Physical and verbal cues
Verbal: Cues work similarly to motivation, if your parents want you to be All-American that is extrinsic motivation, if you have the desire to be an All American that is intrinsic motivation and that is a much more powerful tool. Similar principles apply to coaching, for example : If you’re in quadruped position (on all fours) and coach tell you to raise your right leg and left arm and hold till cued to switch, you’re going to do just that. However if the desired result is for you to have a straight back with your toes dorsiflexion and arm pointing straight ahead coach may say “drive your right leg back as if your trying to touch the wall with your heel first, and reach your left arm as if your trying to touch the other side of the room” you will end up in the right position or close enough so that minor adjustments are needed. If coach wants you to land in an athletic position during plyometric drills, you have heard the words athletic position so many times over your athletic career that it becomes white noise. If not it’s just me, and that’s fine. But if you are like me and having dealt with about 12-15 years of being coached in multiple different sports with multiple different definitions of “athletic position”, a cue like, “land so I can slide a credit card under your heel and you’re ready to move”, may cause an enormous light bulb to go off over your head. But then again maybe not, maybe coach simply need’s to say land on the balls of your feet and be an athlete.
Physical: One of the most common mistakes that occurs in the weight room is squats, we had it down as babies but somewhere along the way we screwed it up. Anyways, most athletes at one point at time have been told put your weight on your heels and keep your eyes all the way up KNOCK THAT OFF! Just don’t do it your weight should be in the center of your foot and your head should be in a neutral position. A physical cue to get you into the correct weight distribution may be for coach to physical squeeze the middle of your foot prior to the lift so you can know where your weight should be. Most athletes are tactile learners you need to learn a play you need to physical do it, it is the same way in the weight room a coach can tell you head neutral, don’t bounce on your way up, weight in the middle of your feet, till they are blue in the face. If you’re a tactile learner you need to know what it feels like to be in the correct position and replicate it.
If what your doing or what the coach is saying isn’t clicking with you, JUST ASK!!
-K.DUFFY