CrossFit requires certification because coaches need a basic understanding of CrossFit’s methodology, movements, scaling, safety, and coaching standards.
But certification is only one part of coaching. The rest is the responsibility of the affiliate and the coach themselves.
I believe in the CrossFit methodology. I think coaches should understand it, continue learning, and know how to teach movement, modify workouts, correct technique, and help people improve.
But CrossFit Seminar Staff have said something for years that matters just as much:
“People don’t care how much you know until they know how much you care.”
That especially applies to coaching.
We do more than explain the workout on the whiteboard and run a class. We notice when someone seems a little off. We remember the bad knee, the stressful week, the goal someone has been working toward, or the movement that makes them nervous. We know when someone needs to be pushed and when they need to be pulled back. We celebrate the small wins and try to make sure the newest person in the room feels just as important as someone who has been here for years.
Sometimes great coaching is technical. It is changing the weight, adjusting the reps, or finding the right modification.
And sometimes it is simply asking, “How are you doing today?” and actually listening.
Everyone who walks through our doors comes in for a different reason. Some want to get stronger, lose weight, or train for something. Others just want to move better, feel healthier, or have more energy.
The workout may be the same for the class, but the coaching should be personal to the person doing it.
The goal is not to prove how much we know. It is to use what we know to help the person in front of us.
People may not remember the exact workout they did six months ago, but they will remember how they felt. They remember the coach who noticed their progress, checked on them when they were struggling, or helped them feel like they belonged.
I want our coaches to continue learning and getting better. Knowledge matters. Experience matters. Education matters.
But knowledge should always serve the person.
Because behind every membership is someone who trusted us enough to walk through the door, and I never want us to lose sight of that.
At Chaka, we want you to get stronger, improve your fitness, and accomplish things you may not have thought you could do.
But before any of that, I want you to know we care that you’re here.
That is where good coaching starts.
And cheers to Shortie, Lebo, Mols, Amy, Carolyn, G, Breese, and MZ for doing all that caring.
