By Rob Francis, Move Mojo®
Let’s be honest.
If you’re a coach, teacher, or instructor, you’ve already learned this the hard way:
Coaching will never go exactly to plan.
And once you understand that? You’ve just unlocked the first step to becoming a better coach.
Why Perfect Planning Doesn’t Equal Perfect Coaching
Most traditional coach education—whether in Level 2 qualifications, PE teacher training, or exercise instructor CPD—teaches us to plan everything meticulously. Timings, sets, instructions, progressions. Control every variable.
But real life? It doesn’t work like that.
Especially if you’re coaching disabled athletes, working with neurodiverse learners, or supporting community sport where engagement varies every session.
What happens when:
- The hall is double booked?
- One learner is in meltdown mode and can’t focus?
- The game that always works just… flops?
You adapt.
You pivot.
You let go of the script.
Because the best coaching doesn’t come from the plan—it comes from what you do when the plan fails.
This is the foundation of our train-the-trainer courses at Move Mojo: coaching real people, not theoretical scenarios. Learn more in our Adaptive Coaching Qualification.
Great Coaching Is Built on Chaos
Forget structure for a second.
Sport is messy. Movement is unpredictable. Life is constantly shifting. So, why would your coaching session be any different?
At Move Mojo®, we use a constraints-led approach—where movement is explored, not instructed.
Because when players have room to fail, experiment, and adapt—they learn more. They build problem-solving, decision-making, and confidence that sticks far beyond the session.
Don’t believe us? The research backs it:
- A 2019 study from the Journal of Sports Sciences found that player-led environments led to deeper tactical understanding than traditional drill-based coaching.
- Studies in developmental physical literacy show that play-first, exploration-heavy sessions build more confidence in movement—especially in early childhood and SEND populations (read more).
“It’s Just a Session—Not Your Session”
Here’s a story from early in my career:
I was running a session for academy footballers. I’d planned every second. Every cone. Every progression. But nothing landed. The kids weren’t engaged. The activity collapsed.
Afterwards, the academy manager said something I’ve never forgotten:
“It’s just a session, not your session.”
It hit me hard. Because he was right.
I was so wrapped up in proving I was a good coach, I forgot coaching isn’t about me. It’s about the players. And if they’re not learning, exploring, or progressing—even in failure—then what’s the point of sticking to a plan?
Now, I coach through principles, not prescriptions. And it’s changed everything.
Explore how we teach this mindset in our Move Mojo Coach Development Workshops.
Real Learning Happens in Uncertainty
Want to build resilient movers?
Then give them problems to solve—not instructions to follow.
We build this into every gamified session we deliver:
- Instead of: “Run here, pass there, do this.”
- We ask: “Can you figure out how to score with one hand?”
- Or: “What changes if you can only hop and not run?”
This isn’t just gimmicky. It’s grounded in the ecological dynamics model of learning—where task, environment, and individual all interact to produce movement.
And if that sounds overly academic, don’t worry. You’ve seen it work every time a child turns a climbing frame into a jungle or invents their own version of tag.
Gamified coaching isn’t chaos—it’s choice.
And choice drives learning.
Want to learn more about gamified inclusive coaching? Read our blog:
Turning Games Into Growth: The Power of Play-First Fitness.
When Things Fall Apart… Good. Let Them.
Here’s the secret no one tells you in coach education:
🔹 Sometimes the drill is right, but the timing is wrong.
🔹 Sometimes yesterday’s perfect activity falls flat today.
🔹 Sometimes the vibe just isn’t there—and you need to bin it.
That’s not failure.
That’s feedback.
And if you’re brave enough to listen to that feedback—and flexible enough to respond—you become a coach who actually helps people grow.
“Plan with intent. Deliver with flexibility. Reflect with honesty.”
— That’s the coaching loop we live by at Move Mojo.
Rethinking What Success Looks Like
Success isn’t did they complete the circuit?
It’s:
- Did they try something new?
- Did they fail without fear?
- Did they find their own solution?
- Did they leave more confident than they arrived?
If you’re working with complex learners—especially in SEND PE, clinical settings, or inclusive sport—this shift is crucial. Your session might not look “perfect,” but it could be life-changing for someone in that room.
That’s the level we’re aiming for.
Explore how we embed these values in our Inclusive Movement Resource Packs.
Final Thoughts: Chaos Is Your Co-Coach
Coaching that goes to plan is fine.
Coaching that doesn’t—and still creates learning—is elite.
So next time your session unravels?
- Zoom out.
- Observe.
- Pivot.
- Let the game teach.
Because in those moments—where nothing’s landing and the plan is in tatters—you’re becoming the coach they’ll remember.
Let chaos be your co-coach.
It knows more than the clipboard ever will.
Want to Join the Movement?
We train coaches, schools, and councils across the UK to run movement sessions that work in the real world—not just on paper.
✅ Fully adaptive.
✅ Gamified and inclusive.
✅ Evidence-led, not box-ticking.
→ Explore our training: www.movemojo.com
→ Or get in touch to run a CPD session for your team.
