Nicklaas C. Winkelman - The Language of Coaching: The Art & Science of Teaching Movement

Praise for The Language of Coaching

In The Language of Coaching , Nick Winkelman has done something I previously thought to be impossible. He has combined a textbook-caliber education on motor learning with practical strategies that coaches of all levels from all disciplines can utilize immediately . It would take you an entire career of coaching to pick up, just by chance, some of the competencies he outlinesand even then, youd come up short. Nicks work will fast-track coaches to effective communicationand, in turn, outstanding resultsfor their athletes and clients. I wish Id had this book 20 years ago!

Eric Cressey, CSCS

President and Cofounder of Cressey Sports Performance Director of Player Health and Performance for the New York Yankees

Nick is one of the bright young minds in our field. The Language of Coaching continues Nicks excellent progression from coach, to speaker, and now to writer.

Michael Boyle

Owner of Mike Boyle Strength and Conditioning

Nick Winkelman is what I like to call a coaches coach. In the 10 years I have known Nick, he has proven himself to be one of the authorities in the industry for strength and conditioning as well as the art of coaching. Nick has the ability to convey information in such a relatable fashion, making his delivery warm and welcoming. He is one of the few people I like to lean on for advice in our industry, and I am excited to continue to use Nick as my go-to resource. I will be gifting The Language of Coaching to dozens of coaches and athletes.

Don Saladino

Celebrity Trainer

Health and Performance Specialist Founder and Owner of Drive Health Clubs

Whether you are a sport coach, a strength and conditioning specialist, or a physical therapist, you need to effectively communicate with your athletes or clients. Nick Winkelman takes the science of effective coaching to another level with The Language of Coaching and delivers effective real-world strategies to improve not only communication but also the ultimate goalclients results. The Language of Coaching is a masterpiece. In time it will become the ultimate guide to coaching. Its already mandatory reading for all my coaches.

Alwyn Cosgrove

Fitness Coach Owner of Results Fitness

Nick Winkelmans passion, wisdom, and knowledge have helped to turn the science of motor learning into a digestible, applicable framework. His book, The Language of Coaching , will serve as an invaluable tool for driving results with athletes and clients.

Alex Zimmerman

Senior Director of the Tier X Program at Equinox

Nick Winkelman helped me gain an edge on the combine and take full advantage of my training. His book, The Language of Coaching , will help other athletes do the same.

Dontari Poe

Defensive Tackle for the Carolina Panthers

The Language of Coaching is a groundbreaking and meticulously researched book that delivers practical and user-friendly ways for a coach to connect for results. This book should be on every coachs shelf.

Martin Rooney

Founder of Training for Warriors Coach to Hundreds of NFL, UFC, NBA, WNBA, MLB, and Olympic Athletes Author of Coach to Coach

Nick Winkelman helped improve my mind-set and introduced me to a new way of performing at the highest level. With The Language of Coaching , he will do the same for you.

Prince Amukamara

Cornerback for the Chicago Bears

Using a logical, evidence guided approach, Nick essentially obliterates the communication barrier between coaches and athletes. If your job description includes conveying ideas with the intention of improving the physical capabilities of others, read The Language of Coaching .

Andreo Spina, BKin, DC, FRCCSS(C)

Sports Specialist Chiropractor

Movement and Mobility Coach CEO of Functional Anatomy Seminars

Drawing on Winkelmans vast personal experience with high-level athletes, The Language of Coaching unpacks the flaws in our assumptions, examining how apparently small changes in what we say and how we say it can result in more durable learning for the athletes we teach. It will surely prove to be a significant and enduring contribution to the literature of coaching.

Doug Lemov

Author of Teach Like a Champion , Teach Like a Champion 2.0 , and Practice Perfect

In The Language of Coaching , Nick has offered an important contribution to the coaching world. A combination of a comprehensive scientific text and practical operators manual, this is a must-read for all coaches.

Stuart McMillan

CEO of ALTIS Sprint Coach

I was privileged to spend an intense period learning from Nick in a formal workshop setting. These sessions were Olympic-coach-level workshops and presentations. I can honestly say that the guidance on cueing was evidence based, highly practical, and immediately applicable. Nicks knowledge, manner, and communication skills make available a level of athlete performance enhancement that is off the charts. His work and process are highly recommended across a broad spectrum of sports; his methods will make you a better coachperiod!

Bobby McGee

Olympic Coach (With Medals in the Atlanta, London, and Rio Olympics)

Team Leader and High-Performance Support Staff

As a coach of athletes who are blind, I am constantly looking for better ways to describe actions and motion without needing a visual reference. After working with Nick, I have the perfect set of verbal cueing skills to best teach my team!

Jake Czechowski

Head Coach of the USA Womens National Goalball Team

Nicks guidance on cueing gave me the most effective coaching technique I have ever practiced. It has taught our coaching staff how to prevent manufacturing complexity and has given our athletes laser focus on what truly matters in performing at the highest level.

Mike Kohn

USA Bobsled Head Coach

Nicks work is a valuable component of our national team coach course, providing unique and practical insight on communicating with athletes to elicit better performance. His practical approach and methods help enhance coachathlete understanding in a strategic, logical way. Coaches who have gone through his training as part of our course have seen significant results right away. Nicks work is a valuable tool that can be applied across a variety of levels and sports.

Christine Bolger

Coaching Education Department of the United States Olympic and Paralympic Committee

The very practical tactics I learned from Nick (at a USOC National Team Coach Seminar) helped immediately with my pair figure skating athletes. My improved understanding of cueing and the use of purposeful and targeted analogies guided faster skill acquisition, specifically with triple twists.

Bobby Martin

U.S. Figure Skating Coach

Nick has unlocked the superpower shared by highly effective coaches around the world. Great coaching is directly correlated to precise and purposeful communication. Cleaning up communication is as critical as correcting compensatory movement patterns. Nick has relentlessly worked through the research and has the practical knowledge that comes only from thousands of coaching sessions. The Language of Coaching will make you and our field better.

Mark Verstegen

Founder and President of EXOS

Knowing your stuff is only part of the coachs task: The more important part is transmitting that knowledge. That takes not only advanced speaking skillsmastering both what to say and how to say itbut also conscious listening, because listening is the doorway to understanding, and understanding is the access to effective relationships, not to mention motivation. Nicks excellent book is long overdue, focusing as it does on communication, the most critical and long-overlooked aspect of performance coaching.

Julian Treasure

Five-Time TED Speaker Author of the Award-Winning Book How to Be Heard