Table Of Content

Praise for The Language of Coaching “In The Language of Coaching, Nick Winkelman has done something I previously thought to be impossible. He has combined a textbook-caliber education on motor learning with practical strategies that coaches of all levels from all disciplines can utilize immediately. It would take you an entire career of coaching to pick up, just by chance, some of the competencies he outlines—and even then, you’d come up short. Nick’s work will fast-track coaches to effective communication—and, in turn, outstanding results—for their athletes and clients. I wish I’d had this book 20 years ago!” —Eric Cressey, CSCS President and Cofounder of Cressey Sports Performance Director of Player Health and Performance for the New York Yankees “Nick is one of the bright young minds in our field. The Language of Coaching continues Nick’s excellent progression from coach, to speaker, and now to writer.” —Michael Boyle Owner of Mike Boyle Strength and Conditioning “Nick Winkelman is what I like to call a ‘coaches’ coach.’ In the 10 years I have known Nick, he has proven himself to be one of the authorities in the industry for strength and conditioning as well as the art of coaching. Nick has the ability to convey information in such a relatable fashion, making his delivery warm and welcoming. He is one of the few people I like to lean on for advice in our industry, and I am excited to continue to use Nick as my go-to resource. I will be gifting The Language of Coaching to dozens of coaches and athletes.” —Don Saladino Celebrity Trainer Health and Performance Specialist Founder and Owner of Drive Health Clubs “Whether you are a sport coach, a strength and conditioning specialist, or a physical therapist, you need to effectively communicate with your athletes or clients. Nick Winkelman takes the science of effective coaching to another level with The Language of Coaching and delivers effective real-world strategies to improve not only communication but also the ultimate goal—clients results. The Language of Coaching is a masterpiece. In time it will become the ultimate guide to coaching. It’s already mandatory reading for all my coaches.” —Alwyn Cosgrove Fitness Coach Owner of Results Fitness “Nick Winkelman’s passion, wisdom, and knowledge have helped to turn the science of motor learning into a digestible, applicable framework. His book, The Language of Coaching, will serve as an invaluable tool for driving results with athletes and clients.” —Alex Zimmerman Senior Director of the Tier X Program at Equinox “Nick Winkelman helped me gain an edge on the combine and take full advantage of my training. His book, The Language of Coaching, will help other athletes do the same.” —Dontari Poe Defensive Tackle for the Carolina Panthers “The Language of Coaching is a groundbreaking and meticulously researched book that delivers practical and user-friendly ways for a coach to connect for results. This book should be on every coach’s shelf.” —Martin Rooney Founder of Training for Warriors Coach to Hundreds of NFL, UFC, NBA, WNBA, MLB, and Olympic Athletes Author of Coach to Coach “Nick Winkelman helped improve my mind-set and introduced me to a new way of performing at the highest level. With The Language of Coaching, he will do the same for you.” —Prince Amukamara Cornerback for the Chicago Bears “Using a logical, evidence guided approach, Nick essentially obliterates the communication barrier between coaches and athletes. If your job description includes conveying ideas with the intention of improving the physical capabilities of others, read The Language of Coaching.” —Andreo Spina, BKin, DC, FRCCSS(C) Sports Specialist Chiropractor Movement and Mobility Coach CEO of Functional Anatomy Seminars “Drawing on Winkelman’s vast personal experience with high-level athletes, The Language of Coaching unpacks the flaws in our assumptions, examining how apparently small changes in what we say and how we say it can result in more durable learning for the athletes we teach. It will surely prove to be a significant and enduring contribution to the literature of coaching.” —Doug Lemov Author of Teach Like a Champion, Teach Like a Champion 2.0, and Practice Perfect “In The Language of Coaching, Nick has offered an important contribution to the coaching world. A combination of a comprehensive scientific text and practical operator’s manual, this is a must-read for all coaches.” —Stuart McMillan CEO of ALTIS Sprint Coach “I was privileged to spend an intense period learning from Nick in a formal workshop setting. These sessions were Olympic-coach-level workshops and presentations. I can honestly say that the guidance on cueing was evidence based, highly practical, and immediately applicable. Nick’s knowledge, manner, and communication skills make available a level of athlete performance enhancement that is off the charts. His work and process are highly recommended across a broad spectrum of sports; his methods will make you a better coach—period!” —Bobby McGee Olympic Coach (With Medals in the Atlanta, London, and Rio Olympics) Team Leader and High-Performance Support Staff “As a coach of athletes who are blind, I am constantly looking for better ways to describe actions and motion without needing a visual reference. After working with Nick, I have the perfect set of verbal cueing skills to best teach my team!” —Jake Czechowski Head Coach of the USA Women’s National Goalball Team “Nick’s guidance on cueing gave me the most effective coaching technique I have ever practiced. It has taught our coaching staff how to prevent manufacturing complexity and has given our athletes laser focus on what truly matters in performing at the highest level.” —Mike Kohn USA Bobsled Head Coach “Nick’s work is a valuable component of our national team coach course, providing unique and practical insight on communicating with athletes to elicit better performance. His practical approach and methods help enhance coach– athlete understanding in a strategic, logical way. Coaches who have gone through his training as part of our course have seen significant results right away. Nick’s work is a valuable tool that can be applied across a variety of levels and sports.” —Christine Bolger Coaching Education Department of the United States Olympic and Paralympic Committee “The very practical tactics I learned from Nick (at a USOC National Team Coach Seminar) helped immediately with my pair figure skating athletes. My improved understanding of cueing and the use of purposeful and targeted analogies guided faster skill acquisition, specifically with triple twists.” —Bobby Martin U.S. Figure Skating Coach “Nick has unlocked the superpower shared by highly effective coaches around the world. Great coaching is directly correlated to precise and purposeful communication. Cleaning up communication is as critical as correcting compensatory movement patterns. Nick has relentlessly worked through the research and has the practical knowledge that comes only from thousands of coaching sessions. The Language of Coaching will make you and our field better.” —Mark Verstegen Founder and President of EXOS “Knowing your stuff is only part of the coach’s task: The more important part is transmitting that knowledge. That takes not only advanced speaking skills— mastering both what to say and how to say it—but also conscious listening, because listening is the doorway to understanding, and understanding is the access to effective relationships, not to mention motivation. Nick’s excellent book is long overdue, focusing as it does on communication, the most critical and long-overlooked aspect of performance coaching.” —Julian Treasure Five-Time TED Speaker Author of the Award-Winning Book How to Be Heard “The longer I’m in the ‘movement game,’ from rehabilitation to performance, the more I appreciate it when equal value is placed on information, experience, and reflection. In The Language of Coaching, Nick guides us to not overvalue one aspect and undervalue the others.” —Gray Cook, MSPT, OCS, CSCS Cofounder of Functional Movement Systems Author of Movement “Now we can all have access to the most powerful tool in our toolbox—language. In The Language of Coaching, Nick captures the importance of intentional and effective communication in creating a movement experience for our athletes that will maximize their performance!” —Anna Hartman, ATC Founder of MovementREV “In The Language of Coaching, Nick Winkelman has taken a complex topic and its large amounts of research and evidence, paired it with his expertise on the subject, and compressed it down to an extremely practical and easily digestible book. This is a must-read for anyone who works with people and seeks to make them better.” —Brandon Marcello, PhD High-Performance Strategist “Bottom line: What we say matters. Our words are what bridges the gap from the science of coaching to the art of coaching. In this book, Nick does a beautiful job of helping coaches bring their programming to life via the most important tool we all have: communication. Not only will this book help you improve as a coach, it will help you connect better to your client, ultimately improving their results.” —Sue Falsone, MS, PT, SCS, ATC, CSCS, COMT President of Structure & Function Education Author of Bridging the Gap From Rehab to Performance THE LANGUAGE OF COACHING The Art & Science of Teaching Movement NICK WINKELMAN Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data Names: Winkelman, Nick, 1984- author. | Human Kinetics (Organization) Title: The language of coaching : the art & science of teaching movement / Nick Winkelman, PhD, CSCS, NSCA-CPT, Head of Athletic Performance & Science, Irish Rugby Football Union. Description: Champaign, Illinois : Human Kinetics Inc., 2020. | Includes bibliographical references and index. Identifiers: LCCN 2019052286 (print) | LCCN 2019052287 (ebook) | ISBN 9781492567363 (Paperback) | ISBN 9781492591450 (ePub) | ISBN 9781492567370 (PDF) Subjects: LCSH: Coaching (Athletics) | Performance. Classification: LCC GV711 .W56 2020 (print) | LCC GV711 (ebook) | DDC 796.07/7--dc23 LC record available at https://lccn.loc.gov/2019052286 LC ebook record available at https://lccn.loc.gov/2019052287 ISBN: 978-1-4925-6736-3 (print) Copyright © 2021 by Nicklaas Winkelman Human Kinetics supports copyright. Copyright fuels scientific and artistic endeavor, encourages authors to create new works, and promotes free speech. Thank you for buying an authorized edition of this work and for complying with copyright laws by not reproducing, scanning, or distributing any part of it in any form without written permission from the publisher. 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