| EliteFTS

Back in March, Bryan Mann and I were tagged with a question in the Elitefts Q&A entitled: Making a coaching video for GA application?

To be included with Dr. Mann with anything is always an honor. I think we did a good job with giving this young man some advice.

Here's the Question:

I am interviewing for a graduate assistant position and they requested that I make a video of myself coaching another person on an Olympic lift and a squat movement. I am wondering if anyone has any guidelines on doing these? I'm assuming it should be fairly short, but any other guiding insights would be very helpful.

Bryan Mann's Answer:

I can only tell you what I would be looking for, but I am not the person doing the search. I would be looking for competence in teaching the movements, confidence in your ability and a personality that fits in with the staff. The competence and confidence will be pretty much universal, but the personality will vary by staff. The great thing about the personality being shown- if you don't fit what they want, you won't get the job and that's a good thing.

I'm sure they'll have instructions for uploading as well- if it's via dropbox, youtube, etc.

My Answer:

First of all, good luck to you during this process. I would like to reiterate what Coach Mann said. Confidence and Competence go hand in hand will be evident from the onset of the video.

I am not 100% sure what the requirements are, but here's what I think may work.

Keep the video short. Aim for 4 minutes and no more than 6.
Say more with less words. Don't try to impress with what you know, but by how you communicate.
Don't perform the lift and coach it at the same time. Have someone stand in to demonstrate as you explain.
Face the camera and talk directly to who is going to hire you. Have the athlete stand at 45 degrees. This is the best angle for most movements.
Make sure your audio is solid. Be mindful of echoes from large rooms.
Speak in bullet points of 3-4 to help you remember (don't use a note card) and to get your points across.
Coach what you know. Don't try to coach what you've heard others say. Stay within your scope and experience.
Be flexible with coaching cues. Give the ones you use, but communicate that you understand the concepts behind them. Give verbal and tactile cues when appropriate.
Give short rationales behind cues. For example, if you want the athlete to "push their knees out" explain in a few words why. If you don't know why, stop using that cue... and not just for the video.
Don't go over every variation possible. It will appear as fluff. You can, however give a few regressions for athletes with technical discrepancies, mobility issues, or injuries.
Always be humble. They should get the impression you are confident in your ability but you understand your way is not the only way. That's easy if you are just being yourself. Unless you're an A-hole. Then it's harder. But you're not, so you're good.