Coaching and Technique
What this domain tests
Coaching and Technique items test whether you can teach a movement, identify a fault against points of performance, deliver a concise cue, and re-test the fix. Group-coaching judgment matters as much as exercise knowledge.
Teaching method
The standard sequence is explain, demonstrate, practice. Explain the what (movement name) and why (purpose), demonstrate the how with 2–3 points of performance, then get athletes moving quickly. Keep demonstrations short and show at least two angles when the movement is complex. Points of performance are the observable standards: for a squat, for example, neutral spine, heels down, knees tracking over toes, and full depth.
Seeing and correcting
Use a fault-correction cycle: observe, pick the highest-priority fault, cue, and re-test. Cue one thing at a time, in a few words. If the cue does not change the movement, use a chalk talk, a skill-transfer exercise, a breakdown, or a repositioning. Correct the root cause, not every symptom, and never sacrifice safety to keep the class moving.
Worked example
An athlete's air squat shows heels lifting, knees caving in, and the chest dropping. The coach resists listing all three faults. First cue: 'knees over toes' while the athlete performs a slow squat; re-test. If knees still collapse and heels still rise, test ankle mobility by elevating the heels on plates. If the squat improves, mobility is a likely limiter; prescribe ankle mobility and a heel-elevated squat. If it does not improve, the issue may be motor control; use a band around the knees or a goblet squat as a skill transfer. The reasoning: one cue, one re-test, then a targeted intervention.
Traps that cost marks
- Cueing a symptom instead of the underlying cause.
- Stacking three cues in one sentence.
- Correcting every athlete at once and ignoring the group.
- Using internal jargon the athlete cannot apply.
- Assuming every fault is a mobility problem.
- Letting a faulty rep count because the clock is running.