The Lesson Waiting To Be Learned When I First Coached Solo...

When I took my first two classes with no one observing me I was a mix of excited and nervous. Fortunately for me it was a workout that was predominantly a rowing one and being a ex-rowing coach this was pretty in my wheel house. Luckier again the first class was with 5 people who were relatively experience in CrossFit and great members of the community (all things that make it easier as a coach for sure). The class went really well, everyone pushed, I tried, failed and tried again with success some cues and I got to chat to everyone during the accessory work at the end which help me connect with everyone in the class. It all sounds great right, well maybe it was but equally it put me in a bit of a comfort zone which presented some challenges in my second class. That class had more people and a much wider variety of experience and ability levels (everything from someone in their 3rd class right up to people who have been a part of the community for years).

I followed the same thought process with slightly adjusted logistics which changed the class and timing slightly but not so dramatically that not everything would fit. What I learnt was that clarity in the message and not making assumptions is key. Asking the simple questions, like does everyone understand how splits work on the rowing machine screen? Or when building up the stroke, with a bigger class, taking more time and going step by step rather than through every progression in one hit in an attempt to get people moving. All with the right intentions but the accuracy of the delivery wasn't where I wanted it to be and in all honesty where the class needed it to be.

I am my biggest critic, don't get me wrong, but in the search for efficacy I think you need to be. It's the reason why I am so diligent in planning every session I coach, even when I have coaching notes to go off of I will re-write them in my own language so I can make sure I have fully understood the stimulus and objective in order to pass them on to everyone.

So there it is, my first two classes, not terrible, not perfect but certainly a good platform to move forward from. Importantly an experience that I lean on in every class I coach, to never get complacent and to take every class and every person in those classes as a unique opportunity to improve both me as a coach and them as an athlete.

Andy

Note/ Unpaid Ad: The mug in my picture was bought for me by a friend on the Crafty Wee Thistle's Etsy Page and it's one I find particularly amusing! (https://www.etsy.com/uk/shop/TheCraftyWeeThistle)