This past weekend I was reminded I can always improve as a coach. The CrossFit Level 2 Certification (CFL2) is a weekend full of coaches coaching coaches, while even better coaches watch and provide feedback. Did you follow that?
Said more clearly, the CFL2 is where we go to improve upon our ability to coach. This was my second time completing the course and although I felt more confident this time around, I still learned so much and received plenty of feedback on my coaching. It was a fantastic course.
I am writing this because there is so much that I want to remember. I also hope this reflection serves as a resource that my team and I can look back on and be reminded that we can always improve and grow. If you are reading this as a member of our community, I hope this provides insight on the level of coaching we expect.
Some of these points have to do with coaching tactics and management, while other points may help us reflect on our own general coaching style.
Point 1: We can always improve our coaching.
Taking the CFL2 course for the second time has drilled this fact into my head. We can aways do better… with creating more intentional warm ups, managing the group, sharpening technique lessons, seeing everybody multiple times per class, coaching everybody equally, with the general flow of class… you name it. We can improve upon it.
Point 2: Our athletes want coaching.
Our athletes can always improve. Not only can our athletes improve, they WANT to improve. Nobody comes here for no reason. It doesn’t matter how long a particular member has been here – our athletes want to be the best they can be. They want to be COACHED! So do it!
If their movement is anything other than RELLY GOOD (we don’t use the word “perfect”), fix them. If you see no need for correction, look closer. There is always something an athlete needs to focus on. Reminding them of the basics is always helpful.
If you are not seeing EXACTLY what you need to in their movement, FIX IT.
Point 3: Touch Points
Each athlete should be cued at least five times per class. To do this you have to keep moving and seeing.
Consider the following.
- Make sure your cueing is effective while using as few words as possible. Good cues get the job done – no fluff.
- Don’t hang around any one person or area for too long because you will miss far too many reps.
- Keep moving around the room to see everybody and correct as many faults as possible.
- We are here to coach, not hangout. That funny story can wait until after you are done coaching.
Point 4: Tell, Show, Do, Check
The formula for coaching is Tell, Show, Do, Check.
Tell: Tell the athlete what we want to see (points of performance)
Show: Demo the movement.
Do: They do the movement.
Check: We check their form.
It’s simple, but super effective. As a coach you must do every step – you can’t skip one. The most common mistake a coach makes is they do the first three and walk away before checking. Don’t forget to check the athlete after you suggest change. See if they corrected before moving on.
Point 5: Points of Performance
Every fundamental movement has a list of points of performance. For example, the Deadlift’s points of performance are: neutral spine, weight in heels, bar path (lifting phase), and bar path (return phase). As a coach we need to recognize if the points of performance are being executed properly or not. Know your points of performance well.
Point 6: Is their technique REALLY GOOD?
No? Fix it. Improper technique is never a good thing. It doesn’t matter how receptive the athlete is to feedback. It is our job to communicate feedback as effectively as possible.
Point 7: Be Busy
When you are coaching be busy… because you ARE BUSY. In order to coach well, there is so much you must do. If we think we have time to do anything other than focus on our athletes, we are not doing an adequate job.
Every minute our eye is not on our athletes, we miss opportunities to correct and improve them. Move around the room constantly, pay close attention to technique, and be busy! Hunt down poor technique.
Point 8: OG Members need coaching too
A common mistake coaches make is assuming our long time members – “OG Members”- don’t need any coaching or feedback. That is a BAD assumption. They do and they deserve and need it just as much as any other member. I have found that coaches may be intimated by the OG status of a member. Don’t be – coaching is what they are here for. They are not here to just hang out. If you see something, provide the feedback.
So Coaches, make the OG members BETTER!
On a personal note, these OG members have supported our business, some, since 2014 and I want to make sure they are receiving feedback, improving upon their weaknesses and capitalizing on their strengths.
PS. While I was at the CFL2 cert, they corrected my squat stance by an inch and my squat now feels WAY better. I have done a fair amount of squatting, but I was still able to benefit from simple coaching.
Point 9: Review the Workout BEFORE anything
Workout Review: right at the start of class pull all athletes over to the board. Greet them, go over any announcements, and then review the workout.
Reviewing the workout before the warm up is great because it makes better sense of the warm up. It gives our athletes a chance to understand what they are warming up for! This way the warm up can flow into the technique and the technique can flow into the workout WITHOUT DISRUPTION.
A secondary benefit of pulling everybody to the board right at the start, is that it gives time for the last class to funnel out of the main space. If you start the warm up while others are clearing out, it can be distracting and hard for the athlete to focus.
Reminders:
- Keep a PVC around so you can clearly demo any movements while reviewing the workout.
- Actually use a PVC to demo the day’s movements so everybody knows what you are talking about.
- Use the PVC to demo!
Point 10: Workout expectations
Tell our athletes what we expect this workout to feel like. What is the stimulus we are shooting for – intensity. Intensity simply refers to the weight and pace of a particular workout. It’s how heavy the workout should feel and the pace at which to perform. Setting expectations could sounds like this:
“This workout’s weight is a weight that you should be able to put right on the bar with not hesitation.”
“This workout’s weight is a weight that will take you two jumps to get to your workout weight.”
“You should be able to do 5-7 reps every time you pick that barbell up.”
“The goal for this workout is to be able to do 8 reps every minute.”
These are all setting workout expectations.
Without this clear direction, our athletes may not get the proper stimulus for the workout. If an athlete is doing the prescribed weight and they are not close to finishing the workout on time, they went way too heavy. They did not achieve the proper workout stimulus. If the athlete finishes the workout way too early, they too did not achieve the proper workout stimulus. Setting the expectations of the workout is essential to our athletes progress.
Point 11: Proper warm up structure
Step 1: Plan your warmup.
Step 2: Review the workout and set workout expectations.
Step 3: General & Dynamic Warmup – get them warm, increase heart rate, and use simple movement. Dynamic means more moving and less static stretching. Save static stretching for the end of class.
Step 4: Specific Warmup – once our athletes are generally warm with raised heart rates, the warm up must turn more specific to the movements of the day. Start to blend in some technique. This is a great time to use light weights and include elements of the daily movements in the warm up. For example:
- Use RDLs and hollow holds on deadlift day.
- Use air squats and cossack squats on squat day.
- Use RDLs, high pulls, and PVC overhead squats of snatch day.
Step 5: Technique – This is when we must execute top notch cues to quickly get people moving well. When guiding group technique we must be clear in our direction, see enough reps, be effective and fast with our cueing, eliminate empty reps, and cue everybody. Here are some helpful tips:
- Use light weight to practice technique so they can do more reps.
- Have every athlete move together at your command.
- Call out the reps and ask them to hold certain positions so you can review every bit of technique possible.
- Think about eliminating empty reps. Use every rep to improve technique. (Empty reps are reps that pass by without feedback)
Step 6: Flow right into the workout – by the end of this warmup, each athlete should be ready to increase intensity.
Step 7: Advise the athletes how to build up into the workout.
Point 12: Develop your eye and sharpen your cues
Make sure your cueing is effective while using as few words as possible. Good cues get the job done – no fluff.
Developing your eye to quickly see and correct is a skill that simply needs to be practiced and used often. You want to be able to see and correct in ONE rep. If it takes you more than one rep to figure out what needs to be fixed, you need to trim that down to one rep and develop your eye.
This mainly applies to a group setting. If you have 16 athletes squatting at your command and you need three reps to figure out what is wrong with Joe’s squat, you literally missed 45 other reps that needed to be seen. (3 squats for each of the other 15 athletes)
You watched Joe for three reps, while 15 other athletes completed 3 squats on your command. I understand you can’t watch 16 athletes at the same time, but using the tactics below will help us see multiple athletes per rep.
Here are some helpful group technique tactics:
Move everybody together – When everybody is moving together it is WAY easier to see faults.
- “Ok gang, we are going to squat together on me! Ready? Down… Up, Down… Up, Down”
Hold positions – By having athletes hold certain positions, you can cue people very quickly and fix specific positions.
- “This time hold the bottom of your squat! Ready, Down… hold the bottom…!
Move around the room – Move around the room to see and cue as much as possible.
CUE FAST – DROP THOSE CUES. Move. Cue. See. When athletes are holding positions, you can cue 2-4 athletes per rep. Don’t forget to watch them make the correction.
Cue loudly – When you cue people loudly, athletes around the room will hear the same cue and most likely self correct.
Do enough reps for YOU to see – if you need your athletes to complete more reps as a group to see everybody, make them do more reps! Remember, the technique is a part of the warm up. Holding and moving through proper positions at light weight is one of the best ways to warm up.
Point 13: Modifying
When athletes require modification, consider the following:
- Modify the weight and reps before changing the movement.
- Know why the athlete is asking for modifications. Do they just not like a certain movement?
- If you need to change the movement, make sure you don’t lose the stimulus.
Point 14: General Awareness and Clear Communication
Coaching is all about awareness and communicating clearly. We need to be aware of what our athletes need and we need to be able to communicated it clearly. Be concise with your words and present everything one clear step at a time. This goes for the warmup all the way through to the cooldown.
At the end of the day, a couch should know in their heart if they did the best job they could.
Point 15: Always take care of your people
A common mistake a business can make, is once a great relationship is established with the customer, the service provider can let the service slip. It’s either pure complacency, having to do with getting too comfortable with the customer or there may be too much of a focus on getting new customers.
The service provider begins to assume their relationship with the customer is so strong that they don’t have to rely on top notch service. I have had this experience with both small and large businesses and it is frustrating and unacceptable.
Every athlete here at CFB must receive the highest level of service that we can provide. When somebody is in your class, make them better. Don’t let the line between coach and friendship become blurred. While you are coaching, you are a COACH. It’s not complicated – just stick to points above.
To the coaches who have read this whole dang thing, thank you for caring. I appreciate it so much and am thankful to have you by my side.
If any of our athletes made it to this point without falling asleep, I am impressed! Use this document to help hold us accountable. Don’t let me ever be complacent – my door is always open.
-Liam
