Hey Peak Performer, it's Coach Nathan here! Do you have a teenage son or daughter? Well, like them I have a slight problem with remembering to turn the lights off.  When my wife Jen and I first moved to Kelowna we moved into an apartment where some of the kitchen lights were under the cabinetry.  Specifically, the cabinet where we keep all of our supplements and vitamins. What's the problem? Well, the lights would make the cabinet heat up which could ruin the vitamins, and well, these were my favourite lights. According to personal trainer Adam Kemp, the one punch man training routine is a viable option for getting in better shape. As much as I would try to remember I would always leave this light on, which would not make Jen too happy. Solution? She wanted me to stop using the lights altogether. After a few weeks of repeating herself to no avail, she finallydecided to tape the light switch down so I would not be able to switch iton.  My ego, obviously, was not toopleased about this as I immediately stated that the tape was overkill.  Well over the next few days I would repeatedly still turn thatlight on, but I would notice the tape rip off the outlet and would panic pushthe tape back onto the wall.  Thishappened over the next while until I finally learned my lesson. So what is the point? Well no matter how many times she wouldtell me to not turn that dang light off, I would fall into a familiar mindlesspattern, until she broke that pattern by putting in a constraint.  The tape provided me with a physical boundarythat facilitated the desired outcome she wanted. This is very similar to amethod we use to teach movement solutions at OPP. At OPP we utilize...

I remember growing up and my parents would spell things out to each other when they didn't want my siblings and I to understand what they were talking about. And now I find Alexandra and I doing the same thing.For example, on the weekend we were planning out our day and I asked Alexandra if I should take Olivia and go for a s-k-i? And if we don't go to the hill I might suggest that we all go for a s-w-i-m.Because the thing is as soon as you mention anything along the lines of going skiing or to the pool you've basically promised them to go and do that activity. And if you don't deliver tears ensue. Usually on my part first and the kids follow suit shortly after.But the whole point of this is that what and how you say something matters. The same applies to coaching as well.Let's take a moment to look at what you say and how to say it when coaching.What You SayHave you ever travelled to a foreign country and there is a North American tourist trying to communicate to someone in English? The North American is typically looking for directions and the local person doesn't speak English. Instead of looking for someone to translate, or using hand gestures or a different approach, the tourist simply speaks louder and slower.[caption id="attachment_5441" align="aligncenter" width="300"] Tourists sometimes think speaking louder and more slowly leads to comprehension.It's as though the breakdown in communication is a result of a hearing difficulty or auditory processing.We've all seen and been embarrassed by one of our own countrymen, or relatives, acting in this way.Coaching is similar.When we are looking to convey feedback to a client it makes no sense to speak Greek to an English speaker. Or in the case of anatomy,...

This is the third part of a series on learning proper body position and alignment. Please see below for Parts I and II.At the end of Part II I mentioned the importance of body awareness and how we know when we are in or out of alignment. Because sometimes the clues as to being in or out of alignment are a little more subtle. We don't necessarily have to be in excrutiating pain in order to recognize something is wrong.And so I gave you three ways to work towards proper alignment.1. We need to understand what the muscle we are trying to contract is doing.2. We need to know what the opposite muscle is doing.3. We need to recognize when both of these change and step back at that point, recuperate and try again fresh.Consider something as simple as being in a half kneeling position.What does the ideal position for half kneeling look like? Well it should resemble the following:Straight lines and 90 degree angles.From the front the foot, knee, hip and shoulder should all face straight forward.From the side the there should a 90 degree angle at the knee and hip of the forward leg. And the trail leg should have the knee under the hip which is under the shoulder. The chest should be up, shoulders down and back, with a neutral head position.Take a look at the following picture.From the side the front leg has a 90 degree at the knee and the hip. And the left knee is under the hip and the shoulders stack up nicely over both of these.If you notice my arms hang a little bit in front of the body and you can see more of my pinkie than my thumb. This gives a clue that I am slightly internally rotated on the...