What to Include in an Offseason Training Handoff Between Coaches

Start with the athlete’s current week, not a blank program

An offseason handoff should tell the next coach what the athlete is already doing, what the staff hopes to improve, and which decisions still need a conversation. A folder full of old workouts rarely answers those questions. A concise summary can.

This matters when a sport season ends, when a strength coach takes over a group, or when a private coach works alongside a team program. Each coach may see only part of the week. Without a handoff, athletes can receive overlapping assignments or conflicting expectations.

Build the document around information the receiving coach can use. Separate observations from interpretations. “Completed two supervised sessions each week for the last month” is useful. “Needs to work harder” leaves the next coach guessing about attendance, effort, technique, and expectations.

The example below is an organizational tool, not a training prescription. The receiving coach still needs to assess the athlete and make programming decisions.

Record six items that change the next decision

1. Current commitments: team practices, other sports, private sessions, competitions, and the days realistically available for training.
2. Recent work: the last few weeks of completed sessions, familiar movements, and the difference between planned and completed training.
3. Primary priorities: one or two coaching goals stated in observable terms, such as following the session independently or improving consistency with a familiar movement.
4. Relevant constraints: available equipment, transport, supervision, and any restrictions already communicated by the appropriate professional.
5. Responsibilities: who writes the program, who adjusts it, who communicates schedule changes, and who receives questions.
6. Review date: a specific point for comparing the plan with what actually happened.

Keep sensitive health information out of a broadly shared staff document. Pass necessary restrictions through the organization’s appropriate private process. An assistant who needs a session schedule does not automatically need every detail in an athlete’s file.

Record the date and source of any performance result. A hand-timed sprint from an unknown surface should not silently become the same kind of baseline as a later electronic test.

Use a handoff format the receiving coach can scan

Copy this structure into your existing planning document:

• Athlete or group: who the handoff covers, with the date and author.
• Current weekly schedule: the commitments that must fit together.
• What is established: familiar session structure, exercises, and communication routines.
• What needs attention: two specific priorities, with the observations behind them.
• What is uncertain: missing history, an unconfirmed schedule, or questions for the athlete.
• Next action: the first discussion or supervised session, its owner, and the follow-up date.

For a hypothetical athlete moving from football into winter training, the schedule might show basketball on two evenings, access to a home weight room, and one supervised coaching session. The useful handoff does not prescribe extra work on every open day. It gives the receiving coach enough context to coordinate the existing commitments.

Attach only the records needed to understand the summary. Link to a clearly named training log instead of pasting six months of entries into the handoff.

Discuss conflicts before adding work

A document cannot resolve two coaches giving incompatible instructions. Use it to make the conflict visible. If the team and private coach both expect a demanding session on the same day, identify who will coordinate the schedule before the athlete has to improvise.

A short handoff conversation can follow three questions: What work is already accounted for? What is the next priority? Who decides when the plan changes? Have the athlete describe the schedule in their own words. That often exposes transportation or timing problems the adults missed.

Avoid treating every coach’s preferred drill as a mandatory addition. The handoff’s purpose is continuity, not collecting every possible training idea. Keep the recurring work organized enough that the athlete understands what to do and whom to ask.

If several versions are circulating, establish one current version of the team training plan before distributing the new schedule.

Choose a place for the handoff and review it

Store the summary beside the plan it supports. Name it with the athlete or group, training phase, and date. Give the receiving coach the current link and explain where completed work is recorded. Keep the old handoff as a dated reference rather than overwriting the history without a trace.

At the agreed review, ask whether the athlete understood the schedule, completed the expected work, and encountered any new constraints. Update the priorities only when those observations justify a change. A handoff is useful when someone acts on it.

For session organization, choose the tool that matches the job: SAQ Workout Planner & Game Speed Development System for speed-development planning, or explore the CBF Performance launch list for connected training workflows. App subscriptions are not available yet.

Start with one group and one handoff. If the receiving coach can explain the current week, the priorities, and the next review without hunting through messages, the system is doing its job.