“Chest up.”
“Heels.”
Sound familiar? If you've been involved in weightlifting or even CrossFit for any amount of time it's safe to say you've heard these cues. Anyone can spit them out at an athlete. A cue may not seem like rocket science but there are a lot of factors that go into why a coach is saying it, when he is saying it, and how it is being said so that the athlete can benefit the most from it.
What Makes This Worth Buying?
No one is better at cueing athletes than Danny Camargo. The 24 year USAW veteran and CrossFit coach’s first and Catalyst Athletics’ most recent published volume Cues & Corrections brings the lost art form of cueing to the masses in one concise manual. It’s unique in that it introduces progressions but focuses almost exclusively on cues and corrections for each individual lift. It bridges the gap left by a majority of weightlifting coaching manuals in that it gives the reader practical knowledge and allows them to implement what they’ve learned immediately.
But make no mistake: Cues & Corrections is not just a cut and dry rehash of things you have read before. You may have seen progressions or heard of some of the cues or corrections because it's hard to reinvent the wheel on movements that have been around longer than you've been alive. However Camargo brings a fresh perspective on how to teach the lifts and get cues across to athlete's by sprinkling in his own war stories and anecdotes that help coaches relate to their athletes. As an American record holding weightlifter, international weightlifting coach, and CrossFit affiliate owner and Regionals coach, Camargo has plenty of experiences with athletes of all abilities to share with the reader.
Progressions
The reader is first introduced to Camargo’s Progression series for the snatch, clean and jerk. By separating the lifts into their own section he is able to deliver progressions in a concise and comprehensive format anyone can grasp. In doing so Camargo allows the reader to properly comprehend and soak up each movement on their own without being rushed through the volume. This seemingly trivial separation is critical because it makes referencing back to the manual easier. For example while some of the snatch and clean errors and cues may be similar, each is given their own section with just as much as detail as the other (along with nuisances).
The movements are technical but Camargo easily explains them in a way that only a life-long veteran of the sport could. His description of the mid hang power snatch rivals any other explanation and progression I have seen to date.
Camargo being interviewed for Catalyst Athletics/Greg Everett documentary American Weightlifting
Cues & Corrections
Unlike other books which stop at progressions, Camargo takes his volume one step further. He arms his readers with detailed corrective exercises and cues but also tells the reader why these exercises and cues are being used. He informs coaches about potential structural imbalances and fixes. It’s refreshing that Camargo doesn't BS his reader; some errors are caused by more than one issue and he doesn't shy away from that . The book helps coaches understand that, spot multiple errors at once, and utilize a singular cue that will fix all the errors at once (and in due time). Some of the most helpful portions of the Correction section were those errors that very rarely get addressed in detail publicly: athletes on their toes during the dip and drive, bars crashing during a clean, missing lifts behind, and the infamous donkey kicking so many new athletes love to the do. For me one of the most useful sections in the entire book was the in depth analysis of the split jerk, something you don't see separated often, and creating cues from things your own athletes say.
Camargo has years of experience with cueing and correcting large and small groups of athletes
Technology & Visuals
While Camargo has a knack for easily conveying complex movements through text he doesn't forget that our craft is visual. Throughout the book there are photographs and comparisons of progressions as well as errors. Many sections have side by side comparisons of errors and corrections so coaches can easily spot the deficiency. One of the most memorable parts of the book was Camargo’s photographic illustration of the nuisanced differences in the clean rack position and jerk rack position; to date I have yet to see a better comparison that gets the point across. It's the subtle differences that make or break an effective coach.
Camargo embraces technology by linking YouTube video clips into his volume so people can see not only how the progressions work but how fast the drills and transitions he recommends are to be performed. It’s easy to picture how fast an athlete should move out of the hole in a squat drill meant for speed but it’s not as easy to picture the speed from a press. Without the video accompanying the text, some coaches may not be able to implement the drills and corrections properly. Like the book, the videos are short enough for a coach to watch quickly but long enough to get the point of the movement across; this makes it easy for a coach to relay the information back to his athlete. Don’t worry the YouTube links are easily accessible from the hard copy and directly linked in the e-book version.
Adaptability
What's even better about this volume is that it is adaptable to the coach. While Camargo offers suggestions and cues he finds best, he makes sure to note that some of the best coaching cues are the ones that come from the mouth of your own athletes. The cues Camargo lists do work: I’ve seen him use them in competition and sure enough, his athletes perform well and make lifts they may have just missed by listening to one of his precise cues. But you can tell it's because they have spent time together and he knows his athletes very well.
Cues & Corrections is not a magic cure for poor movement because it takes a coach’s eye and communication skills to fix them. However the book does a tremendous job in arming coaches with the proper tools to spot and correct athletes’ errors; in doing so Camargo is helping shape the futures of up and coming weightlifting coaches.
With the CrossFit influx of coaches this volume couldn't come at a better time. These Beginner and Intermediate coaches who may not have been exposed to the Olympic lifts before, or at least not in detail, now have a resource that cuts out all of the fluff and long winded explanations so that they can get quickly get their athletes moving better. With a quick flip of the page they can assess an athlete’s flaw and verbally communicate the fix as quick and efficiently as possible. I benefited from the manual so much so that I’ve already implemented some of the corrections and cues into my own coaching arsenal and have informed my assistant coaching staff to do the same.
Contact Info:
To purchase a hard copy or Kindle version of Cues & Corrections please visit Amazon. The book will be released October 15th. Direct link: http://www.amazon.com/Olympic-Weightlifting-Corrections-Daniel-Camargo-ebook/dp/B00NX9Z9IS/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1412624537&sr=1-1&keywords=Daniel+Camargo
To learn more about Danny, his weightlifting seminars, and CrossFit Altamonte in Florida, please follow him @camargo_oly and @olyconcepts on social media, visit FACEBOOK.com/olyconcepts and check out his schedule at olyconcepts.com.
To learn more about Mississippi Barbell please follow us @ms_barbell on Instagram and check our program and nonprofit out at msbarbell.com.
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