// Want help coaching communication? It starts with your buy in

In my first few years as a coach I was positive that I knew exactly what to say and when to say it.  In my mind I was already an expert coach. There is something about being in your 20’s that makes you feel like you have it all mastered. I had read all the training books you could think of and I worked hard to know all the little details about each and every lift. I thought I knew it all, but knew nothing about coaching communication.

I was that coach that would yell five different cues for every rep of a squat…

“Chest up”

“Knees out”

“Sit back”

“Tuck your elbows”

“Lower, Lower, LOWER!”

Give me a tight polo and shave my head. I was ‘that guy’.

I was positive I knew it all…

Understanding how to coach Communication

Over time what I found was that my relationship with my athletes only existed in the confines of the training session. No pre-workout conversations. No post-workout shooting the shit. Nothing. 

My coaching was simply surface level with my athletes…

When I came to this realization, I was baffled.  I had done all the internships, ‘earned my stripes’ stocking the supplement station and hand washing the lifting straps, and I had a bright shiny overpriced certification. 

It took me a while to come to this understanding, however, over time I realized I was coaching every athlete the exact same way and that I wasn’t passionate about getting to know who the athlete truly was as a person. 

I figured that everyone was like I was as an athlete where you could be loud and bark commands and they’ll respond. I never considered that some athletes need someone to put their arm around them or give feedback through a side conversation and that for some athletes to perform well they just need to know you believe in them. 

It became apparent that I didn’t get it. I didn’t realize that the strength game is really just a mentorship program that happens gets you stronger and faster. 

Now, at the risk of sounding like an old man, young coaches in this field are extremely lucky. The field of strength and conditioning is on fire with the topic of coaching communication.  When they look for resources to help better them as a coach they can find endless amounts of information on non-verbal communication, motivation tactics, and internal vs. external coaching cues. 

Here’s my thing with coaching communication – everyone is talking about what to say and how to say it. But, in my mind, the most important thing is relationships and how the athletes feel about who’s coaching them.

The simple truth is that your buy in is more critical than the athletes. 

The people you coach can feel your passion just like you can pick up on that of an athlete. If you don’t have passion you can never move your athlete/coach relationship into a range that will allow the athlete to produce the greatest results possible.

Now, why does this improved relationship allow you to bolster their overall training outcomes?

Simple, this allows you to elevate your communication, both verbal and non-verbal. With the biggest increase being in the non-verbal communication realm. This is where one subtle look from you or an athlete can tell you everything you need to know. Without saying a word and without filling the gym with noise pollution you can communicate clearly and effectively. 

Have you ever had that friend who you could communicate with by just glancing at them? You should be shooting for that same thing with the athlete’s you coach.

During a training session, your goal as a coach should be to ‘stick and move’. This means that your coaching communiation cues should be direct and in a way that the athlete can process, understand, and implement.  To do this, you have to put in the work outside of the training session. You have to invest your time into truly getting to know your athlete’s on a very deep level. Not to mention, that investing in the relationship you have with your athletes is what coaching is all about.

For me, I have found that there are five particular subject areas I want to dive deep into with every athlete I coach.

The five areas are… 

1. PERSONALITY: How do they need to be coached
2. AMBITION: What’s their big dream 
3. REAL LIFE: What are they interested in outside of athletics
4. ARCHIVE: Their history (athletic, injury, and personal) 
5. FEARS: What their biggest concerns are in the weight room

Let’s break each of those down and dive deep into why they are important.

Now, once you have an understanding of the athlete from the perspective of each of the five areas listed above, your coaching communication will become more effective and efficient. This allows you to give short, precise, and digestible coach communication in a short amount of time. But, more importantly, your coaching will be more impactful because the athlete will buy into you as a coach.

Once the athlete buys into you and knows you are invested in them, then it’s easy from there.