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Discover how remote coaching can empower athletes to stay motivated, fit, and engaged during the holiday season—and keep their progress rolling long after.
What do we mean when we say remote coaching?
We won’t claim it, but I am confident we coined the phrase remote coaching in this space. Remote coaching is not the same as online lessons, and to be honest… I’m not a big believer in online lessons. Why? Because I’ve seen it fail time and time again. I’m not saying you can’t do a one-off video analysis that is transactional inside of CoachNow; I’m saying that, after over 10 years of doing this and talking to 1000s of coaches in every sport, I know it doesn’t work.
Remote coaching is exactly what it sounds like: coaching. Which means you require a commitment of time. You require buy-in from the student before you commit to coaching them. Then you coach them, and there is an implied journey due to the time commitment.
The power in remote coaching is that it gets you out of transactional coaching and into transformational subscription coaching. It also works, and I know this because I’ve seen real coaches create real businesses with this model.
Embracing Technology to Bridge the Holiday Gap
During the holiday season, your training schedules are almost always interrupted, making it difficult for both you and your athletes to stick to your normal routines. Remember covid? Same principle, coaching was interrupted, some coaches were already in a position to pivot.
By utilizing a platform like CoachNow and leveraging tools such as Templates, Cloud Library, and a world-class video analysis suite, you can help bridge the gap and offer a highly effective coaching experience.
When you and your athletes aren’t together, these tools enable you to provide guidance and monitor progress, even when you both might be away from your normal training environment.
Embracing the power of technology to help you coach asynchronously gives both you and your athletes greater flexibility, alleviating stress while still keeping them accountable. This way, training can fit into busy holiday schedules without losing any momentum.
Check out how implementing effective accountability strategies can significantly improve an athlete's commitment and progress during busy times of the year.
Build an engaging remote coaching model
Define your niche and package it. Who do you coach best? What outcomes will you deliver? Then design a clear program and sell the result, not the session.
Enhance connection and feedback with video—but don’t let video be the whole product. The real value is consistent connection, accountability, and a clear path from the current state to a goal.
Maintaining Motivation
Staying motivated during the holidays and beyond can be tough, but online communication offers a powerful way to foster connection and encouragement.
With Spaces, coaches and athletes can communicate one-on-one in a secure, private channel. We timestamp every post, so you can always look back on it.
If you’re coaching a group of athletes, Groups allow your whole team to easily communicate and achieve their goals faster than ever. If it’s going to be remote and you have a Group in mind, cohorts work well because everyone starts at the same time.
Interested in sending a message to thousands at once? Lists make that happen. The best part is, athletes can then reply directly to you in their Space.
Tracking Progress and Celebrating Holiday Wins
Consistent progress tracking is crucial during times when routines are less structured. CoachNow’s video analysis, communication, and powerful automation tools allow athletes and coaches to keep in touch, be accountable, and stay on track.
Celebrating small victories, even as simple as staying consistent, will help keep morale high throughout the season. Implementing effective progress tracking strategies will really encourage an athlete to stay motivated this time of year.
By focusing on progress rather than perfection, athletes can enjoy the holidays while continuing to make progress on their athletic journey. Understanding the power of progress over results can help reinforce this as well.
Personalized Coaching and Feedback from Afar
One of the greatest benefits of remote coaching is the ability to provide personalized feedback regardless of where an athlete or you are located.
Coaches can review workout videos, analyze performance data, and offer tailored advice to address specific strengths and areas for improvement. This individualized attention helps athletes feel supported and valued, even when they can't meet with their coach in person. Bridging the gap between how athletes feel they're performing and their actual performance is crucial for effective remote coaching.
Regular check-ins via video or messaging ensure accountability, ongoing communication, and the ability to adapt training plans as needed when holiday or life schedules change. This flexibility empowers athletes to prioritize their goals without sacrificing holiday or life enjoyment.
We get it, the holidays are chaotic. You and/or your athletes are likely busier than usual and your normal training plan has been thrown out the window. But here's the thing: remote coaching isn't just a backup plan. It's the perfect opportunity to show your athletes that they can still make progress, regardless of the circumstances.
The holidays are a great time to start something you’ve always wanted to do, like remote coaching. Instead of the standard holiday promotional package of lessons, consider offering a remote coaching relationship. Let your students gift this to people who can’t see you in person.
The holidays don't have to be this black hole where all momentum disappears. With the right approach and tools like CoachNow in your corner, you can help your athletes stay engaged and feel supported all year long.