Part 2: Did It Work? Task-Based Feedback and Success Framing

Part 2 of 3 in the “Designing for Discovery: Feedback

Loops in Ecological Coaching” Series
By Coach Barry Jones. IIHF Level 3. USA Hockey Level 3.

“Did I mess that up?”

“No. Let’s talk about what went right.”

That one sentence changed how I coach.

Because here’s the truth:

Most of the time, “players already know” when something didn’t work.

What they need help with is understanding “why it did”.

That’s where “task-based feedback” becomes a weapon.

The Feedback That Lives Inside the Drill

In ecological dynamics, “the task isn’t just a rep, it’s a teacher”. And the more representative that task is, the more it delivers its feedback.

Score on a rebound? That’s feedback.

Create time and space with a delayed move? That’s feedback.

Get stripped because you held the puck too long? Also, feedback.

The point is: “the task carries its message”, if we let it.

When we coach for “success framing”, we shift away from fixing what went wrong and instead amplify what went right. That’s where confidence, clarity, and learning stick.

Feedback That Frames Success

Here’s what success framing looks like in action:

·      “Nice delay, did you see how it opened the lane?”

·      “That slip pass worked because you drew the defender first.”

·      “You timed that support perfectly. How did you know when to jump?”

Notice the difference?

·      You’re not correcting.

·      You’re “spotlighting”.

·      You’re helping the athlete build a map of success, not just avoid failure.

Why This Matters (Especially for Newer Athletes)

When I was coaching a women’s high-performance team, we had a wide spectrum of experience, some players with national-level skill, others still learning positioning.

If I coached every error, I’d lose half the room.

So, I flipped it:

We ran games where success was “obvious”, even if it wasn’t perfect.

If you got a shot off under pressure, you “won the rep”.

If you created a turnover, you “earned your next shift”.

I didn’t need to shout corrections.

I just needed to set up tasks where “success was clear and achievable”.

The athletes knew when they’d done something right. And that feedback stuck.

Design Tasks That Speak for Themselves

The best tasks don’t need a coach to explain the outcome. They either work or they don’t. Here’s how I think about it when designing drills or games:

·      Clear objective: Score, deny, create

·      Binary feedback: Did the task succeed or not?

·      Natural variability: Different paths to success

·      Space for reflection: Time to notice what worked

And here’s the kicker:

“When athletes experience their success”, even a small one, it builds internal motivation and feedback literacy.

A Note on Timing: In-Task vs. Post-Task Feedback

This matters more than we think.

·      “In-task feedback “= information that’s “felt” or “perceived” (puck movement, body control, timing).

·      “Post-task feedback” = reflection, debrief, or coach input after the fact.

We overuse post-task coaching. But in-game, the best feedback often comes “during the task”, baked into the outcome.

So let them “play it out”. Then frame it.

Success Is a Better Teacher Than Failure

If there’s one idea I’d challenge in traditional coaching, it’s this:

"We learn the most from our mistakes."

Sure, sometimes. But only if there’s space, support, and awareness.

More often than not, “we learn better from success” when we know why it worked and can repeat it. That’s the kind of feedback that builds confidence, decision-making, and game sense.

And when a player starts noticing what they did right before you say it?

You’re building a coach on the ice.

Coach’s Drill to Try: “Celebrate the Reps That Worked”

“Set-Up:”

Design a game with a clear objective (e.g., break the puck out clean). Every time it happens, pause and let the team reflect “only on what made it work”.

“Coach Cue:”

“What did we do right there? Let’s name it before we repeat it.”

“Watch for:”

Increased awareness, more clarity on decision-making, and players repeating successful patterns *because they understand them.

“Next in the Series:”

Part 3: “Athletes as Their Coaches: Building Feedback Literacy”

How soreness, rhythm, peer mentoring, and reflection are creating smarter, more self-aware athletes across levels, from para to high performance.

“Designing for Discovery: Feedback - Loops in Ecological Coaching” Series
By Coach Barry Jones. IIHF Level 3. USA Hockey Level 3.

Part 1: The Ice Talks - Letting the Environment Coach

Part 2: Did It Work? Task-Based Feedback and Success Framing

Part 3: Athletes as Their Own Coaches – Building Feedback Literacy