You want to deliver the best first training session you can, but you know your ability to cue the exercises is still developing. How do you practice a language skill, like exercise cueing, without actually training anyone? You can practice exercise cueing outside of a training session, in a way that will improve how you communicate to your clients’ bodies. You can even do it in just 15 minutes a day. Here’s how:
1. Choose an Exercise. Focus on a single movement pattern. Bodyweight squats are a good choice, because they highlight a lot of common issues.
2. Choose a Focus. Select one issue that you want to work on during that movement. Perhaps it’s foot pronation or maintaining the chest up.
3. Choose a Cue. Develop a single cue that you think addresses the issue. Be concise. Deliver one cue, and then stop talking. This is a critical piece: you need time to determine whether your cue made a difference. Try practicing in front of a mirror. Say your cue out loud as you perform the movement. Does it sound natural? If not, how can you refine it?
4. Test Your Cue. Deliver your cue, and watch to see whether it creates change. Deliver your cue again, and watch to see whether it creates the same change. Repeat.
5. Refine Your Cue. If you find that your cue isn’t working, try rewording it. Does one phrase work better than another?
6. Practice Your Cue. Once you’ve identified a cue that works, practice saying it. Repeatedly. Practice in front of a mirror. Practice while walking down the street. Practice while you’re brushing your teeth. The goal is to get to the point where your cue is automatic. Practice your cue out loud. This is where most people go wrong. They don’t practice their cues out loud, and they don’t refine them. They hear the words in their heads, but the words aren’t automatic. It takes time to make those words automatic. The best way to do this is to deliver your cue repeatedly, in a low-stakes environment.
You can even practice your cues with an inanimate object. If you do that, the object won’t argue or get distracted, and you’ll be able to focus on the words you’re using. To make it more challenging, try practicing with a partner or friend who’s not familiar with your cues. To make it even more challenging, try practicing in a distracting environment. If you can make your cues automatic in a distracting environment, you can deliver them automatically in a training session.
7. Practice Delivering Your Cue at the Right Time. Practice saying your cue at the right moment. Timing is everything. If you deliver your cue too early, your client will lose focus on what she was trying to do in the first place. If you deliver your cue too late, it won’t do any good. And if you deliver your cue too many times, your client will stop listening. Common Problems: You’re using too many words. You’re delivering too many cues at once. You’re saying things you don’t need to say.
You’re not paying attention to whether your cues are working. You’re not taking the time to observe your client’s movement before delivering a cue. You’re delivering cues too quickly. The Fix: Practice your cueing. Start with a basic movement, and a single cue. Practice delivering that cue repeatedly. Practice delivering that cue at the right time. Practice delivering that cue in a low-stakes environment.