Following on from last week’s chat about motor performance vs motor learning, and how we want to facilitate motor learning in our athletes.
One key coaching point that makes a world of difference is using an external point of focus or an external cue.
To understand what an external cue is, we need to know what an internal cue is.
An internal cue is an instruction that directs the athlete’s attention to their body and the movement process, as the exercise is performed (Winkleman et al, 2017).
An example following from last week’s theme of passing is “punch your arms across your body as you pass the ball.”
To contrast, an external cue is an instruction that directs the athlete’s attention toward the effect the movement will have on their surrounding environment and the movement outcome, as the exercise is performed (Winkleman et al, 2017).
E.g. “Push your hands toward the target player as fast as you can.”
Whilst it seems like a small change in wording, external cueing is far more effective than internal cueing and works across any environment or sport.
By using external cueing, we can facilitate greater motor learning than if we use internal cueing. This allows our athletes to have long-term changes in their motor behaviour, and reduces their need for coaching input when executing a given skill.
Much like exercise programming, cues will be individual to each athlete. A cue that works for Athlete A might have no effect on Athlete B, and vice versa.
The challenge now is to create, test, and refine your external cues and see how your athletes respond.
Chat soon,
Jono