CardioGolf® Certified Instructor Community

A note from Karen:

Welcome to the CardioGolf® Certified Instructor Community.  In attempt to enhance your CardioGolf® Certification, I will be sharing teaching techniques, marketing ideas and best practices with certified instructors.  I  want to help you reach your full potential as a CardioGolf® Certified Instructor and give you the necessary skills to teach your best!

Please send me any questions or concerns and let me know how I can help you lead and inspire others.  Send your emails to info@cardiogolf.com.

CGC Newsletter #1-

Working on your ‘cueing’ is a great way to improve your CardioGolf® classes.

What is Cueing?-In the fitness world, a cue is a word, phrase or imagery to help your clients achieve a specific movement. 

The first step to improving your “cueing technique” is to recognize different learning styles of your clients. Most people have a preferred learning style, but many learn best with a combination of two or more styles. 

Learning Methods-

• Auditory – learn through hearing. These people learn by listening to instructions and verbal cues.
• Visual – learn through seeing. These individuals learn through visual tactics and seeing physical movements demonstrated.
• Kinesthetic – learn by doing. These people learn by executing and practicing the movement with manual adjustments.

Recognizing different types of cues is the second step to improving your teaching effectiveness.

Fitness professionals use basically three types of cues including verbal, visual and kinesthetic instruction to effectively communicate and instruct their clients to move efficiently and successfully. 

Verbal, visual and kinesthetic instruction in the form of cueing, has shown to help improve motor control and learning, while also optimizing motor performance (Benz et al., 2016; Makaruk et al., 2014; Wulf, 2013, Marchant, 2011).

The verbal, visual and kinesthetic cues you use during your CardioGolf® classes can help improve your client’s ability to perform movement and, over time, help them get to “unconscious competence” when performing a specific movement, drill, or exercise. 

According to experts, “unconscious competence” allows the client to think minimally about the movement or exercise and instead focus their attention on successfully executing the task. 

Learning how to give your clients verbal and visual cues can help them better perform exercises and drills and accelerate their progress. 

Verbal Cues-

Two common types of “verbal cues” include internal and external cues. 

1. Internal Cues-

Internal cues are phrases that focus attention internally on what is happening to one’s body. 

Internal cues direct a client’s attention toward his or her body and the movement process, as it relates to the exercise being performed (Winkelman et al., 2017; Benz et al., 2016; Makaruk et al., 2014; Wulf, 2013; Marchant, 2011; Peh et al., 2011). 

An internal cue for a client performing a squat would be something like “bend your knees to a 90 degree angle” or “push through your heels”.  An internal cue for a client performing a jump or explosive move would be “explode through your hips or push through your feet”.  You are directing how the body should move.

2. External Cues-

External cues focus attention externally.  You say phrases that get the client to focus their attention on their surrounding environment or the outcome of the exercise (Winkelman et al., 2017; Benz et al., 2016; Makaruk et al., 2014; Wulf, 2013; Marchant, 2011; Peh et al., 2011). 

External cues would be something like “push down into the floor” when squatting or “explode up off the ground” when performing jumping.  You are basically telling the client what direction to move.

Examples of Internal Cues-

• bend from your hips
• extend your hips
• keep your arms straight and strong 
• make quick movements
• bend your arms to 90 degrees
• tighten your muscles
• lengthen your spine
• relax your shoulders
• bend your knees and hips at the same time

Examples of External Cues-

• go forward
• move backward
• step up
• step down
• explode up off the floor
• shift to the right
• shift to the left
• stand on the side
• rotate your core
• reach towards the sky
• swing towards the targetExamples of External Cues

Visual Cues-

Visual cueing is demonstrating  proper exercise technique.  Showing your client how to do the exercise or drill is “visual cueing”.  

Visual learners learn by reading and seeing pictures or by sight. 

A visual cue would be showing your class or client the exercise that you want them to do before they do it.

Kinesthetic Cues-

Kinesthetic cueing is learning through physical activity.  Placing your hands on the client and guiding him or her through the movement would be an example of kinesthetic cueing.  Making your client stop at a certain swing position and hold the movement is another example of kinesthetic cueing.

Summary

To teach effectively, you will want to use a variety of verbal and visual cueing to maximize your clients’ ability to move and learn more quickly.

Learning how to give your clients different cues can help them better perform exercises and drills to accelerate their progress. 

CardioGolf® Instructor Tips-

1. Film your class and rate your performance. Do you need to use more verbal, visual and kinesthetic cues?

2. Take classes from a variety of instructors. Listen to their cues and jot down the ones you like.  

3. Go through all the CardioGolf® workouts.  Keep a list of cues and try to incorporate them into your own classes.

Do you have any interesting or unusual cues to share with the CardioGolf® Certified Instructor Community?  Email your list to info@cardiogolf.com and I  will share with the group.

Coming soon-CardioGolf® Certified Instructor Community private FACEBOOK page.

 

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