Coaching Through Questions

Coaching Through Questions

 

I think we all have had that coach/teacher/supervisor that is an "Over Coacher". The "Over Coacher" is constantly talking, repeatedly giving advice and clogging the air and the learning process with their help. The "Over Coacher" means well but in the end the thousand things they tell you only make things more difficult. You see this often in people newer to coaching/teaching/leadership positions who get really excited to share knowledge. Another "Over Coacher" feel they must over compensate to feel important or that they think they know best. We all have been an "over coach" at sometime I'm no exception. It's exciting to learn something new and gain knowledge and want to share it with others. If you're really sharing that knowledge you should be doing this for the students benefit not to feel important and boost your ego. Sometimes you can call the "Over Coacher" the "Advice Guy". The "Advice Guy" just likes to give their advice on everything and anything. Ironically the "Advice Guy" is the usually the one that can't take advice.

Here's a couple ways to stop being an "Over Coacher". This applies to any part of life not just teaching someone how to Snatch, it can be how to teach the new guy at your office how to change the ink on the printer. Or how to teach your child to swing a bat.

If you're teaching someone to do something for the first time you need to show them how to do the task properly first. Before showing them the task it's important to tell them the "why". Tell them "why" we do it this way and "why" we teach it this way. Then you need to break down the task into smaller segmented pieces and teach them step by step giving only giving a couple cues/instructions at a time. Then slowly build upon the previous steps, don't be afraid to let allow them to fail and fall on their butt. Failure is often a great teacher. As a coach be there along the way only giving them encouragement and a couple cues/instructions at a time to keep them focused. 

An important part of coaching is to STOP and observe. Don't fill the air with nonsense. Actually watch, listen and care. Observing and asking questions isn't a license for not being engaged in your athletes or students. A coach must always be involved and invested in your athletes. The dichotomy of being invested in your athletes and students is that to much help or doing things for people can be more hurting than helpful. Nobody learned anything by someone else always doing it for them. This is the time where you need to ask questions to coach. A conversations might go like this. 

Athlete: Can you help me with my Snatch?

 

Coach: What seems to be the problem? 

 

Athlete: I don't know, I keep missing the bar out in front.

 

Coach: Ok Cool, let me see you snatch. 

...... athlete misses Snatch in front.............

 

Coach: You are missing the bar forward. Have done changed anything from what you normally do?

 

Athlete: No, well I guess I have been trying to move my hands in a little closer because it feels better on my shoulders when I go over head.

 

Coach: Bringing your hand position closer together can make you take off sooner and cause you to miss forward. You can try to moving your hands back out a little bit back out or you can try bending your arms a little early to get the bar back into position. Give one of these a try.

By asking questions you can help teach them how to fix their own problems. To much help can be hurting. Like the old saying goes " give a man a fish feed him for a day; teach a man to fish and you feed him for a life time." Maybe it's fixing a person Snatch or maybe it's helping figure out a timeline for a project at work whatever it is try asking a questions first before giving advice.