The language of coaching /
Nick Winkelman, PhD

The coaching communication loop… -00:02:00
DESCRIBE -00:00:30 CUE -00:00:00 DO +00:00:30 DEBRIEF -00:00:60 DEMONSTRATE Extended description of the activity Physical demonstration of the activity Brief phrase used to bring focus to the activity Player focuses and performs activity Player & coach feedback is considered

ATTENTION
LANGUAGECUEING

To understand the impact of
coaching cues on skill learning, we must first understand the role of attention

WE CAN ONLY LEARN FROM
THE EXPERIENCES WE PAY ATTENTION TO, THUS A COACH’S CHIEF RESPONSIBILITY IS TO FIRST… CAPTURE KEEP DIRECT

ATTENTION IS A LIMITED CAPACITY
RESOURCE COACHES, LIKE BANKERS, GUIDE ATHLETES’ ATTENTIONAL INVESTMENTS WE CAN ONLY ‘PAY ATTENTION’ TO #1 THING AT A TIME

Say the most with the
least, provide athletes with ONE CUE, one major focus point at a time

Now that we know how
much to say, the next question we need to address is what to say.

Narrow | Internal Broad |
Internal Close | External Far | External The continuum of coaching cues… ANALOGY

Narrow | Internal Broad |
Internal Close | External Far | External The continuum of coaching cues… ANALOGY No evidence to support its effectiveness Possible benefit compared to narrow Internal Conclusive evidence confirming effectiveness Conclusive evidence confirming effectiveness Conclusive evidence confirming effectiveness

Yeah…Yeah…Where’s the proof?

WHAT IS THE STANDARD COMMUNICATION
PRACTICE? 67%INT 22%EXT 11% 85%INT 15%EXT

NEUROMUSCULAR

Halperin et al., 2016 STRENGTH
– FORCE PRODUCTION CON: “go as hard & fast as you can” INT: “contract your legs as hard & fast as you can” EXT: “push the ground as hard & fast as you can” Force: EXT (9i% | 3c%) > CON (5i%) > INT “Research consistently shows that external cues improve muscular force, endurance, speed, and efficiency”

Porter et al., 2010 POWER
– EXPLOSIVE FORCE PRODUCTION INT: “Extend your knees as rapidly as possible” EXT: “Jump as far past the start line as possible” DISTANCE: EXT (187.37 +/- 42.66 cm) INT (177.33 +/- 40.97 cm) “Research consistently shows that external cues improve vertical and horizontal jump performance”

MOVEMENT SKILL

SOCCER…

INJURY & TECHNIQUE

L R WHAT DO INJURED
ATHLETES FOCUS ON?

L WHAT DO INJURED ATHLETES
FOCUS ON? L R

INT: ‘‘Jump as far as
you can. I want you to think about extending your knees as rapidly as possible’’ EXT: ‘‘Jump as far as you can. I want you to think about pushing yourself off as hard as possible from the floor.’’ WHAT ABOUT TECHNIQUE?

PRESSURE & CHOKING

Experiment 1 | Streak Gray,
R. (2004 & 2006) Hitting Streak ↑ Errors Hitting Slump ↓ Errors

Experiment 2 | Pressure Gray,
R. (2004 & 2006) No Pressure 39% Error Pressure 18% Error

THE FUTURE OF INTERNAL

EMG & ACTIVATION…

The last idea we put
in our athlete’s head before they move should be an EXTERNAL CUE

APPLICATION

Cue Anatomy Distance Proximal (Close)
Distal (Far) Direction Toward/ Away Up/ Down Description Action Word (Verb) Analogy (Metaphor) Winkelman, 2016 (Dissertation)

The anatomy of a cue…
Focus on being quick off the ground Descriptor “HOW” Direction “AWAY” Distance “CLOSE” Focus on driving hard toward the finish Descriptor “HOW” Direction “TOWARD” Distance “FAR”

DISTANCE "Push the ground back
with as much force as possible" "Explode through the finish with as much speed as possible"

DIRECTION "Drive the (GREEN) tape
away from the start line as fast as you can" "Drive the (GREEN) tape toward the finish as fast as you can"

DESCRIPTION "Explode out like a
cheetah is two steps behind you" "Explode out and up like a jet taking off from an aircraft carrier"

SUMMARY

The coaching communication loop… -00:02:00
DESCRIBE -00:00:30 CUE -00:00:00 DO +00:00:30 DEBRIEF -00:00:60 DEMONSTRATE Ext + Int language (WHAT) External Cues + Analogies (HOW) Question Comment Collaborate