Negative Feedback

Call me crazy but I like when a coach points out what I’m doing wrong or what I could be doing better. I just want to know what I need to do to improve.

Negative feedback from a coach is intended to help the athlete grow and improve. It is not meant to discourage or demean but to provide valuable insights into what can be done better. It should be specific, pointing out particular actions or techniques that need adjustment. Along with identifying issues, the feedback includes clear, actionable advice on how to make improvements. This might involve technical corrections, changes in strategy, or adjustments in effort.

For maximum effectiveness, negative feedback should be given as soon as possible after the observed performance, allowing the athlete to make immediate adjustments.

Example of Negative Feedback:

Feedback: “I noticed that during your kettlebell swing you are slowing into the bottom and in a low position, as a result you’re not driving out of the bottom fast enough. You are losing power and putting more stress on your spine than necessary. Focus on pulling the kettlebell close to your body and exploding from the bottom more aggressively to improve your power.”

Actionable Advice: “Let’s spend some extra time working on your reactivity in the bottom of the swing. We’ll do some specific drills that target this aspect of your technique next session.”

Effective negative feedback from a coach helps athletes recognize areas of improvement, understand how to address them, and ultimately enhance overall performance. When a coach is dealing with a number of athletes they are most effective when they can deliver feedback quickly. They can do that best by getting to the point.

As a strength coach my job is to keep people safe. At any moment I may have to give critical feedback that may not only improve the effectiveness of an exercise but also prevent an injury from occurring (whether it be an acute injury or something that may occur from repetition if left unchecked). For that I make no apologies but as one of my coaches (Suzanne) has taught me, I have learned to thank people for responding and making a correction.