For Coaches: How to Give Feedback That Sticks
Updated: 4 hours ago
Try this during your next class. Every time you give an athlete a correction, count the words. Then watch what they do on the very next rep. If you're like a lot of coaches, including me when I started, you'll find that the longest corrections produce the smallest changes.
Feedback doesn't stick because it's thorough. It sticks because it's simple, well timed and confirmed. An athlete in the middle of a set can hold one idea in their head. Give them four and they'll keep none, or they'll grab the easiest one and ignore the one that mattered.
I learned that as an athlete before I ever learned it as a coach. When I was first figuring out my kip, I got paragraphs of advice from everyone around me, and I'd hang there trying to think about shoulders, hips, toes and timing all at once. Nothing changed. Then one short cue about where to put my heels, and suddenly the swing made sense. Since I started coaching, I've leaned on a four-step feedback formula I picked up from more experienced coaches and courses. I'm still a growing coach and still refining it, but it's what's working for me so far. It's short enough to use in a busy class, and it has helped me whether I'm fixing a squat, a kip or a rowing stroke. Take what fits your gym.
IN THIS ARTICLE
The Formula: See, Say, Watch, Confirm
See means observing long enough to know what you're fixing. Watch two or three reps before you speak, from an angle that shows the fault clearly.
Say means giving one cue. Short, specific and, whenever possible, focused on an outcome or object outside the body rather than on a body part.
Watch means staying put. Don't give the cue and walk away. Watch the next rep or the next set to see what changed.
Confirm means closing the loop. If the change happened, tell the athlete exactly what improved. If it didn't, try a different cue for the same fault.
The steps are simple. The discipline is in not skipping any of them, especially the last two.
Skipping the watch step is the mistake I catch most often in group classes, including in my own coaching. The coach gives a good cue, moves on to the next athlete, and never learns whether it worked. The athlete, meanwhile, has no idea whether the change they tried was the right one, so they often drift back to the old pattern within a few reps.
Coach's cue: One cue, then watch.
Why Shorter Cues Win
Motor learning research has consistently found that athletes tend to perform and learn better when their attention is directed to the effect of a movement, such as the bar, the floor or a target, rather than to their own body parts. This is often called an external focus of attention. In practice, "push the floor away" often works better than "extend your knees and hips," and "drive the bar to the ceiling" often beats "lock out your elbows."
External cues are also shorter, which matters in a class. You're often calling across a room, over music, to someone who's breathing hard. A cue of three to five words has a chance to land. A full explanation belongs in the warm-up, before the athlete is under load or fatigue.
Internal cues still have their place. Some athletes need to feel a specific position, especially early in learning. If an external cue doesn't work after a couple of tries, switch approaches rather than repeating the same words louder.
Feedback in Action: Three Examples
The kipping pull-up. An athlete's kip is choppy and their legs swing wildly. After watching a few reps, I say, "Heels behind, then snap forward." I watch the next set. The swing is tighter, and the timing improves slightly. I confirm: "Better. Your hips finished higher that time. Keep that." One cue, one change, one piece of confirmation.
The front squat. The athlete's elbows drop out of the bottom and their chest follows. I say, "Elbows to the ceiling." Next rep, nothing changes. Instead of repeating it, I try a different cue: "Show me your chest out of the bottom." That lands, and I confirm with specifics: "Your torso stayed up the whole way. That's the position."
The rowing stroke. An athlete is pulling with their arms before their legs finish. I say, "Legs first, then lean, then pull." I watch five strokes. The sequence improves. I confirm and add a check: "Much smoother. Keep that order for the rest of this piece." I've seen that exact cue calm down a nervous beginner who'd been fighting the rower for ten minutes. Once the order made sense, their shoulders dropped and they started breathing again.
Notice what's missing from each example: long explanations, multiple corrections and generic praise.
Timing and Frequency
When you give feedback matters almost as much as what you say. The best windows are between sets, during rest, and in the warm-up or skill block. Mid-set cues work only when they're very short and very clear. During an intense workout, the athlete's ability to process new information is limited, so save anything complicated for afterward.
Frequency changes over time. When an athlete is new to a movement, frequent feedback helps them find the right pattern. As they improve, pull back. Research on motor learning suggests that constant feedback can make athletes dependent on the coach rather than on their own sense of the movement. Ask questions instead: "How did that one feel compared to the last?" Helping athletes feel and describe their own movement builds a skill that lasts long after you've walked away. My favorite moment in coaching is when an athlete corrects themselves before I say a word.
Making Praise Mean Something
Confirmation only works if it's specific. "Nice" and "good job" are friendly, but they don't tell the athlete what to repeat. "Your heels stayed down on every rep" does. Specific praise reinforces the exact behavior you want, and it shows the athlete you were watching closely.
Be equally specific when a correction didn't work. "Still getting a little early arm bend. Let's try it this way" keeps the tone constructive and keeps the athlete focused on the same goal. And keep safety corrections separate from technique polish. If you see a movement that risks injury, address that first, clearly, even if it means pausing the athlete's set.
Build the Habit
For your next five classes, try the full formula with every correction. See, say one thing, watch, confirm. It'll feel slower at first, and you'll likely coach fewer athletes per minute. But the changes you make will actually stay, and your athletes will start to trust that when you speak, it matters. Coaches with more years on the floor may have better tools than this, and I'd love to learn them.
The same principles shape the video feedback I give to athletes I coach remotely, where one clear cue per clip does more than a paragraph of notes. If you want to talk about coaching communication, or you have athletes who could use more individual feedback than class can give, reach out to me and we can talk it through.
Your turn. I'm still learning as a coach too. If you run this differently in your gym, share it in the comments below. I read every one and would love to learn from you. If it was useful, tap the heart so more coaches find it.
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Coach Fritz Bautista · Head Coach, ATHLETESPHERE
CrossFit Level 2 Trainer (CF-L2) ✓ · CrossFit Programming Certificate · MBA · Digital Marketing Certified · Coaching athletes from all walks of life online
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