Learning how to learn about how learners learn. Blog Post by Starke CDP Coach Dani Quaye

Learning how to learn about how learners learn. Learn?

Humans as a species can generally be divided into three types of learners. You have auditory learners. These are people who pick auditory cues from someone else and translate that into new understanding. Next is visual learners. These people can essentially press the “mute” button on the world and pick up information from watching a more experienced person complete the task. Finally, there are kinaesthetic learners. These are people who learn best through doing. They need to feel their body performing the task (either right or wrong) to understand what is correct and translate that into a skill through repeating that feeling. 

So how does this apply to coaching? Well it’s simple actually. If we approach every athlete the same way, then we are simply not going to be successful. Now this learning isn’t black and white. Auditory learners will learn through tactile stimulation or visual cues but often take far more repetition and coaching to pick up on these cues and change or learn a new task. We are all a combination learner, but we all have a preference as well. So if a coach only tells people what they should be doing, for example “keep your chest up as you move through your first pull” they are going to struggle to get their teaching cue to take hold in 1/3 of the class, the people who excel with auditory learning. This has a 3 fold effect on the athletes in the class. 

(we can make this simple by saying all the athletes are at the same stage of learning) 

1.  It creates an uneven learning environment, where even if all the athletes are getting the same amount of “attention” from the coach, there are going to be a select number of athletes who receive far better coaching than others. Essentially this creates a situation, where while all athletes are being treated equal, they are not necessarily treated with the same equity. 

2.  This can lead to an environment where athletes can begin feeling frustrated about their accomplishments. We all want to excel, but when in a situation such as this, it can often be to difficult to understand why some people seem to get “it” easier or why they are more successful. And, while we try not to compare ourselves to others, it becomes an inevitability as a gap is created between those who readily pick up that auditory style of coaching and those that don’t. 

3.  Frustration leads to self-doubt and self doubt is the killer of progress. 

As I’ve shadowed classes, and watched athletes refine their skills, I’ve had the chance to observe good coaching and what that means in approaching athletes. The worst a coach can be is a one-skill teacher. Someone who can only tell people what to do, or someone who can only show them. It severally limits the effectiveness of the coach. A better coach is someone who varies their teaching between auditory, visual, and kinaesthetic cues throughout the class. The best coach is someone who understands their athletes and how they learn best. They tailor their coaching cues to each athletes individual learning needs. I’ve seen this in action. I’ve seen how efficient it makes the coach. I’ve seen the athletes respond to this individualized approach. And I’ve heard people comment on how much it makes them feel like they are succeeding. This is good coaching. This is the type of coach I hope to be.