learn.
Describe how you set the energy. Did you have to redirect anyone? Was the energy in the room what you wanted? If not, what would you change?
Talk about entropy. Did chaos increase throughout each segment? Did you resist the urge to stop a game and demonstrate something? If you did stop to show something, what happened to the energy afterward?

Do this after you've shadowed the class, not before.

to keep track of what you have read