| My experience gleaned from instructing coaches from | | | | movement very technically if you are discussing the |
| a variety of different sports in the performance of the | | | | movement with a biomechanist who may have just |
| Olympic lifts leads me to the conclusion that the | | | | discovered some nuance that required the use of |
| degree of technique coaching varies considerably from | | | | some muscles that were previously overlooked.. On |
| sport to sport. Whereas some sports are | | | | the other hand you may then need to describe the |
| overwhelmingly technical and aesthetic, i.e. gymnastics, | | | | movement to your athlete in athletespeak. I've always |
| diving, others have a very small technique component | | | | thought that one of the functions of a serious coach is |
| and hence the coaches have little need to develop the | | | | to be bilingual. |
| skill of coaching technique. Some sports are played in | | | | 3. Develop a coaching eye that can immediately |
| a deliberately free-style manner so that the coach has | | | | diagnose and prioritize technical errors. Again |
| little to do with the development of proper technique. | | | | competent mentorship is indispensable. Diagnosis |
| Basketball, for instance, used to have a proper set of | | | | means that you can determine what was done or |
| techniques that were taught to all the participants, but | | | | wasn't done to cause the problem or miscue. |
| that number of techniques has diminished and many | | | | We used to have a weightlifting fan from the Midwest |
| coaches are happy when the ball goes in the basket. | | | | who used to video every lift at every national meet |
| Many coaches in the strength and conditioning (S | | | | and provide running commentary through the duration |
| & C) profession have had little reason to become | | | | of the competition. If you were sitting close enough you |
| proficient at coaching technique. Many of the | | | | could hear his commentary. What he did was describe |
| movements employed are from bodybuilding and | | | | what anyone could see on the tape. "Oh, he pulled it |
| hardly qualify as kinesthetically challenging. On the other | | | | out in front and missed it!" or "That weight was out of |
| hand some S & C coaches have an extensive | | | | position!" His observations could have been made by |
| background in coaching technique, so much of the | | | | just about anyone. What would have proved to be |
| material in this article may appear superfluous. If you | | | | more valuable would have been an analysis of the |
| want to employ snatches and/or clean & jerks | | | | source of the error and what should be done to rectify |
| into your athletes' training (I can't imagine why you | | | | the problem. |
| wouldn't), you are going to have to develop some skills | | | | Remember that you will often have to diagnose and |
| at coaching technique. | | | | cue between reps. You will not have time to fire up |
| Just What You Might Have Thought | | | | your Dartfish. |
| Before I proceed, let me try to clear up some | | | | 4. Develop a vocabulary of coaching cues that are |
| misconceptions or re-state some observations that | | | | short and easily understood by a training athlete. After |
| might apply generally to coaching any sport. | | | | you explain the error, the cause of the error and the |
| · The ability to perform a complex event at a | | | | appropriate focus to remediate the error, the athlete |
| highly proficient level is no guarantee that the | | | | usually just needs a quick reminder to focus on the |
| practitioner knows what they are doing in a descriptive | | | | most important aspect of the remediation. You can |
| mode, nor that they can coach technique performance, | | | | steal cues from another coach or develop your own. |
| nor do they care to. | | | | Just be sure to use them frequently during training so |
| · Some scientists may be familiar with every | | | | that you and your athletes are familiar with the cues |
| biomechanical nuance of a complex movement and | | | | that you're employing. Again you will frequently have to |
| yet have little ability to coach the movement, nor | | | | come up with cues between the reps of a set. We |
| should they be expected to do so. | | | | used to have one coach in our area who would shout |
| · There are some marvelous coaches who | | | | out to his athletes, "Control the fury!" It never made |
| have never performed events at the same level of | | | | any difference. His athletes missed a lot of lifts. He |
| technical proficiencies as their athletes, and yet they | | | | needed different, more effective, brief cues. |
| can coach them quite skillfully. Note that Bela Karolyi | | | | 5. Learn to recognize neural or psychological fatigue in |
| was never a female gymnast. | | | | the athlete so that the athlete is not practicing incorrect |
| · There are some marvelous athletes who will | | | | movements. You only have so many attempts to |
| make a mediocre coach appear to be much better | | | | practice the Olympic lifts. You should schedule |
| than he or she really is. Evaluate this coach by the | | | | technical work early in the session for your new |
| athletes produced-one is wonderful, the rest are | | | | athletes. Pay attention to signs of fatigue. These will |
| mediocre. | | | | show up most obviously in errors of timing and rhythm. |
| The 7 Steps To Becoming A Great Technique Coach | | | | When the timing and rhythm is improper. It is time to |
| Although it's no guarantee of success if you want to | | | | stop working on the technique. Otherwise your athlete |
| coach proper technique, you should learn how to | | | | will be practicing improper technique. |
| perform the movement passably if not superbly. It may | | | | 6. Learn how to administer remedial movements in the |
| be that you can perform it at a lower intensity, but still | | | | proper dosages and proper frequencies. There are |
| properly. This will be especially helpful if you need to | | | | specific exercises that remedy specific problems. |
| model the movement for your athletes. Of course, as | | | | They should be prescribed in the proper numbers of |
| you get older, you may not be able to model properly. | | | | reps and sets, and at the appropriate point in the |
| During my last 20 years of coaching I always had | | | | workout for the appropriate number of days per |
| plenty of good weightlifters in the gym who could | | | | week. Once these remedial movements have |
| serve as models for the newbies. Just keep in mind | | | | balanced the weak areas of a lifter's performance, |
| that many of your new athletes may have never seen | | | | they need to be pulled back in the frequency |
| the movement(s) you plan to teach them. | | | | performed or eliminated altogether. The same can be |
| If you plan on coaching technique properly you need to | | | | said for the amount of resistance employed. Some |
| master the following 7 steps: | | | | athletes will become enamored of certain lifts and train |
| 1. Watch a large number of good examples of the | | | | them too heavy too frequently. One of my best early |
| movement in question. Ideally you should watch them | | | | athletes was Ray Blaha who held the American |
| live. Even though modern technology is wonderful, | | | | record in the snatch for the 110 kg. class at 171.1 kg. |
| there is some small discrepancy between the rhythm | | | | Before he accomplished this he became fascinated |
| of a video image and that of the live event. If you can | | | | with the overhead squat and kept training it until he |
| watch these examples in the company of a | | | | was able to perform a single with 183 kg. |
| competent mentor, so much the better. The best time | | | | 7. Be patient. |
| is to watch during a training session when several | | | | You Need To Realize That Coaching Is A |
| athletes are training. This will provide you with a variety | | | | Developmental Process |
| of movements taking place, and you can observe the | | | | Your first technique coaching attempts will either take |
| veteran coach providing cues to remediate the | | | | an inordinately long time to complete, or they will end |
| problems. | | | | up being less than passable. You must start |
| 2. Study and learn what each relevant body part is | | | | somewhere. Be aware, though, that your first athlete |
| doing during each phase of the movement. You may | | | | might be very talented and will learn the complex |
| need to learn how to describe the movement in two | | | | movement you are coaching with almost no prompting |
| languages. You need to be able to discuss the | | | | from you. |
