Want Better Movement? Press the Right Button

When an athlete’s movement doesn’t look right, it’s tempting to jump in and coach it, or cue it right away. But before any intervention, we have to ask three foundational questions:

1. Is this really a problem?

2. What’s driving it—structure, function, or technique?

3. What’s the most effective, safe lever to pull to create change?

Too often, we default to intervening with a technical cue. But if the real issue is structural—or rooted in underlying capacity—that feedback might not only be ineffective: It could make the problem worse.

The SFT Framework

To help us navigate these layers more effectively, we’re today leaning on Stu McMillan’s coaching-focused adaptation of the SFT Framework—a model designed to clarify why movement breaks down, and how to respond with precision. This framework matters because movement is never isolated. It’s shaped by systems nested within systems. The SFT model brings order to that complexity by organizing decision-making across three levels: structural, functional, and technical. And as Stu reminds us, coaching becomes far more effective when we stop reacting to symptoms, and start pressing the right button.

Here’s how the framework breaks down:

Structural

These are the foundational, relatively fixed characteristics of the athlete—joint architecture, limb length, connective tissue properties.

Functional

These include the adaptable capacities an athlete develops—force, control, range of motion, and metabolic readiness.

Technical

These are the movement strategies an athlete uses to solve a task—shaped by perception, experience, and self-organization.

Rather than chasing symptoms, Stu encourages coaches to treat interventions as safe-to-fail experiments; small, reversible strategies that allow for adaptation without risking disruption.

Whether it’s a visible asymmetry, a coordination issue, or a performance plateau, the process stays the same:

• Diagnose clearly

• Categorize accurately

• Intervene precisely

• Allow time for adaptation

Because as Stu puts it, the best coaches in complex environments aren’t simply more knowledgeable; they’re running better experiments. They “recognize the pattern, press the right button, and learn faster.”

That’s what this framework offers: a structured way to think clearly, act wisely, and coach with impact.

Your Take Home

The next time you see something “off” in an athlete’s movement, pause.

Don’t rush to fix it.

Start by asking the right question.

Then press the button that matters most.

Because more isn't the answer; the solution comes from doing what works, for the right reason, at the right time.

Thanks for reading.

ALTIS Team