235 International Sport Coaching Journal, 2017, 4, 235 -245 © 2017 Human Kinetics, Inc. INSIGHTS https://doi.org/10.1123/iscj.2017-0012 Scott Simon is British Canoeing Lead Coach of the Olympic Development Programme and a member of the Institute of Coaching and Performance, (ICaP) at the University of Central Lancashire. He holds a Post Graduate Diploma in Elite Coaching Practice, the United Kingdom Coaching Certifcate Level 4 in Paddle-sport and is a United Kingdom Strength and Conditioning Association, Accredited Strength & Conditioning Coach. Loel Collins is a senior lecturer in the Institute of Coaching and Performance at the University of Central Lancashire. He holds a professional doctorate in elite performance and is a highly accomplished adventure sports coach. He is a Fellow of the Royal Geographical Society. Dave Collins is director of the Institute of Coaching and Performance and Grey Matters Performance Ltd. As an applied psycholo- gist and qualifed coach he has worked with over 70 world and Olympic medallists, plus professional and national sports teams. Address author correspondence to Scott Simon at SSimon1@uclan.ac.uk. Observational Heuristics in a Group of High Level Paddle Sports Coaches Scott Simon, Loel Collins, and Dave Collins University of Central Lancashire Observation of performance forms a critical part of the complex coaching process. A professional judgment and decision making (PJDM) framework enables optimum decisions to be made under time pressure and with limited information that derive from that observation. Observation and the associated decision making can be particularly affected by heuristic bias. We extend the work on PJDM via a greater focus on its relationship with observation within the coaching process. After revisiting PJDM and observation, we introduce and explore heuristics as a “tool” within the observation process. Specifcally, we propose that observation is prone to heuristics built on a coach’s experience and understanding. We report on a small scale preliminary investiga- tion with a group of high-level paddle sport coaches. We identify heuristics that both restrict and enhance the effectiveness of the observation in an effort to promote discussion and further research. Keywords: Professional Judgment and Decision Making (PJDM), high performance sport, heuristics, obser- vation Effective profling of an individual performer sits at the heart individualized coaching (Collins & Collins, 2016; McGarry, 2009). Observation and questioning provides the primary mechanism for gathering informa- tion (Giblin, Farrow, Ball, & Abernethey, 2015) on which the profle of a performer is built and the coaching pro- cess is individualized. The gathered information forms the basis for the decisions that facilitate the coaching process. Observation is continuous within coaching and enables auditing of the process and its adaptation. Observation contributes to ongoing refnements in goal setting, feedback provision, direction, pacing and timing of the session. At a macro level, observation allows the coach to recognize the performance level of an athlete (i.e., the start point of coaching process) then, during the coach- ing process, to recognize when a goal has been met (the potential end-point or indication of development). At the meso level, observation allows the effectiveness of a given coaching intervention to be assessed or modifed. At the micro level, observation (with questioning) allows the athletes’ understanding of a performance to be per- ceived. Observation acts as a catalyst for adaptability and fexibility, enabling the rate of performers’ development to be gauged and the effectiveness of the coaching inter- vention to be measured. This, in turn, allows the coach to manage the corresponding individual differences in rate of development. Understanding the constraints that effect the coach’s ability to make good judgments based on observation appears paramount. Refecting this importance, this initial scoping study examines the extent to which heuristics play a part in the observation of performers and the professional judgments and decisions that are derived from that observation. We critically discuss the role of heuristics in observation, before we consider heuristics application, refecting the advantages and disadvantages inherent in their use.