USTA Verbal & Non-Verbal Coaching Cues 3 — Questions and Answers
Question 1: A coach notices a player tightening up during a tiebreaker. Which non-verbal signal should the coach use from the sideline to promote relaxation?
- Cross arms to signal a timeout
- Show a slow, deliberate exhale motion with lowered shoulders (Correct answer)
- Tap the player's arm firmly to refocus attention
- Point emphatically to the service box
Correct answer: Show a slow, deliberate exhale motion with lowered shoulders
Modeling a slow exhale with relaxed shoulders non-verbally cues the player to lower physical tension.
Question 2: According to USTA coaching principles, feedback should primarily be given at which moment?
- Immediately before the player attempts the skill again (Correct answer)
- During the backswing of each stroke
- At the beginning of the session before any practice
- Randomly throughout practice to keep the player alert
Correct answer: Immediately before the player attempts the skill again
Feedback given just before the next attempt helps the player apply corrections while the experience is still fresh.
Question 3: Which verbal cue best promotes an 'external focus' when teaching the topspin forehand finish?
- 'Roll your wrist over the ball at contact'
- 'Brush up the back of the ball toward the fence' (Correct answer)
- 'Feel your arm extend fully after contact'
- 'Check that your elbow stays bent through the swing'
Correct answer: 'Brush up the back of the ball toward the fence'
Directing attention to the ball and fence (external objects) rather than body parts encourages natural movement.
Question 4: A coach uses a red, yellow, and green card system during drills. What coaching communication principle does this represent?
- Bandwidth feedback
- Visual symbolic cuing (Correct answer)
- Verbal augmented feedback
- Kinesthetic error detection
Correct answer: Visual symbolic cuing
Color-coded cards are visual symbols that communicate performance level without verbal interruption.
Question 5: When a coach reduces the frequency of corrective feedback over time as a player improves, this strategy is called:
- Faded feedback (Correct answer)
- Concurrent feedback
- Prescriptive cueing
- Augmented instruction
Correct answer: Faded feedback
Faded feedback involves gradually reducing the rate of feedback to promote player independence and self-regulation.
Question 6: A coach kneels down to be at eye level with a 7-year-old player while giving instructions. This non-verbal adjustment primarily:
- Demonstrates authority to the child
- Creates a less intimidating, more connective communication environment (Correct answer)
- Signals to the child that the coach is unsure
- Is a standard USTA requirement for junior coaching
Correct answer: Creates a less intimidating, more connective communication environment
Matching the child's eye level builds rapport and makes the coaching interaction less threatening.
Question 7: Which of the following is an example of a prescriptive verbal cue?
- 'Good job on that rally!'
- 'What do you think happened on that last shot?'
- 'Next time, step into the shot with your front foot first.' (Correct answer)
- 'How did that feel to you?'
Correct answer: 'Next time, step into the shot with your front foot first.'
Prescriptive cues provide a specific action directive for the player to execute on the next attempt.
USTA Verbal & Non-Verbal Coaching Cues 3
A coach notices a player tightening up during a tiebreaker.
Which non-verbal signal should the coach use from the sideline to promote relaxation?