Coaching is not about you. It's about the lessons you can teach your athletes.

Coaching is not about you.

It's about the lessons you can teach your athletes.

Author: Rolton Edwards

Editor: Elya Wardini

Seems pretty obvious, but sometimes as coaches we forget that it isn't really about our skill and our knowledge. It's about being able to give that knowledge to our athletes. The goal of any coaching engagement is to help athletes learn skills ON THEIR OWN. The key is they need to learn the skills without coach intervention in order to truly master the skill.

This doesn't mean that you just let your athletes "figure it out" the hard way. You still need to be active in their learning process. But you should NOT be at their side constantly giving them corrections and spotting. There is a delicate balance that must be achieved between self-guided learning and coaching. Even though you may know from experience exactly what the athlete needs to do to fix their skill, you need to allow them the space to learn and discover the solutions on their own for them to truly internalize the skill.

So rather than giving the answers, what should you do instead?

Here are some steps you can follow to let your athletes develop more independence while learning their new skill.

Step 1: Explain And Demonstrate The Skill

If you are coaching a new skill, you can get another athlete to demonstrate the skill, or use video of another athlete performing the skill. Break the skill down and provide the athlete with drills to work on the component parts of the skill. Spend sufficient time developing the fundamentals of the skill before the full skill is performed.

Step 2: Cue the Skill

Cues are small verbal or manual reminders of the principles of performing the skill correctly. Providing the athlete with a simple set of instructions on how to perform the skill will allow them to internalize the skill and speed up the learning process.

The cues can also be used while the athlete visualizes the skill to provide landmarks for them to achieve throughout the skill.

Be aware that constant cueing can lead to a dependency on the coach for feedback. It takes the onus away from the athlete for them to be self-aware and does not promote self-efficacy and learning. Finding the perfect amount of cueing will always vary depending on the athlete.

Step 3: Correct / Spot The Skill

Safety is always the number one priority. So when it comes to spotting, we always recommend that you spot the drill and the skill until the athlete is proficient. As the athlete progresses, the degree to which you help them through spotting will decrease; with the goal being to remove the spot altogether.

Similar to cueing, balance is required. Whereas some hands-on spotting is required to allow the athlete to feel safe performing a new skill, too much hands-on spotting robs them of their self-efficacy and could create a dependency on the coach to perform the skill. Your role as the coach is to gauge when it's appropriate to allow the athlete to perform the skill on their own.

For tumbling, it is most appropriate to have the athlete perform the skill on a different (safer) surface first by themselves before progressing (i.e. tumble into a pit, or a crash mat, before performing the skill on the floor. Only if there are no drills that can be performed safely without a spot, then I would resort to doing a heavy hands-on spot of the skill.

You can also use video to show the athlete their skill and point out where they are not executing the technique properly

Coach The Athlete

The big thing to remember is that you are coaching the athlete, not the skill! Encourage the athlete when they are putting in an effort and remaining focused on achieving the new skill. Celebrate the progress they are making by pointing out how they are achieving the principles that you have taught them through cues and spotting.

Coach The Athlete, Not The Skill

When necessary, help them to step back and revisit the basics to ensure they have fully embodied the principles. Ask them questions to ensure they understand the corrections that you're giving.

Not every athlete is the same and your approach to coaching should not be identical for every athlete. Get to know your athletes and determine what they need to be successful.