Practice planning · 2 min read
Build a Weekly Pool Review From Goals, Feedback and Transfer
A week of practice can feel busy without showing what transferred. A 20-minute Goals–Feedback–Transfer review converts notes into one decision: keep the task, change the constraint or retire the goal. It measures evidence you actually recorded, not motivation or talent.
Bring three kinds of evidence
Goal evidence states one controllable behavior and the exact setup. Feedback evidence includes scores, your own first-failure notes and, when available, one coach or video observation. Transfer evidence comes from a rack, match or variable layout where the trained behavior must be selected rather than announced in advance.
Goal-setting guidance favors specific, challenging but realistic goals and regular evaluation. A repeated drill score still measures performance on that task. The transfer column therefore records what happened when a related behavior had to be selected in varied play, rather than treating frequent feedback or a tidy practice clip as proof of transfer.
Choose a high-leverage improvement target before opening the weekly review.
Build weekly practice habits for scheduling and consistency.
Run the 20-minute GFT review
The first six checks total twelve points. Do not treat the score as a player rating. Its job is to expose missing evidence: a 10 with zero transfer points calls for a transfer test, not more identical blocked repetitions.
| Minutes | Check | Question |
|---|---|---|
| 0–4 | Goal: definition | Was the behavior, setup and target written before practice? |
| 4–7 | Goal: exposure | Were the planned repetitions actually attempted? |
| 7–10 | Feedback: result | Is there a comparable score or outcome? |
| 10–13 | Feedback: checkpoint | Was the first failed checkpoint recorded? |
| 13–16 | Transfer: test | Was the skill tested in a variable rack or match? |
| 16–18 | Transfer: choice | Was the behavior selected at the right moment? |
| 18–20 | Decision | Keep, change one constraint, or retire; schedule the next test |
Worked review and next action
A hypothetical player set a goal of stopping within one ball width on 8 of 12 straight shots. They completed three sessions, moved from 6/12 to 9/12 and logged the first failed checkpoint on each attempt, with follow-through observation kept separate from its possible cause. In two racks, however, they chose draw on easy stop routes. The review scores 4/4 goal, 4/4 feedback and 1/4 transfer: 9/12.
The decision is not to chase 10/12 in the same drill. Keep the stop-shot behavior, change the next session to six three-ball patterns containing an optional stop route, and record whether the stop was recognized before scoring execution. Use a separate multi-skill baseline only when a broader practice profile is needed.
Use a broader multi-skill baseline for a broader periodic assessment.
Sources and further reading
References support the specific factual information above. The practical checklists are Ariakon editorial guidance.