Be Coachable

Last Spring, I dropped into a CrossFit gym while on vacation in Florida.  As a relatively seasoned athlete, I don’t usually receive much coaching when I drop in places. Not because I move perfectly and can do all the things (I certainly can’t). It’s likely that my errors just aren’t as egregious as novice athletes and harder to see.  However, :30 seconds into the warm-up,  Coach Todd asked me to widen my squat stance slightly during air squats to help my chest from falling at the bottom.

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My face: Startled.  Followed by squinting eyes in question. 

My brain: Excuseeee me?? I have long legs. My knees could cave if I go wider. And my ankles aren’t warmed up/mobile yet.

My response: “Wider?? Umm… ok…”  

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I reluctantly did what Coach Todd said even though it felt weird and he hurt my ego.  One minute later, I simply chuckled and thought to myself:  “why was I so defensive and want to start dealing out excuses for why I squat like I do?  Why did I immediately start questioning this coach’s legitimacy and knowledge? When did I get too good to receive coaching?” 

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As I reflect on this story, I realize this probably happens in the heads of many of my own athletes.  When we get coaching, it can feel like someone is just pointing out our flaws, and this can be hard to swallow and rub us the wrong way, if we let it.  But if we simply change our attitude towards receiving feedback (and tuck away our ego), that’s when we open the gates to progress.

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So, here are my key takeaways for being coachable:

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1. Trust your coach.  Your coaches watch people move for hours every day.  They know what a good deadlift set up looks like. They know when your barbell is too heavy or too light for you for the intended stimulus.  They know the appropriate steps and modifications an athlete must take in order to make progress (and avoid injury). 
2. Be receptive.  Listen to what is being asked of you instead of immediately defending yourself.  Coaching is not a personal attack.  It is a personal act of care and compassion and help.  ‍
3. Execute. Do not just nod your head.  Actually try to put things into action.  
4. Execute consistently.  If a coach helps you make a correction, then you should be doing this consistently for every rep going forward.  If you continue to revert to old and bad habits, you will never make progress. This often means slowing down or going lighter until you develop the muscle memory to execute properly at higher intensity or load. 
5. It will always feel weird/uncomfortable at first and it will only start to feel normal when you do it consistently (so for god’s sake, HOOK GRIP the bar!). 

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When I got back from our trip, I did some investigating on Coach Todd: Todd Occhiuto is a CrossFit Level 4 Trainer (the highest level that exists) and part of CrossFit HQ Seminar Staff.  He has written many articles for the CrossFit Journal and is featured speaking on coaching specific podcasts including Best Hour of Their Day.  He is the owner of DRiV Fitness in St Augustine, Florida.  If you ever visit the area, you absolutely must drop in.  And when he or any of his coaches give you a cue, do it. 

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See you at the gym!

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