3 Simple Ways to Level Up Your Coaching Game
august 1, 2021 | WORDS BY frankie russo
00. I Know SOME Things
After 9 years of coaching I have learned a good amount of what can truly elevate a coach and, shocker, most of them are small changes that are right under our noses. Now I don’t know all there is to know about coaching, and I still make mistakes from time to time when I take the floor but I have seen A LOT and I have learned what works and what doesn’t work. Today’s article will dive into 3 simple things you can implement in your classes TOMORROW to make your classes frickin 10/10!
01. Hands Out/ Posture
This one is simple team, keep your hands out of your pockets and DO NOT cross them. A wise Pat Barber once told me early into my coaching career at NCFIT:
“If I see you cross your arms or put your hands in your pockets one more time I will shank you.”
Those of you that know Pat can smile and laugh at his semi aggressive feedback style, but he was totally right...a coach’s arms should NEVER stay crossed while watching athletes move and you should never work the room with your hands in your pockets! Your posture says everything folks. Hands in your pockets is an immediate sign of being uninterested or bored with what you’re doing...this probably isn’t your intention but trust me- that’s the vibe it gives off.
Now let’s go back to crossing the arms. For most of us this is a resting position and for most members that know us as coaches they won’t blink twice...but this sends a very different message to a new member. Remember, getting into a new exercise routine can be intimidating and no matter how welcoming you are to a new athlete, if you are watching them move with your arms crossed you give off an even more intimidating vibe that can warp the experience for them. Ideal hand placements are at the side or on the hips. Chances are if you are working the room you’ll be using your hands a decent amount so a great way to limit the arm cross. Also, don’t use the PVC as a crutch...this can be a good step towards hands out of pockets or crossed but you should be hands free most of your class unless teaching.
02. Triple Threat Warm-up
There are three main points that we should try to hit during our warm-ups to make them as effective as possible. The first is the most obvious, raise core body temp and appropriately prepare athletes for their workout. Simple. Creating an effective warm up can take time, but look at the basic movement patterns of the day and build around that. You can also ask yourself how you would warm up for the WOD if you were going to do it. Collaboration with other coaches is also a great way to expand your warm up game especially if you are a new coach. Come prepared with a warm up but still talk to your fellow coaches and get more ideas of how to level up your game! Finally, taking class can seriously help get you a better grasp of how to better structure warm ups to see what does/ doesn’t work!
Next we should use it to see how athletes are moving through simpler ROM’s and movements. This is a crucial time to gather information on the types of movers you have in class. Are they proficient, decent, or do they need some work? This gives you some early information on who might need adjustments for certain movements or if they might need some extra movement prep. We should use this time to move and cue, think broad simple cues, to try and get athletes in better positions/ movement while also gaining more recon on simple cues that might work during the workout when the music is bumping and you only have time for a short 1-2 sentences. If you see a mover that needs assistance in your warm up you NEED to say something.
Finally, the warm up is your opportunity to set the tone or mood of the class! Talk people up, chat about your day, throw out random stories about stuff that happened to you during the weekend, anything! When you chat with members or the class it puts people at ease, it can create some entertaining conversations, AND it humanizes you bringing you closer to your members. I will always throw out random stories and such as I’m working my classes through a warm up. Sometimes it strikes up conversation or gets a couple chuckles from members but most importantly it keeps things easy going and staves off any awkward silences. A good secondary option is turning up the music a little and continuing to cue the entire class for movement errors you are seeing so they know you are watching and engaged!
03. Strong Second Half
I’ve seen it happen countless times...the brief, the warm up , the teaching, strength/skill are all ON POINT and then 3,2,1, GO is called and I completely lose the coach. This should NEVER happen...at any point someone should be able to walk into the gym and immediately know who the coach is because they are moving with purpose from person to person, encouraging when appropriate, and helping guide the class through the workout from start to finish. Checking out when the music is bumping and everyone is moving is not ok. You should end the second half of your class just as strong as the first half every damn time. You should be like a great white shark during your metcons...you are looking for improper movement mechanics, athletes that need adjustments, or anything that needs your attention and as soon as you see it you are moving to correct/ adjust/ or encourage. Be relentless in your coaching during the metcon...you don’t need to be the world's loudest cheerleader but you 100% need to be moving, correcting, and ensuring people have a successful workout!
