Science &

Application of

Coaching Cues

Sam Leahey, MS, LMT, CSCS

www.SamLeahey.com

• Assistant S&C Coach at Springfield College (30-64/team)

• American International College – S&C Coach (8-17/team)

• Equinox Tier 3 Trainer (1 on 1)

• Differences & Similarities

• Nothing I say here is absolute

• This is NOT an “all or nothing” topic

• Get Better at what you do by changing how you think

• I created none of this material

• Understanding the science can yield better art!

• What’s Finalized vs. What’s Actualized

Exercise/Movement Internal

(body part)

External

(effect/environment)

Sprinting “Extend the hip” “Push the floor behind you”

Overhead Med.Ball Throw “Extend the arms rapidly” Make the loudest noise on the

wall as you can

Power Clean “Move hands and arms closer

to body” “Bring the bar in”

Snatch “Extend the hips and pull the

bar upward near your body”

“Throw the bar into the ceiling

above you”

Spreading The Floor “Shift the weight of your body

to the outside of your feet”

“Rip the floor apart underneath

you”

Neck Packing “Retract head” or “tuck chin” “Make a surprised look”

Hip Hinge “Flexing hips at waist”

“Pretend a rope around your

waist is pulling you backward”

or “look out the window”

Jumping/Hoping Focus on minimizing ground

contact time

Focus on trying to touch the

ceiling

Exercise/Movement Internal

(body part)

External

(effect/environment)

Supine Bench Throws Extending the elbows fast Trying to hit the ceiling with the

ball

Front Squat “extend hips at the top”

“pop at the top” or “the

plates/bar should rattle at the

top”

Core Work “Squeeze your abs” “Pretend like you’re about to

get punched in the stomach”

Posture “Retract and depress shoulder

blades” “Stand tall with proud chest”

Posture “Extend your lumbar spine” “Arch your low back” or “ghetto

booty”

Scap. Pushup “Protract” or “push hands into

ground”

“Push your body away from the

floor/world”

Pullup “retract and depress shoulder

blades”

“Pull your shoulder blades into

back pockets”

Dynamic Effort Deadlifts in

Powerlifting

Focus on lifting/moving body as

fast as possible

Timing how long it takes to

stand up

Deadlift Finish “get your hips through!

Squeeze your glutes!” “Midnight thrust at the top!”

Exercise/Movement Internal

(body part)

External

(effect/environment)

Pushup “Externally rotate your hands

and arms” “Screw the cookie jar on/off”

Hip Hinge “Bend at the waist” “Avoid the karate chop”

Bottom position of squatting “squeeze your hip flexors” “pinch my fingers”

Posterior Pelvic Tilt “rotate your hips upward” “pull your belt buckle up”

Single Leg RDL “move your leg backward

more” “move like a see-saw”

Positional Faults - RNT, Foam Rollers, Cones

• Demonstrated with different tasks:

– Exercises

– Agility maneuvers

– Sports Skills

– Balance

– Jumping/hopping

– Etc.

• Demonstrated with different measurements:

– Time (seconds)

– Length (inches, feet)

– Criterion (pass, fail)

– Ground Contact Times

• Demonstrated with different populations

– Male

– Female

– Beginner Athletes

– Advanced Athletes

– Patients

• Demonstrated in different situations

– Under pressure

– No Pressure

• Tons of research supporting superiority of external cueing and actual movement outcomes (see references)

• SLJ & CMJ improved in all groups but EXT grouped significantly more

• INT & CON groups produced same increase in JH

• EXT produced greater vertical ground reaction forces in DJ

• Out of SLJ, CMJ, and DJ, neither INT or CON group outperformed the EXT group

• Constrained Action Hypothesis & Automaticity

• “Consciously focusing on the movements of a motor action

disrupts automatic motor control processes that regulate

coordinated movements. When athletes actively focus and

consciously control their movements, they interrupt automatic

nonconscious motor behavior processes that normally control

movements in an efficient manner. In contrast, directing

attention externally to the movement effects allows the motor

control system to naturally regulate and organize motor actions.

As a result, movements are unconscious, fast, and reflexive.”

(Wu et al. 2011)

• Movement “micro-chokes” lead to inefficiency

• Motor Unit Efficiency vs. More Motor Units

• “High-Threshold Strategy”

• Less to think about!

• Frequency of movement feedback

– Low Frequency vs. High Frequency

– As Needed vs. Routine

• 2 Studies (Wulf et al. 2002, 2010)

– Cued externally 100% of the time

– Cued externally 33% of the time

– Cued internally 100% of the time

– Cued internally 33% of the time

• Results

– ↑ External Cues = ↑ Motor Learning

– ↓ Internal Cues = ↑ Motor Learning

– ↑ Internal Cues = ↓ Motor Learning

• 100% Externally Cued Group outperformed all other groups

on transfer test! (a different motor task)

In this case more of a good

thing (external cue) IS a

good thing.

• Verbal cueing is a critical tool (obviously).

• Coach/Trainer is the link between what's written on paper and what actually happens

• Verbal instructions can alter your testing/screening (FMS, strength, elasticity) protocols as well. Stay consistent!

• Internal focus of attention can constrain motor programs causing a conscious type of control which can cause less efficient and less reflexive movement, and decreased learning outcomes

• Very frequent external focus of attention can encourage automatic processes and reduce attentional demands that promote overall better performance.

• As I said in the beginning, this is not an all or nothing

topic.

• We’ve been doing this (good or bad) already without

knowing it

• Small vs. Big Change. Not a complete overhaul.

• Internal has a place

• “isolate to integrate”

Coaching Cue Matrix for Novel Movements in a Personal Training Context

"Type" of Movement

Classical "Isolation

/Activation," Mobility, or

"Core Stability" Exercises

Agility

Maneuvers

Compound

Exercises for

Strength,

Elasticity, etc.

Exam

ple

s Side-Lying

External

Rotation

Front Plank Cutting Squat

Hip Bridge Hip Flexor Mob. Crossover Step Plyometrics

Shoulder Packing T-Spine

Extension Mob. Reaction Drill Deadlift

Level of

Trainedness

Beginner Internal or External

Progress from

Internal to

External

Progress from

Internal to

External

Intermediate Internal or External External * External

Advanced Internal or External External External

* In this situation I almost always start with external cueing but regress to internal if necessary.

SamLeahey.com©

• As trainers we are continually questioning our methods, constantly

seeking to get better at what we do.

• Understanding attentional focus, frequency, and feedback are key

components of the informational properties that make up coaching cues.

• The key is to be creative while still adhering to the science of motor

learning.

• The bridge between what you finalize on paper and what is actualized in

real life is you – the trainer.

• How you communicate the intent and how the client perceives the

training initiative determines what ends up happening. The options are

endless and hopefully this presentation gets you better at what you do.

References • Al-Abood, SA, Bennett, SJ,Hernandez, FM, Ashford, D, and Davids, K. Effects of

verbal instructions and image size on visual search strategies in basketball free throw shooting. J Sports Sci 20: 271–278, 2002.

• Landers,M,Wulf, G,Wallman, H, and Guadagnoli, M. An external focus of attention attenuates balance impairment in patients with Parkinson’s disease who have a fall history. Physiotherapy 91: 152–158, 2005.

• Makaruk H, Porter JM, Czaplicki A, Sadowski J, Sacewicz T. The role of attentional focus in plyometric training. J Sports Med Phys Fitness. 2012 Jun;52(3):319-27. PubMed PMID: 22648471.

• Marchant, DC, Greig, M, and Scott, C. Attentional focusing instructions influence force production and muscular activity during isokinetic elbow flexions. J Strength Cond Res 23: 2358–2366, 2009.

• Porter, JM, Nolan, RP, Ostrowski, EJ, and Wulf, G. Directing attention externally enhances agility performance: A qualitative and quantitative analysis of the efficacy of using verbal instructions to focus attention. Front Psycol 1: 216, 2010.

• Porter, JM, and Anton, PM. Directing attention externally improves continuous visuomotor skill performance in older adults who have undergone cancer chemotherapy. J Am Geriatr Soc 59: 369–370, 2011.

• Wu WF, Porter JM, Brown LE. Effect of Attentional Focus Strategies on Peak Force and Performance in the Standing Long Jump. J Strength Cond Res. 2011 Nov 11.

• Wulf, G. Attentional focus effects in balance acrobats. Res Q Exerc Sport 79: 319–325, 2008.

• Wulf, G, Lauterbach, B, and Toole, T. Learning advantages of an external focus of attention in golf. Res Q Exerc Sport 70: 120–126, 1999.

• Wulf, G, Weigelt, M, Poulter, D, and McNevin, N. Attentional focus on suprapostural tasks affects balance learning. Q J Exp Psycol (Colchester) 56A: 1191–1211, 2003.

• Wulf, G. Attention and Motor Skill Learning. Champaign, IL: Human Kinetics, 2007.

• Wulf, G, and Su, J. An external focus of attention enhances golf shot accuracy in beginners and experts. Res Q Exerc Sport 78: 384–389, 2007.

• Wulf, G., McConnel, N., Gärtner, M., and Schwarz, A. (2002). Enhancing the learning of sport skills through external-focus feedback. J. Mot. Behav. 34, 171–182.

• Wulf G, Chiviacowsky S, Schiller E, Avila LT. Frequent external-focus feedback enhances motor learning. Front Psychol. 2010;1:190. 2010 Nov 11.

• Zachry, T, Wulf, G, Mercer, J, and Bezodis, N. Increased movement accuracy and reduced EMG activity as the result of adopting an external focus of attention. Brain Res Bull 67: 304–309, 2005.

www.SamLeahey.com Sam@samleahey.com