General Coaching Skills

[Mark Diffley]

I am looking for some resources to improve my coaching skills. I have my CF Level 1 and USA Weightlifting Level 1 certs. I've worked part time at a CF box in Atlanta, but moved to Chicago this year and haven't gotten back into coaching it yet. I'm also currently teaching jiu jitsu at a small school here. I feel like I have a good technical understanding of most movements in either but I was looking for more ways to improve my coaching itself.

I went to Rip's Starting Strength cert this past weekend and didn't pass the platform portion of the cert because I tended to overcoach instead of being direct and succint. They attributed it to lack of coaching experience. Though I do have some coaching experience, overall they are probably correct.

I know the certifications I have been to teach the basics of the movements and cover how to teach them but I'm looking for ways to just develop my coaching skills in general, so I can better apply the same methods whether it be for CF, Weightlifting, S&C or Jiu Jitsu etc.

Does anyone here have any recommended books or other resources that may help?

Thanks,

Mark

[Ben Langford]

I would recommend a university level manual on motor control and learning - I think Human Kinetics does a pretty good one. A basic understanding of how physical skills are learnt, recalled and improved is undeniably useful for coaching.

I also suggest checking out some vids of coaches teaching lifts, jits, CF etc. but concentrate on how they are teaching rather than what they are teaching. Try Cane Prevost and Burgener as a starting point.

[Michael McKenna]

Volunteer and Coach some youth teams, in any sport, for about three or four years. evaluate yourself every day and consider, seriously, how you can better communicate. Move up through the ages to see how people respond differently to cues.

Or volunteer and observe some good high school coaches who get crap or inexperienced athletes and turn them into winners. Find, for instance, a track or wrestling team with no feeder program, but who has consistent success. Then go talk to that coach.

[Dave Van Skike]

Experience is key. Lot's of places to get it. You need education or experience? Here's what i'd do. Take some field trips.

Beg borrow plead you way into a Legit PL gym with master's and open lifters

Do the same with a real track and field program shadowing endurance, sprint and throws coaches

Then go beg your way into a legit Oly coaching place. Catalyst, Thrush performance, Pendlay...there's some guy on the East Coast named Mike McKenna....knows his shit.

Then go spend some weekends doing training camps/clinics, I'd suggest a John Powell, Serevi Rugby maybe a gymnastic camp, and a boxing camp.


There's a link in my sig for a seminar that may also be what I think you're after.

[James Evans]

There's a link in my sig for a seminar that may also be what I think you're after.


That's a shady cast of characters.

[Dave Van Skike]

That's a shady cast of characters.


The worst kind. I vouch for all of them.