This document provides coaching tips and strategies from Aaron Schwenzfeier. It discusses maintaining awareness of all athletes during workouts, minimizing waiting time, and using feedback to correct technique. It also covers motor learning principles like blocking vs random practice and internal vs external focus. Additional topics include developing relationships with athletes, signs of fatigue or illness, warm-up strategies, and evaluating training programs through self-assessment. The overall document offers advice for strength and conditioning coaches to optimize workouts and athlete development.

1. Aaron Schwenzfeier

3. after I knew it all…
physical education
youth hockey
high school s&c and football
personal training (ages 14-80)
Now, collegiate strength and conditioning

5. Eyes and ears on the workout
Always re-orient towards the group
See and hear what’s happening

6. Coaching/Assessing

7. Every workout is an assessment

8. Keep them active
Minimize waiting – instruction and management
Workout design
Though… don’t do stuff to just do stuff!
Physiological demands

9. fffff… feedback!

10. General vs. Specific
“Good job”… on what?
Corrective & Evaluative
Catching them doing good
Private vs. Public

11. Local & Global feedback
body orientation is critical
Extend my presence
Maintain group
focus

12. Group feedback
Common issues (again body
orientation)
Coach efficiency (less ‘head spinning’)
Check Comprehension. CLARITY!
“cold call” if necessary

13. Group feedback
Use judiciously

14. “A leader lacking enthusiasm will infect the
group with the same malady.”

16. Voice Dynamics

21. Motor Learning
Whole > Part > Whole
Blocked < Random
Extrinsic to Intrinsic
(me: eye contact)

22. Demonstration
Accuracy
Timing
Use other athletes (frees me up to
direct attention)
Media (mirror neuron system)

23. Hands-On

24. The written workout
or
Necessity?
motor learning
requires repetition

26. Athletes coaching athletes
Discuss with training partners others technique
(mindfully engaged)
Have them correct/coach

27. If another athlete is coaching…

29. Cueing
Simple (more elaboration early)
Precise
Rhyme? (learning abc’s)
ONLY WHEN NECESSARY!

30. Cueing
Processing overload
Only point out 1-2 things

31. Don’t be annoying!

33. Attentional Focus
Internal vs. External
“Chest up” vs. “Stretch the String”
Imagination
animals, dance, adventure

34. “Suzanne Farrell teaches ballet to experienced students and
professional dancers by instructing them to concentrate on
the “effect” they want to create with their movements
rather than on the movements they use to create the effect
they want.”
-Acocella, J. (2003, January 6)
The New Yorker, pp. 48-61.

38. How did they do it?!

40. Make a point to ‘connect’ with each athlete
every training session (before and after).
-Training/Sport
-Otherwise
Developing Relationships

41. Training alongside athletes
Less coaching intensive or competency: warm-up, some
lifts, conditioning
‘Feel’ along with them
Selectively
“Let (my/their) guard down”

43. SEE/HEAR/INTERPRET each workout (aware of
bias)
Watch them… do everything!
Movement (personality) “Signature”

46. Signs of fatigue?

48. Signs of illness?

50. <

51. The warm-up…

53. Get them to the start
General to Specific
Movement
Recruitment
Speeds
Loads

54. WARM UP!
Sympathetic drive
Less “sticky” red blood cells
Nerve conduction velocity
Motor Unit Recruitment
Ready?

56. Context
“adrenaline bomb”
winter/summer – acclimatization
circadian rhythms

57. Games?
Energy levels
Getting the athlete ‘out’

58. Abnormalities or Idiosyncrasies?

61. acceleration based sports?
“plyometric”
hip separation
finish fast – mobility/pattern
restoration (CPG’s?)
year round
injury preventing?

62. Sprinting
Competitive?
Who’s watching?

63. Sprinting & Jumping
“100% speed, 9/10th the effort”

64. Right/Left
Front/Back
Aches/Pains
How YOU move!

65. Pelvis
Disassociate from…

68. Spine
Can you move it?
Keep it still?

70. But not always…

72. Does their
awareness match
reality?

73. De-emphasizing: “don’t sweat it”
Equal focus? Who more/less?
Sometimes I just need to…

74. Soccer S & C Evaluation
1. I feel the training we have done up to this point has been effective:
1 2 3 4 5
Comments:
2. I feel the training is making me stronger:
1 2 3 4 5
Comments:
3. I feel the training is making me faster:
1 2 3 4 5
Comments:
4. I feel the training is making more agile (change of direction):
1 2 3 4 5
Comments:
5. I feel the training is making me more mobile/flexible:
1 2 3 4 5
Comments:
6. I feel the training is making me better conditioned for the game of soccer:
1 2 3 4 5
Comments:
7. I feel the training is making me a better soccer player:
1 2 3 4 5
Comments:
8. I believe we should be doing more of:
9. I believe we should be doing less of:
10. My biggest recommendations for improvement of the strength and conditioning program would
be:
11. Additional comments and concerns:
1 = inadequate, 5 = exceptional

75. Self-evaluation
Retro- & intro- spection
Empathize
Pick coaching skills to work on
Time management/feedback
Records
Notes

76. Is an opportunity to refine

77. THANKS!!!!
aaron.schwenzfeier@athletics.und.edu
www.aaronschwenzfeier.blogspot.com
twitter.com/ASchwenzfeier