Behavioral coaching procedures have been evaluated and enhanced over the years to find the most effective interventions for athletic performance in a variety of sports settings. Different types of feedback have been evaluated for effectiveness in teaching and improving skills. The purpose of this study was to examine the effects of video modeling and video feedback to improve technique for three novice individuals in a fitness program incorporating Olympic weightlifting. Two weightlifting events, the clean and jerk and snatch, were targeted for intervention. Each lift was broken down into a task analysis, and trainers used the task analysis to score each lift. Video modeling and video feedback was effective in improving all three participant's lifts from baseline. Annie's lifts improved from 37% in baseline to 79% in intervention for the clean and jerk, and 24% to 75% for the snatch. Rich's lifts improved from 79% in baseline to 95% following intervention for clean and jerk, and 58% to 89% for the snatch. Fran improved from 60% to 87% on the clean and jerk, and from 51% to 84% on the snatch.

Exercise programs that utilize resistance training, a specialized type of conditioning that provides stress (resistive loads) to the muscles, have appealed to athletes and recreational participants alike, due to its documented benefits for performance and overall health. Teaching the correct form for these skills is imperative for a safe and proficient execution of these movements. TAGteach™, a form of behavioral coaching, is a procedure that utilizes immediate acoustical feedback in the form of a clicker as a reinforcer for the desired behavior. TAGteach has been successfully used to teach novel or enhance existing athletic skills in many domains such as football, dance, yoga, pitching, golf and even surgical techniques (TAGteach International, 2012). The present study employed a multiple probe across behaviors design to evaluate the effectiveness of the TAGteach method to train three resistance training movements (deadlift, overhead press, and front squat) for adult novice participants. Results demonstrated an improvement in performance of each skill from baseline probes following training. Improved performance also generalized to heavier weight than those utilized during training. This generalization is a key to achieving progressive overload as a part of the typical practice in resistance training programs. / Applied Behavioral Analysis

Figure skating is a competitive sport that requires intensive training which can be taught in a variety of settings. There are various methods to teaching figure skaters new skills such as positive and corrective feedback, modeling and coaching procedures, and physical guidance. These different approaches may lead to a lack of consistency among coaches. Over the years, these established coaching strategies have not changed substantially as training methods are passed down from coach to student. Also, research in the area of what constitutes effective coaching methods is lacking. Skaters may progress more quickly in skill development if coaches are implementing empirically based successful coaching methods. These teaching approaches may also be enhanced by incorporating the latest technology available. This study evaluated the effectiveness of a video feedback coaching procedure using the Dartfish application. A multiple baseline design was utilized to document the impact of this video feedback coaching procedure on the demonstration of six established figure skating moves, three moves for one skater and three different moves for two other skaters. Results showed utilizing video feedback improved figure skater's performance levels on the targeted moves to an acquisition of 80% accuracy or higher.

This study evaluated the POINTE Program, a manualized behavioral intervention designed for use by dance instructors to improve student dance performance using behavioral coaching procedures. This study consisted of three phases. Phase 1 was a formative evaluation of the POINTE Program, which assessed the technical adequacy of the manual. Feedback from 3 experts in Applied Behavior Analysis (ABA) and 4 dance instructors were used to improve the manual content in this phase. Overall, the experts and instructors viewed the POINTE Program as providing accurate information on the basic ABA backgrounds and suggesting behavioral coaching procedures appropriate for use in a training context to address the needs of dance students although certain terms and procedures needed clarification, and minimizing ABA terms and creating videos were required based on their feedback before conducting Phase 2 evaluation. In Phase 2, the feasibility of the POINTE Program was examined with 4 instructors and their 4 students using a multiple-baseline design and structured individual interviews. The results indicated the dance instructors could assess their target student’s skills, select and implement a coaching procedure with fidelity, and monitor student progress without much difficulty. They suggested the provision of consultation in the form of performance feedback, addition of session scripts, and clarification over certain aspects of the coaching procedures following their use of the program. In the final phase, the potential efficacy of the refined POINTE Program was examined using a multiple-baseline design with 4 instructors and their 4 students, which demonstrated that dance instructors could successfully implement behavioral coaching procedures with a minimal feedback support through the use of POINTE Program components, demonstrating the feasibility and potential efficacy of the use of the POINTE Program by dance instructors to enhance student dance performance.