by Shawn McQueen, Group Coaching Mentor
How To Be The Good Coach
Good Coaches love the feeling of contributing to a greater good.
Making the world a better place by the impact a Coach can have in people’s lives.
A Good Coach will come to every session looking professional.
Wearing a Coaches shirt and possessing good hygiene.
A Good Coach will always be out on the floor 10-15 minutes before coaching their group class.
Interacting, asking questions and greeting members as they arrive with enthusiasm and congruent body language that matches their tone, voice qualities and general excitement in their voice.
A Good Coach will come to every 1:1 or group class well prepared in advance.
They will already have written a lesson plan for that particular class or session, accounting for things like a class timeline, movement adjustments and broken down the movements they will be coaching into 2-3 progressions.
A Good Coach will always be innately aware of how critical and important the whiteboard brief is to their members.
From obvious things like the speed in which they deliver the day’s information, the order of delivering that information and even their tone in the delivery.
They know it all sets the stage of understanding, excitement and is part of the members’ experience.
They’re also aware of the more subtle things like their own body language while public speaking to the group of people for 3-5 minutes.
A Good Coach speaks confidently and believes in what they are saying.
A Good Coach always leads his class through a general warm up to get their bodies prepared for the day, increase range of motion and increase everyone’s safety in doing so.
A Good Coach, having already written and studied their own lesson plan knows where they are going and is always a step ahead of the class.
They always break things down, including a weighted warm up (empty barbell, light kettlebell for examples) into progressions so members always have the opportunity to improve, develop comfort and confidence with light loads as well as improve their movement patterns.
A Good Coach teaches the movements of the day in 2-3 progressions. They are always teaching, offering strategy and guidance and equally keeping the information simple and digestible for all.
A Good Coach communicates to the average of the room, not catering to the new or the experienced. They provide value for everyone.
A Good Coach in doing all of these things creates a vibe, an energy.
Through themselves and the way they speak to the music they are playing and their always improving style of coaching people.
The vibe is one that people seek and desire. Where they are seen, heard, felt and appreciated. They have fun and are equally challenged.
During the workout a Good Coach is scanning the room for safety first, ensuring everyone is safe.
They then seek out people’s efficiency, asking themselves how can I help (each individual person) become just 1% better today?
And of course, they are doubling down on acknowledging, appreciating and recognizing what people are doing well, doing right and are improving upon.
They share this openly and often with the person’s name.
A Good Coach recognizes the value in coming full circle and will take time at the end of every class to implement a group cooldown stretch.
Once class is over A Good Coach stays on the floor building relationships for the next 5-10 minutes with their members.
And a Good Coach always reflects on every performance by asking themselves, what did I do really well and where can I improve for next time?
Interested in leveling up your Coaching or your Coaches?
Read what Coaches who’ve leveled up have said about our Group Coaching Course: