My experience with Northeastern University’s coaching cues began when I was reading the PPE and FMS testing manuals before my first week. The importance of having an effective and uniform communication within the Strength and conditioning staff and with the athlete is of paramount importance. From the first day of my internship I was exposed to this; using the same cues as that are in the PPE Manual with all the athletes or for any test will insure that all the tests that we administer are done in the exact same way and that we collect reliable data. During the FMS a visual cue would be demonstrating the correct foot placement and body position during the inline lunge test. While administering a conditioning test telling the athletes the breathe in through their bellies or belly breathe will help them recover from the test and prepare for the next test or strength training practice.
I have learned many new coaching cues and I am happy to say that they make sense and are effective and reliable cues to usewhile I am coaching. The importance of having common and effective cues within the strength and conditioning department; is that it maintains clear communication among the strength and conditioning staff also with the athletes and athletic training department. When communication between all three is universal it is easier for athletes to be corrected on there movement patterns and strength training. If an athletes hears the same cue for the same exercise from three or four different staff members it is far more likely that the athlete will correct it.
The use of visual and tactile cues will reinforce the verbal cues giving during a strength and conditioning practice, allowing the athletes to better recall the correct way to execute a movement or how their body should feel while it is being performed. Placing a PVC pipe on an athletes back to teach a proper hip hinge or back squat, the PVC pipe is the tactile cue for the athlete performing the movement and a visual cue for the other athletes that are watching the movement. ( if an athlete is using a morrow it can double as a visual and tactile cue.)
I am now beginning to see results from effective cuing with the team that I work with. For example the Women’s Row team is really responding well to the cues that are given to them and are able to quickly recall correct technique or be corrected quickly. For example when they are cued to keep a flat back and Nuetral spine during a plank (or any exercise we do) they quickly correct themselves if they haven’t recalled them movement immediately or maintain a tight core while doing push ups. Having seen this work In a large student athletele population reinforces the need for the coaching cues to be the same.
Over cueing and cueing at an inappropriate time can cause confusion and overwhelm the athlete and may slow down the learning process for the proper execution of a lift for example. This can be detriment to the coaching process because it may create a lack of confidence with the athletes in your ability to effectively coach them with strength and conditioning. I was guilty of is during this past tacking and field practice what coaching an athlete during a hang clean. This is a habit that I definitely want to break and be aware when it begins to happen while coaching (and when other coaches are over cueing as well.)
Having universal coaching cues is important for building a strong and effective strength and conditioning program, they are the glue that hold the programs core philosophy together and give us the realsults that we want. Cueing is important not only while coaching strength and conditioning but, also while administering testing! Balancing and blending audible, visual, and tacticle cues is key to having the athletes retain and recall proper movement pattern and execution of the prehab and strength training exercises. Avoiding over cueing may be something that many coaches will have to over come however, it must not be part of our “tool box” as it will hinder the success and growth of the strength and conditioning program.
On a side note, I am implementing everything that I am learning here and applying my practice of Brazilian Jujitsu and to my Muay Thai program. This will only enhance my program and make me a better and more knowledgable athlete and coach. I am interested I seeing the results within the two sports overtime