Coaching in the Social Media Era

A track practice near you finds a coach working tirelessly to help with an athlete’s block start. The primary issue is too much flight time. After working through countless reps utilizing various drills, exercises, and cues to assist in the task, the athlete is finally able to perform the task with consistency. Three days later, the athlete returns to the track to practice block starts again, and is now utilizing an intentional toe drag during the first two steps. When the coach inquires where this came from, the athlete says, “I saw it on YouTube.”

I imagine that most coaches have run into a similar situation. Access to information is literally at our fingertips, and it has absolutely changed the coaching game. Since being in control with how the athletes we coach interact with the online world is not doable, it becomes our task to give them advice on how to engage with it. This article should be viewed from the athlete’s perspective. You can discuss the points with them, or just have them read it. 

• Looking at social media for drills or exercises to do is a bad idea. A social media influencer’s task is to get you to engage with their content so they get paid. They do not know your strengths or weaknesses. They do not know what you need. They are after your clicks and time, and while they would probably be happy if what they post leads to success, any success that would happen via a drill or exercise that is suggested (especially without any context) would be due to luck. 

• Your voice matters when it comes to your training. This process is a partnership and I take your thoughts and feedback seriously. The fact that we get to engage face-to-face in real time is an advantage. I know this because I coach athlete’s remotely, and while it can be effective, it is not ideal. One item that can negatively impact this partnership is allowing outside influences to scatter focus. It is my job as a coach to effectively communicate the what, why, and how of how we are going to address items to improve your performance. Your feedback to this is essential in helping form the plan. The thoughts of a random person on social media who you are not interacting with in delayed or real-time usually does not assist in this process. 

• If you see an exercise or drill on social media that you think could help you, please talk to me about it. I can then give you my thoughts as to its effectiveness, both now and in the future. The absolute worst thing you can do is perform the exercise behind my back. This would be violating our agreement of being partners in the process of your development, and furthermore, you could be very well unknowingly sabotaging your development. 

• If you are going to spend time on social media, I’d suggest not looking at drills or exercises, but of athletes in your sport, position, or event. However, when you do this, the outcome should not be for you to emulate what they are doing. Oftentimes, elite athletes are able to do certain tasks due to their high level of speed, power, and strength. These may be unattainable for you at the moment. Instead, ask yourself if their technique meshes with what you have been taught. I want you to be a student of the sport. The best students do not just emulate, they analyze situations, form thoughts, and ask questions. I look forward to being part of this journey with you.