The Coaching Hack You’re Probably Overlooking: Take a Walk

If you’re a basketball coach, you’ve most likely seen the ESPN Gameday bit where analyst Jay Bilas does 90 Feet with Bilas—a pregame interview with a star player while walking the length of the court.

Th Instagram post screenshot above (link: 3 Things I’ve Learned While Walking And Talking With Men) reminded me of that. The author highlights three powerful reasons why walking can open men up to sharing real feelings—and it validated something I stumbled into during my own coaching.

In the final three years of my college career (and still today at the high school level), I shifted how I did player check-ins. Instead of blowing the whistle, yelling out a name, and summoning a kid into the power imbalance of a stare-down, I started walking laps with them. Shoulder to shoulder. No eye contact required. No pressure of the coach’s gaze.

The conversations ranged from playing time frustrations to family drama. But every single time, the “walk the court with Coach” felt lighter, more human, and never a waste of time. Walking stripped away some of the barriers—and opened a path to honesty.

Coach Prompt

Instead of calling a player over for a “check-in,” what would shift if you took a lap with them shoulder-to-shoulder before practice? What tension might dissolve?

Player Prompt

Think back to the last real conversation you had with a coach. Did the setting make it easier—or harder—to be honest?