As a strength coach it is very important to have an understanding of each of the movements being utilized in your programming. More importantly, though, is being able to perform these movements while coaching as athletes will follow by example. Also, being able to perform the movement and correct your own problem areas will make it easier to do the same on the athletes being coached. Over the past few weeks we have been taking the most popular movements used at Northeastern and performing them ourselves, taking cues from each other on how to correct our own flaws. It has also been very helpful learning new ways to correct faults.
The shuffle was amongst the movements we were tested and then corrected on. It is such a simple movement used in gyms everywhere which gives a snapshot of an athlete’s ability to move laterally with speed and power. While going over the logistics it was apparent to me how many of our athletes do not take the time to perform the movement correctly. Instead they speed through it and on to the next exercise. When teaching the shuffle athletes should first begin in athletic position: feet hip width apart, squatting above parallel (shoulders over the knees), chest up and look forward. Once that is established the athlete should be coached to push off with the back foot (weight in mid-foot) while moving laterally and keeping an equal distance between both feet. The back foot is the power producer as it pushes the floor away while the front foot is used to guide. This is a very common misconception by athletes when performing the shuffle and thus they will not reap the intended benefits.
When coaching movements it is very important to ask the athlete which areas or muscles they are feeling being worked. This will give you a better understanding of if the exercise is being executed properly. For example, in the shuffle if an athlete says they feel it in their calves or front foot they need to be retaught set up and push off points. Falling back into the athletic position and keeping the feet hip width apart will trigger more glute, quad, and hamstring activation.
If an athlete is having trouble understanding the patterns they need to follow to properly perform a movement or they are still not triggering the correct muscles then props can be used to “guide” the athlete into the correct position. Continuing with the shuffle, using a Keiser machine with the waist attachment can give the athlete more stability when sinking into the athletic position. It will force the athlete to distribute weight in the foot more evenly and feel more confident in creating power with the back foot without having to focus so much on “guiding” themselves in the correct direction. Using such equipment will establish a movement pattern for the athlete and eventually they will be able to perform on their own.