In today's episode I talk with author and strength and conditioning coach Nick Winkelman, who is an expert in the the use of language and it's effect on learning various motor skills. His book, The Language of Coaching: The Art & Science of Teaching Movement, is available on Amazon now (Kindle and print copies available) and serves as a practical guide to improving HOW we coach with the words, phrases, and timing we choose. Nick is passionate about his field, an expert in the areas of strength and conditioning, and was a pleasure to speak with and get to know. You can learn more about him and pick up his book on TheLanguageOfCoaching.com or on Amazon.

In this episode we talk about:

• Understanding the Why behind your athletes and getting to know them as people
• Adapting your language to fit what works best for THEM and helps them learn the motor skill you're teaching
• If "how you practice is how you play", why wouldn't you speak the same in a games as you do in practice?
• The difference between an 'internal cue' and 'external cue' and the benefits and drawbacks of each
• Beginning each session with the 'What, Why, & How" so your athletes are primed to learn and prepared for your feedback
• Specific, implementable strategies to use TODAY with your athletes (offering choices, A/B options, using athletic tape on their clothes to show them what you want them to do), to help them learn, see, and do what you're attempting to teach them
• Proving your competency as a coach through questions to your athletes and the Self Determination Theory
• Why coaches must be dynamic why a culture where it's safe to fail is a great method for allowing growth and self-development

Nick offers the following as resources to improve your craft as a coach:

The Inner Game of Tennis - The Classic Guide to the Mental Side of Peak Performance by Timothy Gallwey

Practice Perfect by Doug Lemov

The Little Book of Talent by Dan Coyle

Attention and Motor Learning - Gabriele Wulf

The Language of Coaching: The Art and Science of Teaching Movement by Nick Winkelman

Nick can be reached through his website TheLanguageOfCoaching.com, and Twitter and Instagram @Nick Winkelman. I'd encourage you to check out his talk "What We Say Matters" at the NSCA convention in 2018 on YouTube Here. And take his mini course available through his website.