Be an Elite Coach, Build Elite Athletes

Things to develop your coaching and have a greater impact on your athletes. You define what your “elite” is!

By Isaac Leung, Athletic Skills

Hey reader,

Ever wondered what goes through a coach’s mind when assessing an athlete’s movement?

In this newsletter, I’ll break down my step-by-step process for analysing movement, identifying weaknesses, and adapting to create tailored training sessions that build stronger, more agile athletes.

Then I go through the Athletic Skills Fundamental Movements which may differ to the normal structure you have learnt and why these are more fun, practical and transfer for their skills.

As always, I am here to support you to develop as a coach so don’t be afraid to reply with any thoughts, questions or want to support on any areas in your coaching!

Be an Elite Coach:

I’d like to share what goes through my mind and my step-by-step thought process when analysing and assessing someone’s movement to then figure out what needs focussing on.

It all begins with the warm-up. I have the athlete move in various ways to get physically ready, but this also allows me to assess his movement. During the warm-up, we incorporate running in different directions, jumping and landing, side shuffles, skipping, crawling, squatting, lunging, balancing, and more. I gathered all of this information in just a 5-minute warm-up. From this brief period, I identified the key areas to focus on for the rest of the session. However, the assessment and adaptation don’t stop there. I continue to analyse and use coaching cues throughout the session, reacting to what I observe. While experience helps in picking up cues more quickly, having a clear, step-by-step thought process further enhances this.

So, what am I thinking about when analysing movement?

Firstly, is the movement safe? Anything standing out that puts the athlete at risk? Large curve in the spine? Knees caving in?

Comparison to the technical model: In an ideal scenario, how does the movement—such as a straight-line sprint—compare to what I am currently observing?

I like to start at the top and work my way down. First, I look at posture. Is the head and overall posture correct? This is crucial because it can affect everything else. For instance, if the athlete is leaning forward too much, tilting their hips, or looking down, it can throw off the rest of their movement.

Next, I focus on what the lower body is doing, or where the primary action is taking place. For example, if the athlete is running, I concentrate on the legs; if they are crawling or throwing, I also observe the upper body.

Does the movement look rhythmical and smooth? Is the timing of the body correct?

Do they have the physical qualities to move with intent? For instance, an athlete might have great running mechanics but lack the speed to cycle their legs quickly, or they might have the correct jumping technique but lack the power to jump high.

Would you include anything else when analysing movement in your coaching?

So I like to go through: Safety, Posture, Main Action Area, Rhythm, Physicality in my head.

Build Elite Athletes:

Different way of thinking about the fundamental movements….

Squat, push, pull, hinge, and brace are often considered the foundational movements that make up a typical gym session. 🏋️‍♂️

But do these exercises transfer effectively to the movements and demands of the pitch or court? 🤔 ❌ 

Do they expose young athletes to the fundamental skills needed in daily life and help them develop holistically as athletes? 🤔

Over time, I have moved away from this traditional framework when programming my sessions.

Instead, I focus on exploring different ways of moving, encouraging creativity and fun with the athletes I coach. 💪

✅ Can they jump and land effectively in different directions under time constraints?

✅ Can they control their trunk and pelvis while coordinating their limbs to crawl and roll?

✅ Are they able to run and turn quickly, navigating in and out of spaces? 🏃‍♀️💨

✅ Can they transfer force through their body with proper timing to generate rotational power? 🔄💥

✅ Do they have the ability to balance and move in unstable positions while controlling their body?

These are the core elements of an Athletic Skills session, which form the basis of my training.

My goal is to develop fundamental movement skills while allowing for creativity and exploration in my athletes. 🌟

Plus these movements are transferable to those required on the pitch/court!

What makes up your training session?

Need help? Reply to this email and tell me your story...

Speak soon,

Isaac 🙂 

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