ATC (Coach’s Prep Course)
WEEK TWO GOALS
Observe two group sessions. With the ‘CFI-6/012 Coaching Evaluation Form’ from the Procedures Book observe and note what you see for future discussion..
Read ‘CFI-8/001 Personal Coaching SOP’ and ‘CFI-8/002 Group Coaching SOP’.
Complete the online ‘Anatomy Course’ provided by CrossFit.
Complete the online ‘Scaling Course’ provided by CrossFit.
Read the article ‘7 Reasons Why CrossFit Athletes Should Practice Yoga’.
Read the article ‘Movement 101’.
Read the article ‘The Athletic Hip’.
Read ‘Becoming a Supple Leopard’ (pages 60-99).
Read the ‘CFI-8/004 Lifting Fundamentals Script’.
Read the ‘Lifting Fundamentals Homework’.
Complete the Olympic Lifting Workshop.
THE IMPORTANCE OF KNOWING
More than anything else, a coach must know what they are looking at and knowing why it happens. Just shouting commands or bouncing around like an aerobics instructor is not what our clients are here for.
The first and most basic movement we ask a client to do to assess a starting point is the squat. Asking them to ‘push their knees out’ or ‘pull your shoulders back’ are pointless unless you have a clear understanding of what you are wanting the body to achieve and why from a biomechanical perspective. Is pushing the knees out resolving ankle, knee, or hip issues? What are your objectives, and the desired result you are looking for?
Where do their weaknesses lie? Can you assess what needs to be done on every session? An understanding of musculature and how it works is vital to providing solutions.
Let’s start with the midline – the main structural mechanisms that support stability and movement.
SCALING AND ADAPTATION
Maintain the Stimulus: If a workout is intended to be fast, such as Fran, then scale the workout to maintain that stimulus. If an athlete cannot do Fran as prescribed, then scale the weight, the reps, or both on the thrusters to a point where the athlete can complete each portion of the workout in two sets or less. Scale the pull ups in the same way.
Keep the Athletes Safe: Scaling should keep the athletes safe and keep them within their limits. If Angie (100 pull ups, 100 push ups, 100 sit ups, 100 air squats) is programmed the first week that a client has joined the gym, it would be unsafe to have the athlete perform the rep scheme as prescribed. Scale back the reps and movements to something manageable for a beginner.
Use Complementary Movements: Prescribed movements may not always be possible, try to keep any adapted movement using similar muscle group and movement patterns. It would not make much sense to scale or adapt a pull up to an air squat as those movements use entirely different body parts and muscle groups. It may make more sense to replace a pull up with a push up but that still replaces a pulling motion with a push. This job gets more difficult when scaling or adapting for an injury that has eliminated the use of an entire body part, but a little creativity and practice goes a long way to getting as close as possible.
Address the Issue: There will be times when an athlete’s mobility restrictions may force you to change a movement. This is a necessary and important step to keeping athletes safe, but it is important to take the time to also address the mobility issue at hand so the athlete can introduce the full movement down the road. If an athlete needs to scale an overhead squat down to a back squat, then you should also suggest a mobility piece as part of the session that will help the athlete obtain an overhead squat in the long-term.
OLYMPIC WEIGHTLIFTING WORKSHOP
We need to look at how to enable the client to move as we intend them to. This is not always as easy as it seems at times. Limitations in mobility together with a lack of awareness of their personal body positions will require conveying instructions in many ways. All of which must first be safe and second consider personal technical ability.
It is important to build from the ground up. Do not focus on upper body position until the structure is stabilised with the correct base (feet placement).
Do not overload the client with technical aspects of what is required, the most important goal is to get them moving safely and with correct technique. Although Olympic weightlifting, continue using the PVC pipe until skill and consistency is achieved.
Break movements down into understandable portions allowing the client to absorb the intended positions. Do not jump into full lifts until the foundations are good.
The book ‘Olympic Weightlifting’ is one of the best introductions into understanding Olympic weightlifting. Consistency in applying it across every coach is vital in reenforcing safety and progression.