Guides · 6 min read
What to remember before a coaching session
A short, practical guide for solo coaches who want to walk into every session already knowing the client, the work, the package position and the small thing that needs picking back up.
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01
The hour starts before the door opens
Most sessions that go well are sessions where the coach walked in already knowing where to begin. Most sessions that feel ordinary are sessions where the first ten minutes were spent recovering context the coach used to hold without thinking.
A private client almost never names the preparation they felt from a coach. They simply relax differently when the coach starts the hour already knowing what last week was about. The whole question of "remind me where we left off" disappears, and the lesson begins from the right place rather than from the start.
This is not about studying for the session. It is about a short, repeatable read before the client arrives. Five minutes is plenty for most sessions, and a handful of higher-stakes lessons each year deserve longer.
02
What the client expects you to hold
A client trusts a coach with more than the technical work. They trust that the coach is keeping the picture of where they have been, what is currently in focus, what they owe, what was promised, and the small personal context that gives the relationship its shape. None of this is written down in any contract. It is simply the difference between a coach the client stays with and a coach the client outgrows.
Where the last session ended
You do not need the whole arc of the relationship in your head. You need the final ten minutes of last week: the serve that started to land, the section of the piece that was still rough, the question the client asked on the way out.
What is in focus for this block
One sentence, kept on the client card. "We are working on the contact point on the forehand." "We are preparing for grade five for the spring." Without this, every session quietly drifts towards general practice.
The package or payment position
How many sessions are left in the current block. Whether anything is outstanding. The client will not raise it; it is your job to know before they do.
A promise you made last time
A drill you said you would bring. A video you said you would send. A clip you said you would show them. If you forget, they remember.
A small human detail
A holiday they were going on. A job interview that was coming up. The cousin who just started playing. Mention nothing. Hold it lightly. Let it shape how you greet them.
03
A simple pre-session read
Most coaches do not need a longer plan. They need a shorter, more consistent read that happens at the same point every week.
The version that holds for most solo practices is short enough to do in the car park, the corridor, or the corner of the studio before the client arrives. Open the client. Read the last note. Look at the current focus. Glance at the package. Take a breath. Walk in.
Done once it changes a single hour. Done every week for a year it changes the texture of the whole practice. The relationship feels longer, the renewals are easier, and the lessons start from the right place rather than from a standing start.
04
When the memory needs help
At eight regular clients, most coaches can hold the picture in their head. By fifteen, the small details start slipping in ways the coach can feel but cannot quite name. A drill mentioned and not brought. A package that ran out two sessions ago without anyone noticing. A client who was clearly upset last week, treated as if nothing had happened this week.
The fix is not to try to remember more. The fix is to give the memory a place to live. A short note after every session. A current focus that stays visible on the client. A package balance that updates itself. A promise captured in the moment instead of relied on later. The piece on writing coaching session notes and the one on what to keep and what to ignore go into the shape of the note itself.
05
Where this lives in Another Session
Another Session is built so the read before the session takes about thirty seconds. The client opens to the last note first. The current focus sits at the top of the card. The package position shows the sessions remaining without you having to count. The thing you promised last week is on the same screen, not buried in a separate chat.
You can see the same shape in the wider piece on client management for solo coaches, and the practical version of the weekly rhythm in the weekly admin checklist.
Frequently asked questions.
How long should I spend preparing before a coaching session?
About five minutes for most sessions, longer for a handful each year. The first lesson of a block, the lesson before an exam or competition, the first lesson back after a break, and any lesson introducing a significant technical change all benefit from twenty or thirty minutes the evening before. Most other sessions are well served by a short read immediately before.
What is the single most important thing to read before a coaching session?
The last note from this client. One paragraph, two minutes ago in your head. If you only have time for one thing, this is it. The current block focus comes second, the package position third.
How do I remember small personal details about every client?
You do not, if you rely on memory alone. The coaches who hold this well capture a short personal line on the client card the first time it comes up, and refresh it lightly across the year. Then they read it before the session, the same way they read the last note.
What if I have back-to-back sessions and no time to prepare?
Then the pre-session read shrinks to thirty seconds and one screen. The last note, the focus, the package. Done in the corridor. The goal is not a long read; it is the right read, every time.
Where should I keep the notes I read before a session?
In one place that opens to the client, not a folder of dated notes you have to sort through. The piece on one place for every client covers why this matters, and Another Session for coaches shows how it works in practice.
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