What do I say? How do I say it? How can I be more inspirational?
What do I say? How do I say it? How can I be more inspirational?">
On these pages you will find articles to help you increase your coaching vocabulary, learn how to be more inspirational and motivational, and become versed in everything you need to know to become a better coach. Articles focus on the delivery of your product, on what to say and how to say it.
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Coaching Field Tests
Jennifer Sage February 7, 2013
I've taught many field tests over the past six years and have assembled what I believe are some excellent coaching tips to inspire my riders to give it their all without overdoing it. Coaching field tests well requires a good understanding of what lactate threshold effort should feel like and how to inspire your riders mentally to hold to that level of intensity for 20 minutes. Here are some coaching tips for before, during, and after your field test. . . .
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How Two Instructors Used the Cheetah Video to Inspire Students
Jennifer Sage
FREE ARTICLE Two weeks ago I shared an amazing video of a cheetah running in slow motion that reminded me of a visualization that I used from my early days of teaching Spinning. ICA member Rebecca shared with me her and another instructor's experience of using this video in their class, as well as their music. Hopefully this will inspire you to do something similar. . . .
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Cues to Push Beyond Limits
Jennifer Sage, December 15
As promised, following the interviews with Tom Scotto and Dr. Haley Perlus on the physical and metal aspects of pushing into the realm of discomfort, here are some of Tom's and my favorite cues for hard to very hard efforts that include an element of suffering. There is a disclaimer of course: you must have a good relationship with your students and these are not appropriate for everyone. But you can also modify them based on where you are with your coaching and where your students are with their fitness. . . .
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Mastering the Mental Side of Challenge, Part 2
Jennifer Sage with Dr. Haley Perlus
Part 2 of my interview with Dr. Haley Perlus, mental training expert, on the mental tools you can use to motivate your students (and yourself) to go beyond self-imposed limitations and the lines of "suffering" that we dare not cross or have a very hard time crossing. These five tips help you help your students master the mental game. . . .
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STUNNING VIDEO! My Favorite Coaching Cue for Perfect Form
Jennifer Sage, December 4, 2012
FREE ARTICLE. One of my favorite visualizations for endurance rides for fifteen years now has been the image of a cheetah running in slow motion. I'd have my students close their eyes and watch the cheetah in their mind's eye and then seek to be catlike in their own motion. Well...you won't believe the stunning video that I discovered today! . . .
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The Art of the Warm-up, Part 3: Perceived Exertion and Nine Sample Warm-ups
Jennifer Sage, December 2, 2012
Sometimes instructors and students believe that a "warm-up" always means an easy intensity, and therefore believe that it is a waste of time. But remember that a body that is ill-prepared for the intensity of the workout will not deliver what is asked of it. In Part 3 of this series on warming up, I describe how to prepare the body sufficiently. You will learn how perceived exertion does not follow heart rate in the early stages of a workout. Then, I give you nine sample warm-ups for nine completely different profiles. . . .
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Tom Scotto and Jennifer Sage Discuss Pain and Suffering
Tom Scotto and Jennifer Sage, November 29, 2012
In cycling we are surrounded by images of riders suffering as they go beyond their limits on steep mountain grades, vicious attacks, grueling time trials and hair raising sprints. The cycling and training world is filled with terms such as "the pain cave," "hurt box," and the "sufferfest." Is there a place for these terms in our indoor cycling classes? Tom and I discuss the if, when, why, and how of cueing discomfort. . . .
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Yin and Yang Pedal Stroke
Jennifer Sage, November 24
FREE ARTICLE Last night I had a strange dream about teaching Spinning. It was an instructor's nightmare, kind of like Groundhog Day in that I kept coming back to the same room, same people, same situation, but different things kept going wrong. However, something very good came from this dream, and I woke at 5 am to write down the lesson I learned which I'm sharing with you here: the yin and yang of the pedal stroke. . . .
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The Power of Words: Cueing Maximal Efforts
Jennifer Sage, October 7, 2012
Your words have power, so make sure you mean what you say. Make sure you know what it is you are asking of your students, and that you are serious about what you are asking them to do. Students take what you say seriously. This coaching article examines the power of your words when you ask for a "sprint" or for a "maximal effort." . . .
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The Controversy: Fitness versus Athletes
Tom Scotto, September 14, 2012
Tom Scotto and I often discuss how we can help instructors see the purpose of utilizing proper cycling training methods indoors even when their students are not cyclists. Many instructors say, "My students don't care! They just want to have fun!" It's a challenging question, and one that we here at ICA are continually trying to tackle. HOW can we teach our students the importance of training more like a cyclist? Tom discusses his approach in this article, and I think you'll see that it can help you help your students to change their mindset. . . .
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Approaches to Teaching - Part 2: Fitness Versus Athletic Training
Tom Scotto and Jennifer Sage, August 6, 2012
Part 2. Tom Scotto and I continue our discussion on the two approaches to teaching: the fitness model versus the athletic model. We give you some tools to guide you along the path to becoming a better coach as you think of your classes as part of a bigger-picture training program and less like a single fitness class. (Part 2 for ICA members only) . . .
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Cueing ideas for the Tour de France and other race simulations
Jennifer Sage, July 11, 2012
Here are 48 inspirational cues for your Tour de France stages to motivate your riders to give just a little more. This is for ALL ICA members, not just the ones who purchased the TDF package! I also want to share some of the great feedback I've received about the ICA Tour de France program. . . .
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Cueing: to Associate or Dissociate?
Dr. Haley Perlus, June 23, 2012
Dr. Perlus explains when associative versus dissociative cueing is more appropriate to help guide your students to either focus on what they are doing and feeling, or to take their minds away from it. There is a time and a place for both methods, based on many years of research. . . .
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Cueing for High Intensity Efforts
Jennifer Sage, June 5 2012
What do you say when you want to push your students beyond their threshold? Here is a list of inspiring cues to help them achieve what you are asking so they can reap the benefits that you are seeking (the objective of the profile). Some cues are visuals, some are purely motivational, asking them to reach inside themselves to push harder, others use perceived exertion, and several explain what is happening physiologically. Mix and match as your profile requires! . . .
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