Pick One Thing
APRIL 21, 2021 | WORDS BY MATT DELLAVALLE
Have you ever heard the expression: trying to pack 10# of "stuff" into a 5# bag? The expression references the attempt or tendency of doing too much.
Here's a practical example...imagine you have a 2-hour layover in NYC. Instead of chilling in the airport, kicking your feet up, and focusing on making your next flight you decide to leave the airport, head out for a slice of pizza, grab a bagel, hit the Statue of Liberty and take in a play. I'm already stressed out. This is trying to pack 10# of sh*t in a 5# bag -- YOU'RE TRYING TO DO TOO MUCH. CHILL!
Often times I see coaches trying to fit 10# of sh*t in a 5# bag when they are teaching movements or correcting movements. Instead of having a defined focus and realistic expectations, we often try to do too much. And it's not because we are bad people or bad coaches -- we just want to help. However, if you take a step back you might realize your athletes are drowning in the abundance of information or overwhelmed by too many corrections. You're trying to do too much. Chill.
Teaching and correcting movement should always have a clearly defined focus and should always adhere to the concept of triage.
When you are teaching a movement, you need to identify what you want to highlight in relation to the movement for that day, that loading, that amount of reps, that workout.
You can not and should not be teaching everything every single time. Of course, there are core concepts you need to explain or demo; however, you should be doing so in a way that's logical and appropriate...not giving a dissertation on the Clean every time it shows up.
In terms of correcting movement, you need to exercise similar restraint and follow a similar charter based around focus and triage. Obviously, we want to prioritize safety. If your athletes aren't moving safely, you need to slow them down or reduce the load or stop them to inspire better movement. But what if your athletes are moving safely...just not efficiently? What if there are multiple things going on that you want to correct? Should you hit them with the firehose? Slow down kemosabe. You want to approach this (and all) situations smartly and logically.
Your goal should be to identify a clear focus and work to correct that one thing. Use short and actionable cues to get there. And once it's fixed and you see better movement patterns...give them some praise. But before you immediately dive in and fix more, take a deep breath. Allow yourself and the athlete some time to adjust then perhaps make your next move.
Long story, short...stop trying to do everything. If you are doing everything, no one thing has enough meaning to be impactful.
SLOW DOWN A LITTLE, FOCUS, AND BE PRECISE IN YOUR TEACHING AND CORRECTING. NOT ONLY WILL YOU FEEL MUCH BETTER ABOUT YOUR TEACHING AND CORRECTING, BUT I WOULD WAGER YOUR ATHLETES ARE GOING TO ENJOY THEIR EXPERIENCE MUCH, MUCH MORE.
