Virtuosity and Kelly
Virtuosity and Performance
Have you ever watched a skill-heavy sporting event (gymnastics, track events, olympic weightlifting, ice skating, etc.) and marveled at the amazing ability that those athletes have, and how they make the sport seem almost effortless?
What professional athletes have that makes them truly successful and guarantees a long career is virtuosity, which is defined as “performing the common uncommonly well”.
Coach Greg Glassman discussed virtuosity in relation to CrossFit a few years ago, and I thought I’d share it with you:
Unlike risk and originality, virtuosity is elusive, supremely elusive. It is, however, readily recognized by audience as well as coach and athlete. There is a compelling tendency among novices developing any skill or art, whether learning to play the violin, write poetry, or compete in gymnastics, to quickly move past the fundamentals and on to more elaborate, more sophisticated movements, skills, or techniques.
What will inevitably doom a physical training program and dilute a coach’s efficacy is a lack of commitment to fundamentals. Rarely now do we see prescribed the short, intense couplets or triplets that epitomize CrossFit programming. Rarely do trainers really nitpick the mechanics of fundamental movements.
I understand how this occurs. It is natural to want to teach people advanced and fancy movements. The urge to quickly move away from the basics and toward advanced movements arises out of the natural desire to entertain your client and impress him with your skills and knowledge. But make no mistake: it is a sucker’s move. Teaching a snatch where there is not yet an overhead squat, teaching an overhead squat where there is not yet an air squat, is a colossal mistake. This rush to advancement increases the chance of injury, delays advancement and progress, and blunts the client’s rate of return on his efforts. In short, it retards his fitness.
There is plenty of time within an hour session to warm up, practice a basic movement or skill or pursue a new PR or max lift, discuss and critique the athletes’ efforts, and then pound out a tight little couplet or triplet utilizing these skills or just play. CrossFit trainers have the tools to be the best trainers on earth. We want virtuosity!!
I wanted to share this with you all as a reminder that, although sometimes the foundational movements, mobility work and midline stability training seem less important as you achieve greater fitness, in reality they truly will help to to achieve even higher and loftier goals. This is proving blatantly obvious during our Pull-Up Challenge, as folks who have never gotten close to even one (let alone 20!!) pull-ups are seeing the benefits of training and strengthening the basic movements. It’s also demonstrated with the improved form, function and performance of our athletes who have been attending the Foundations classes. This stuff truly works!
Think about what you want out of your time at CrossFit. Yes, we all want to work off that glass of wine. We all want to look better naked. But also think about what you want your movement to look like. Watch the two videos below and tell me which one you’d rather emulate!
Exhibit A
Exhibit B
-Emilie
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Monday’s Workout
“Kelly”
5 Rounds
400M Run
30 Box Jumps (24/20)
30 Wall Ball (20/14)
Mandatory 30:00 cutoff
Compare to:
9/30/13
4/22/13
11/19/12
7/23/12
2/20/12
10/17/11
6/7/11
2014 01 26