Introduction

If you already run one on one sessions, you know how quickly your calendar can hit its limit. There are only so many hours in a week you can coach. Once those are full, you are effectively capped.

The result is a business that is hard to scale. Your income is tied to the number of individual sessions you can personally deliver. Your rates need to stay high to make the math work, which means some families are priced out, even though their athletes would benefit from your coaching.

Small group sessions, clinics, and camps change that dynamic. When they are structured well, you keep training quality high while opening the door for more athletes and a stronger hourly rate.

This guide walks through how to choose the right format, design your first offer, price it clearly, and run it using TrainU.

1. Why One On One Sessions Limit Growth

One on one training is valuable and it should remain part of your business. It is often the most intense environment for development and can justify a premium price.

The challenge is what happens when your schedule fills with only one on one work:

• You can only serve a small number of athletes

• Your price point has to stay high, which limits who can afford you

• There is no real way to grow without adding more personal hours

In other words, your impact and your income are locked to your own time.

Group based offerings let you change the structure. Instead of one athlete investing in an hour of your expertise, several athletes can share that time while still getting real attention on the details that matter.

2. Understand the Different Group Formats

There are a few main formats that work well for individual trainers. Each one keeps the group size small enough to protect training quality.

Small groups

• Size: usually 3 to 6 athletes

• Feel: personal coaching with a bit of competitive energy

• Best for: skill work that benefits from partner drills and small sided challenges

This is often the easiest place to start. The coaching still feels close to one on one, but the economics change in your favor. For example, four athletes at a lower individual rate can still produce a higher total hourly rate than a single one on one session.

Clinics

• Size: up to 8 athletes

• Duration: usually 60 to 90 minutes

• Best for: focused topics like shooting, finishing, first step speed, or positional work

Clinics are ideal when you want to go deep on a single theme. The cap at 8 athletes lets you keep standards high while making the price more approachable for families.

Camps

• Size per coach: up to 8 athletes per field or court section

• Duration: multi day, often 2 to 5 days

• Best for: school breaks, off season development, or pre season preparation

Camps take more planning but can become staples on your calendar. If you bring in another coach, you can duplicate your model while still keeping each group at 8 or fewer athletes.

3. Design Your First Group Offer

Keep things simple and specific. One strong offer that fits your current athletes is far better than a long list of events you do not have time to promote.

Choose a clear theme

Specific sessions stand out. Instead of “Skills Clinic” or “Summer Camp,” think in terms of the exact outcome you want to help athletes achieve.

Examples:

• “Finishing At The Rim For Middle School Guards”

• “First Touch And Passing For Youth Midfielders”

• “Speed And Agility For High School Sprinters”

A clear focus makes it easy for athletes and parents to decide if the session is right for them.

Define who it is for

Spell out the ideal participant:

• Age range

• Experience level

• Season context

For example:

• “For girls ages 11 to 14 who currently play club or school basketball”

• “For high school boys preparing for varsity tryouts in the next 3 months”

This keeps the environment consistent and allows you to plan drills at the right level.

Outline the structure

Plan the flow so the session feels intentional from start to finish:

1. Arrival and dynamic warm up

2. Technical block 1 focused on the core skill

3. Technical block 2 with added decision making or pressure

4. Competitive segment or small sided games

5. Cool down and quick recap of key points

You can adjust details on the day, but having a backbone makes the session more professional and keeps athletes engaged.

4. Price Your Group Offer

Pricing should feel fair and easy to understand. The aim is to:

• Keep your hourly rate healthy

• Make the session more affordable than a one on one for each athlete

• Stay consistent with the value of your brand

A simple way to think about it:

1. Decide on a target hourly rate for yourself

2. Choose a realistic group size, capped at 8 athletes

3. Divide your target total by that group size

For example, if your target for a 60 minute clinic is 160 and you plan for 6 athletes, the price per athlete would be a little under 27. You might round to 25 or 30 depending on your market.

For 90 minute sessions, you can increase the price slightly to reflect the extra time. Whatever you choose, communicate it clearly and include what is covered.

5. Fill Your Spots Without Extra Admin

You do not need complex promotions or special discount tracking to fill small group events. Start with the people who already know you and keep the process simple.

Current and past clients

Let your existing athletes know about the new group offer and why it benefits them. For example, you might highlight:

• More game like reps

• Competitive drills with players at a similar level

• A lower price than one on one while still getting real attention

Share your TrainU event link so families can register instantly. No separate spreadsheets or manual lists.

Team and community channels

If you have relationships with local clubs or school coaches, ask if you can pass on your event link to families. A short, clear explanation of the focus and group size can help them feel comfortable sharing it.

Simple bring a friend promotions

You can create interest without adding new admin work. For example:

• Promote one “bring a friend free” clinic day where each registered athlete can invite one friend

• Ask athletes to invite a teammate to sign up separately through the same TrainU event link

Because every athlete still registers through the same link, you avoid additional tracking or custom pricing rules.

6. Run Groups Smoothly With TrainU

Once your idea and pricing are locked in, TrainU handles the structure around it so you are not juggling sign ups in every app on your phone.

With TrainU you can:

• Create a small group session, clinic, or camp with date, time, location, price, and capacity up to 8

• Share a unique event link anywhere you communicate with families

• Take payment at registration so only committed athletes reserve spots

• View your roster in one place and see how many slots are still open

Your calendar stays organised and families get a consistent, professional experience every time they book.

7. Turn Group Athletes Into Long Term Clients

Group work does more than improve your hourly rate. It also introduces new athletes to your coaching.

After a session:

• Thank families for attending

• Encourage athletes to keep working on one or two key points from the clinic

• Highlight how they can stay consistent, whether through future groups or one on one training listed on your TrainU profile

Because everything runs through the same platform, it is easy for families to move between different offers without extra friction for you.

Conclusion

Small group sessions, clinics, and camps give you a way to grow that is not limited by the number of one on one hours you can squeeze into a week. They make your training more accessible to families while keeping quality high through small, focused groups.

By designing a clear offer, pricing it simply, capping groups at 8 athletes, and running registration through TrainU, you get the benefits of scale without drowning in logistics.

Choose one idea that fits your athletes, set it up as an event in TrainU, share the link with your current clients, and watch what happens when every slot can serve more than one player.