Feedback on Coaching

[Jeff Johnson]

Hi all. I decided a few months ago that I was interested in pursuing SSC at some point. This is my first time coaching a true, rank novice. I'm looking for feedback on my coaching! I've linked 3 videos here that I would very much appreciate feedback from SSCs on. Thanks!

Squat coaching - YouTube

Bench feedback - YouTube

Deadlift coaching - YouTube

I forgot to record the press, but we covered the "big 4" in about 2 hours, including running through the progression to determine starting weights and the first 3x5s. My friend here had virtually no experience with barbells and we determined that I would help him run an NLP. (he also had no issues with me recording)

Thanks for looking!

[Nick D'Agostino]

You did a very good job Jeff. As general feedback I recommend you talk less. Eliminate filler phrases like "there you go" and the rep counting. Saying something like "good" is ok if it lets the client know they specifically executed something that you were working on. If you are using "good" as a filler I would drop that too.

For specific feedback on squat I would have cued hip drive more. For bench I would have given an action cue instead to push the bar toward his spot on the ceiling or towards the rack and not of a "don't do this" cue. For deadlift I would have cued knees out in the setup, to give them an opportunity to set their low back better. Also, do not let him drop his butt. You can say things like "hips high" or "shoulders in front of the bar" or use a tactile cue to draw attention to the dropping.

If you want regular feedback on your coaching you should check out the coaches' prep course. This is a built-in part of the process to progress through the course. Starting Strength Coach Prep Course – The Aasgaard Company

Hope this helps!

[Jeff Johnson]

You did a very good job Jeff. As general feedback I recommend you talk less. Eliminate filler phrases like "there you go" and the rep counting. Saying something like "good" is ok if it lets the client know they specifically executed something that you were working on. If you are using "good" as a filler I would drop that too.

For specific feedback on squat I would have cued hip drive more. For bench I would have given an action cue instead to push the bar toward his spot on the ceiling or towards the rack and not of a "don't do this" cue. For deadlift I would have cued knees out in the setup, to give them an opportunity to set their low back better. Also, do not let him drop his butt. You can say things like "hips high" or "shoulders in front of the bar" or use a tactile cue to draw attention to the dropping.

If you want regular feedback on your coaching you should check out the coaches' prep course. This is a built-in part of the process to progress through the course. Starting Strength Coach Prep Course – The Aasgaard Company

Hope this helps!

Hey thank you for the feedback Nick! So obviously there were issues that I didn't have a chance to get to that next time I coach him I will fix I was more concerned with getting the basic movement patterns down so he knows what each lift basically feels like.

Like I said he went from pretty much never having touched the barbell to where you see here in about 30 minutes on each lift. If I would have had more time then I would have definitely fixed some of the bigger issues in his lifts but I was just happy to get him to where he was in that short time.

I really appreciate you taking the time to watch the videos and give me some feedback on my coaching this was the first time teaching somebody who didn't know anything about barbells to do the lifts so I'm very happy with how well it went all things considered.

I will definitely utilize your tips for the next time

[Nick D'Agostino]

You're welcome! For someone who has never lifted before you did a good job coaching them. If you want to become a better coach I would focus your efforts more on the general feedback things I pointed out. Eliminating the unnecessary stuff will help bring more clarity to your communication.

[Jeff Johnson]

You're welcome! For someone who has never lifted before you did a good job coaching them. If you want to become a better coach I would focus your efforts more on the general feedback things I pointed out. Eliminating the unnecessary stuff will help bring more clarity to your communication.

Thanks man! I do plan on enrolling in the CDC when I get some additional experience and have some steady trainees. Really appreciate your tips.