Navigating the world of skills coaching – especially REMOTE skills coaching – presents unique challenges and opportunities.
Skills Coaches always strive to streamline communication, enhance understanding, and maintain momentum in training.
And CoachNow stands as a vital tool in this endeavor, offering a platform for coaches to offer detailed video analysis and constructive feedback.
But even the most robust tools require a strategic approach to truly tap into their potential. And CoachNow is no different.
At the end of the day, CoachNow is only valuable if it helps shorten the feedback loop with your athletes. To maximize the platform, you need to clearly communicate HOW you want your athletes to interact with you on CoachNow.
And that’s exactly what this blog is for. Here I offer some practical guidelines for posting in CoachNow.
Let’s dive in.
Skills Coaches always strive to streamline communication, enhance understanding, and maintain momentum in training.
And CoachNow stands as a vital tool in this endeavor, offering a platform for coaches to offer detailed video analysis and constructive feedback.
But even the most robust tools require a strategic approach to truly tap into their potential. And CoachNow is no different.
At the end of the day, CoachNow is only valuable if it helps shorten the feedback loop with your athletes. To maximize the platform, you need to clearly communicate HOW you want your athletes to interact with you on CoachNow.
And that’s exactly what this blog is for. Here I offer some practical guidelines for posting in CoachNow.
Let’s dive in.
1. Require Them to Post in the First Place
Before anything else, let’s state the obvious: your athletes actually need to POST in CoachNow to reap the benefits of the platform.
The best way to do this? Set minimum requirements for weekly interaction.
Make it abundantly clear that this isn’t a “perk” of your offer, but a requirement you will enforce.
E.g. “As part of your coaching package of $X per month, you’re required to post twice per week minimum when we aren’t together”.
Trust me. This requirement is highly valuable to your athletes and will only take a few minutes of your time to review.
One more thing. As I’ve said before, the happiest coaches are the ones that take the firmest stance on using ONLY CoachNow for communication.
You need to train your athlete to work within your preferred channel. Setting this expectation and boundary from the get go will save you a huge headache AND set the stage for rapid improvement for your clients.
Ok, with that out of the way, on to what makes a good CoachNow post!
The best way to do this? Set minimum requirements for weekly interaction.
Make it abundantly clear that this isn’t a “perk” of your offer, but a requirement you will enforce.
E.g. “As part of your coaching package of $X per month, you’re required to post twice per week minimum when we aren’t together”.
Trust me. This requirement is highly valuable to your athletes and will only take a few minutes of your time to review.
One more thing. As I’ve said before, the happiest coaches are the ones that take the firmest stance on using ONLY CoachNow for communication.
You need to train your athlete to work within your preferred channel. Setting this expectation and boundary from the get go will save you a huge headache AND set the stage for rapid improvement for your clients.
Ok, with that out of the way, on to what makes a good CoachNow post!
2. Always Provide Full Context
Every effective CoachNow post begins with clear context. Teach your athletes to include text descriptions with any videos they post.
This should describe what they focused on, how they felt during the performance, and any challenges they faced.
Have them ask you questions, share their concerns, and encourage them to add tags to their posts to better help them find the content down the line.
This level of detail sets the stage for a productive dialogue between the athlete and the coach.
Asking for clarification slows down progress significantly. You should use your time to quickly analyze videos and give feedback – not to guess why a video was posted in their Space.
Make it a rule - you only analyze videos that include ALL relevant context.
This should describe what they focused on, how they felt during the performance, and any challenges they faced.
Have them ask you questions, share their concerns, and encourage them to add tags to their posts to better help them find the content down the line.
This level of detail sets the stage for a productive dialogue between the athlete and the coach.
Asking for clarification slows down progress significantly. You should use your time to quickly analyze videos and give feedback – not to guess why a video was posted in their Space.
Make it a rule - you only analyze videos that include ALL relevant context.
3. Encourage Engagement
An effective CoachNow post goes beyond the basics; it fosters a culture of collaborative learning.
As such, any posts you make should encourage some form of athlete engagement.
Try pushing your athletes to analyze their own performance before asking you for feedback.
This not only gives you a starting point for your analysis - it also encourages your athletes to actively participate in the coaching process.
On a similar note, you should always seek to nurture what is known as a “ permission-based environment”.
In other words, athletes should always feel comfortable, encouraged, and empowered to share their thoughts, performances, and experiences within their CoachNow Space.
In other words, you don't want them to just POST content, you want them to REFLECT on what their content says about their progress.
Help your athletes understand that their insights are valuable and that proactive engagement is a crucial part of their development.
As such, any posts you make should encourage some form of athlete engagement.
Try pushing your athletes to analyze their own performance before asking you for feedback.
This not only gives you a starting point for your analysis - it also encourages your athletes to actively participate in the coaching process.
On a similar note, you should always seek to nurture what is known as a “ permission-based environment”.
In other words, athletes should always feel comfortable, encouraged, and empowered to share their thoughts, performances, and experiences within their CoachNow Space.
In other words, you don't want them to just POST content, you want them to REFLECT on what their content says about their progress.
Help your athletes understand that their insights are valuable and that proactive engagement is a crucial part of their development.
4. “Show”, Don’t Just “Tell”
The ability to remotely analyze video means that feedback can be given and received at any time, breaking the constraints of scheduling and location.
CoachNow’s Video and Image Analysis Suite is your ace in the sleeve for efficient, effective communication.
While video analysis won’t solve all your problems, it can be an incredibly valuable way to create a shared understanding when communicating feedback.
In other words, video tools enable you to deliver your points easily, efficiently, and clearly.
And it’s important to note that you want your athletes to also be proficient in using the video tools.
You should always strive to be giving them calibrative feedback, not directive feedback. I go over this distinction in another blog if you want to learn more: Don’t Worry! Your Athletes Won’t Fire You if They Get Too Good, Too Fast.
Encourage your athletes to do voice-overs on their own videos to provide real-time insights into their thought processes and physical sensations during the performance. Then you can respond with your own voice over, providing unique insight either confirming or correcting their own analysis.
Utilize Slow Motion to call out corrections in their form. Use our Annotation Tools and AI-Enabled Angle Detection to show an objective measure of where they are vs. where they should be.
Use CoachCam to personalize the message and demonstrate corrections through your own camera.
When athletes can analyze their own performance, their questions become more precise and they FEEL the progress they’re making.
This visual context is invaluable—it bridges the gap between theoretical advice and practical application, making the learning process much more tangible.
CoachNow’s Video and Image Analysis Suite is your ace in the sleeve for efficient, effective communication.
While video analysis won’t solve all your problems, it can be an incredibly valuable way to create a shared understanding when communicating feedback.
In other words, video tools enable you to deliver your points easily, efficiently, and clearly.
And it’s important to note that you want your athletes to also be proficient in using the video tools.
You should always strive to be giving them calibrative feedback, not directive feedback. I go over this distinction in another blog if you want to learn more: Don’t Worry! Your Athletes Won’t Fire You if They Get Too Good, Too Fast.
Encourage your athletes to do voice-overs on their own videos to provide real-time insights into their thought processes and physical sensations during the performance. Then you can respond with your own voice over, providing unique insight either confirming or correcting their own analysis.
Utilize Slow Motion to call out corrections in their form. Use our Annotation Tools and AI-Enabled Angle Detection to show an objective measure of where they are vs. where they should be.
Use CoachCam to personalize the message and demonstrate corrections through your own camera.
When athletes can analyze their own performance, their questions become more precise and they FEEL the progress they’re making.
This visual context is invaluable—it bridges the gap between theoretical advice and practical application, making the learning process much more tangible.
Putting it all together..
Creating a productive feedback loop in skills coaching—especially in the remote setting CoachNow facilitates—hinges on clear communication, active participation, and the intelligent use of video analysis tools.
Remember, a well-maintained feedback loop is not just about exchanging information; it’s about building a collaborative partnership between coach and athlete.
It’s about creating a space where athletes are motivated to reflect, analyze, and take an active role in their development journey.
And most importantly, it’s about ensuring that progress and learning don’t stall between training sessions.
The guidelines provided here are more than just tips for using CoachNow effectively; they are strategies for cultivating a coaching environment that brings out the best in both coaches and athletes.
Here’s to effective and efficient feedback!
Creating a productive feedback loop in skills coaching—especially in the remote setting CoachNow facilitates—hinges on clear communication, active participation, and the intelligent use of video analysis tools.
Remember, a well-maintained feedback loop is not just about exchanging information; it’s about building a collaborative partnership between coach and athlete.
It’s about creating a space where athletes are motivated to reflect, analyze, and take an active role in their development journey.
And most importantly, it’s about ensuring that progress and learning don’t stall between training sessions.
The guidelines provided here are more than just tips for using CoachNow effectively; they are strategies for cultivating a coaching environment that brings out the best in both coaches and athletes.
Here’s to effective and efficient feedback!