We are happy to feature this guest post contributed by Coach Daniel Heller, a regular contributor here at coachdjtaylor.com. We’re excited to share his knowledge and skills with our readers! Please read more about Coach Daniel below. You can also connect with him on Instagram at @coach_danielh.

We welcome submissions from other coaches who would like to be guest contributors. All guest contributors must hold certification from NSCA, CSCCa, or NASM. Five or more years of professional experience is preferred. Please send all submissions to dj@coachdjtaylor.com and include a reference sheet, a bio, and a photo. We will let you know as quickly as possible if your submission will be published.

I first learned about SOAP notes when I was helping my mom and her team create a curriculum for lifestyle coaching back in the early 2000s. One of the naturopaths on our team introduced SOAP notes as a way of organizing intake for patients. Later on in my internships and jobs in clinical settings, I discovered this was the norm for how physicians organized data for insurance, diagnosis, and overall patient care. The “SOAP” acronym stands for Subjective data, Objective data, Assessment, and Plan. I’m going to share how I use this system with clients (athletes, coaches, parents, businesses, etc.) to get a clear picture of where they are and how I can help get them to where they want to be.

Subjective data is the story the client has to tell. Each client will enter the coaching relationship with a story of their experiences. Taking this data into account by actively listening to clients share their passions, experiences, and goals is essential for building rapport and allowing the client to buy in by making it crystal clear they’re being cared for.

Objective data is the empirical side of the information collection coin. More than likely, this data is numerical, coming from a screen, a performance test, or previous key performance indicators (KPI). This gives us practitioners a foothold in how to make further progress. This can be data they’ve brought from another coach, a training app, a physical therapist if they’re recovering from an injury, their boss, or another source. For example, a client can come to the table with a timed segment of a bike ride, wanting to improve on that time. A weight room example: you can test a client’s max lifts (squat and bench), and this can become their baseline objective data point. In the biking example, we’d like to see the number go down, and in the weight room example, we’d like to see the number go up.

Assessment is where the rubber meets the road. We get a better picture of how the subjective and objective data come together. We can use the objective data to fill the gaps in the subjective experiences of our clients, which is a great way to paint an accurate picture of their situations. Here, we demonstrate that we have been practicing active listening skills, asking the right questions, and that we value our clients and care about their success. When we discuss the assessment with clients, we make sure that we’ve got it all correct and that the clients feel heard. Once we have our assessment right, we can move onto the planning phase.

The Plan is exactly how we take our clients from where they are to where they want to be. They come to us at a certain point in their journeys, with specific stories, data points, and things they want to improve. It is our job as Strength and Conditioning Coaches to take the assessment of all of this information and create a proposed plan to meet the clients where they are and implement real improvements in their journeys. 

Now, no plan is perfect, and everything is fluid — the “proposed” part is important. We’re proposing a way of getting where the client wants to be, and there’s room for fluidity in how we get there, even if the objectives remain the same. Especially if it’s event preparation with a firm deadline, we need to move progressively down a positive change continuum.

Now, let’s do a self-reflection exercise using SOAP notes. Look at yourself, really getting to know yourself — it might help to remember what we’ve talked about in previous posts about self exploration. Take your subjective data (your story) and some of your objective data. This data can be from any aspect of your life. Look at these types of data together and assess them. Acknowledge where you are now and where you want to be, and see if you can create a plan to get there that takes your data into account. 

Does this plan feel good to you? Does it feel realistic? In later posts, we’ll explore effective applications of SMART and SMART-ER goals. You might already be familiar with these acronyms from Coach Ainsley’s post about their application to sports psychology.

Use this self-reflection exercise to practice applying SOAP notes as a tool. Feel free to ask questions and engage in conversation — we’re here to discuss with each other. Use the tools and conversations as building blocks. 

We should always be looking for new ways to improve ourselves and our coaching toolkits. We have this platform to engage with experienced coaches, new coaches, and clients to understand what Strength and Conditioning Coaches really do. We’re here to learn from each other. So let’s start learning.

Daniel Heller is an adventure enthusiast with a passion for performance that he brings to everyday. If you have the chance to see him on a trail in the Pacific Northwest you’ll be sure to be greeted with a smile and a huge hello. The mountains are his happy place and you’ll know it by his exuberant presence.

The uniqueness of his upbringing has naturally formed his fusion of art and science in his practice of coaching and consulting. With an inquisitive approach to working with people he gives them the space to find their own way while never allowing them to stray too far off the beaten path. Being there to guide them back by retracing their steps to learn from their experience.

Daniel also enjoys photography, so he’s providing all of images for his posts on coachdjtaylor.com. We’re so glad to feature his words and images here!

You can learn more about Coach Daniel and his work at www.DanielJHeller.com and feel free to contact him at Daniel@Ironwood-Fitness.com and on Instagram at @coach_danielh.

Daniel Heller, MSc, CSCS,*D, RSCC
Strength & Conditioning Coach
Ironwood Health & Fitness LLC
USA Hockey Level 4 Coach
USA Cycling Level 2 Coach
PMBIA Level 1 Instructor
FMS Level 1 & 2