October 27, 2008MONDAY 081027
CrossFit Gymnastics Certification Seminar, CrossFit Boston, Oct 25-26. Big Shane Fahy of CrossFit Ireland got his first muscle-up this week and nobody noticed. Well, except for this little video by Colm and the CFI gang . . . Ever wonder what the Gymnastics Certification is like? Let me tell you a little something . . . It's fun. It's difficult. It's worthwhile. I went to Jeff Tucker's CrossFit Gymnastics Cert this past weekend and I can honestly say that I hated it. I hated it in the way that I hate anything that I'm not good at, that makes me feel weak or inferior, or that moves me out of my comfort zone. The gymnastics cert did all of that, and more. And I'm glad I went. Let me explain. Give me a barbell and I'm happy. I can do that. Or a bike. I'll even settle for running. But gymnastics? Whoa, brother, that's something that I'd just rather skim over. Prior to this weekend, I could do enough half-assed moves to survive the WODs, but that was all. It wasn't fair to myself or to the members of my affiliate. This is CrossFit after all: Weights, MetCon, and Gymnastics. A good affiliate really should learn to utilize (and appreciate) all of the fundamental categories. As trainers, we get used to pushing people out of their comfort zones. That's part of our job. But, in order to do that job effectively, somewhere along the line, we need have somebody else push us out of our comfort zones. That's where the specialty certs can be very useful. And the Level 2 cert. So I went to the Gymnastics Cert (butterflies and all in my stomach) and faced my own insecurities as a CrossFitter, as a trainer, and as a person. And I survived. In fact, by the end of the weekend, I almost started to like handstand push-ups. Almost. Jeff Tucker and his crew were phenomenal coaches. (Special thanks to Gillian Mounsey for guiding me through so much, and never making me feel like a failure, even when I was failing at something.) Whether you were the best in the room or the one providing the most "teaching moments", Tuck had it nailed: everybody could improve, everybody could learn some gymnastics movements, everybody could walk away with some usable skills, including proper spotting techniques and an understanding of what the movement should look and feel like, even if you're not very graceful with the movement yourself. (Hey, why are you looking at me?) And if you were already comfortable and/or competent with gymnastics? Well, then it was even more fun, as the coaches worked with you to perfect your technique. Tuck closed the cert with a small speech on the importance of service in our lives, in our communities, and in CrossFit. And he's right. Service is important. And his gymnastics certification seminar is a service which is pretty damn good. You might want to check it out. I'm fairly certain that you'll be happy you did. I am. (Now, if you'll excuse me, I'm off in search of my comfort zone. Ah, there it is -- over by the bumper plates!) (By Lisbeth Darsh/CFHQ and CrossFit Watertown) Posted by Lisbeth at October 27, 2008 12:05 AMComments
The force is strong in this one. Comment #1 - Posted by: Davie at October 27, 2008 12:37 AMHa - I had a feeling this vid would make an appearance on here. Nice one guys. Comment #2 - Posted by: Chet (UK): www.FuncKey.co.uk at October 27, 2008 1:02 AMyes, get yourself to a gymnastics cert! even for the more experienced, its invaluable for learning the progressions and scaling needed to bring gymnastics to your box. thank you to all the coaches - tucker, keith, gillian, john, melissa - for making me step way outside my comfort zone and giving me ways to work on the chink in my armor. and the hyper-active apots were fun, too. Comment #3 - Posted by: ec at October 27, 2008 3:59 AMyes, the gymnastics cert was great. learned a ton about progressions and spotting. also reminded me to work on things i suck at. cheers to all the coaches for having my back. hope to bring y'all to nz next year. Comment #4 - Posted by: donna m at October 27, 2008 4:30 AMI had the pleasure of attending the gymnastic cert this past weekend in Boston. Heading into this, I had a fear of inversion and problems with gymnastic movements. To say that I have changed all that is an understatement. Tucker is not only informative, but extremely entertaining as well. His teaching methods and step by step progressions were outstanding and helped me out greatly. Also, learning how to properly spot and scale movements was extremely beneficial as well. This cert is highly recommended for all. Special thanks to Tucker and his staff for a great weekend. Comment #5 - Posted by: AlexMorrison at October 27, 2008 5:45 AMMy 2nd cert in a row with a Texan in charge, last one was with Rip. Once again the humour and knowledge was outsatnding and made for an enjoyable if hard weekend. Thanks Tuck. I'll put my hands on your thighs any time, E.C. As long as you promise to ask nicely. =) Comment #7 - Posted by: whisky at October 27, 2008 7:02 AMMy deepest gratitude to all of those that attended the gymnastics cert in Boston this past weekend. Your effort, enthusiasm and dedication to becoming better crossfitters and coaches truly inspired me. It was very moving to watch many of you bravely conquer your fears and step out of your comfort zones. and you WILL need both hands for that whisky! Comment #9 - Posted by: donna m at October 27, 2008 7:32 AMI can't recommend the gymnastics cert enough. Please, everyone who hasn't been to one yet, go! It'll help you improve your own wod's, and the knowledge and skills that you'll take away will be a huge benefit to those you train. It'll really help you become a better athlete and a better trainer which will further set you apart from the competition. Thanks to all of the coaches for a great job. Your knowledge, humor and sincerity are inspirational. Lastly, I think the idea of a level 2 gymnastics cert is awesome. Comment #10 - Posted by: Tim Gagne at October 27, 2008 8:45 AMTuck, The Gymnastics Cert was a blast. Thanks for the opportunity to do sixteen back levers, tons of l-sits, and generally make an ass out of myself by inverting the kinetic chain. You're my hero, even if you don't salute. Best, Jon Comment #11 - Posted by: Jon Gilson at October 27, 2008 9:41 AMI'm on the bus back to NYC from Boston right now and I'm replaying the cert in my head. Awesome. PS- I'll be posting pics later this afternoon. Crossfitvrtuosity.com Comment #12 - Posted by: Keith W. at October 27, 2008 9:41 AMAaaah, My arms hurt, my abs are sore my hamstrings are yelling at me. My lats are saying Hey can we have a beer please! My body is hung over! I spent the weekend on the bar, over the bar, up and over the bar! It was a flipping rocking time! When most of the time I'm used to just dancing on the bar this weekend was different. The bar made me stronger, wiser and really stinking sore! Tuckers Gymnastics cert was out freaking outstanding! I went to this cert with one goal which was to not blow my shoulder up and to find out what I could do with it after almost a year of recovery. I've always loved gymnastics. I suck at them but really have always enjoyed them and it was part of the draw to Crossfit for me. tuckers coaching style is hard core. Your not going to mess with this dude! He's spot on with what he wants from every person. Folks, I've had no Kipping pull-ups in over a year. It's been humbling to be a CF'er with no pull-ups. Between Tucker and Gillian I had my kip back in the first 30 Min's of the cert! Gillian, I hope you read this. Your so talented as an athlete it's just awesome. I've spent time with many talented athletes over the years. Very few of them have coaching/training abilities. Every time you worked with me I walked away feeling positive and successful. Thank you so much! Jen
I was honored to be included as one of the "coaches" at this gymnastics cert. I learned so much, both as a trainee and a trainer. Thanks to Tucker, Gillian, Keith and Whiskey for showing me the ropes. Big thank you to Neil and Jon for the hospitality. And to the participants - your hard work and perseverance through two full days of challenging drills was an inspiration. Congratulations to all of you. Comment #14 - Posted by: Melissa Byers at October 27, 2008 11:40 AMWalking into CrossFit Boston this past Saturday, I was floored by the number of CrossFit "big names" in the room (look at the picture and you'll know what I mean). To say the least, I was in awe for much of the weekend! Kudos to Tucker and his crew (Gillian -- who IS the biggest rockstar ever, John, Keith, Melissa) for an excellent and memorable experience, as well as Neal and Jon at CF Boston for being wonderful hosts -- I can't thank you guys enough! It was great meeting everyone else at the cert as well -- in particular, Lisbeth, who works so hard to keep this affiliate blog running as smoothly as it does! Gymnastics is something I've always been fascinated with -- and this weekend I got to indulge in all the topsy-turvy movements (and then some) that I've been wanting to try for the longest time. I also took away many valuable pointers, teaching cues, and skills that will be hugely useful in my own training as well as when coaching others. I definitely recommend this cert to anyone and everyone who's looking to improve upon the gymnastic component of the CF programming tripod. Oh, and did I mention I want to be like Gillian when I grow up? Comment #15 - Posted by: Feng at October 27, 2008 11:44 AMFeng, it goes without saying, we all want to be like Gillian when we grow up! Comment #16 - Posted by: Keith W. at October 27, 2008 12:08 PMWow, I guess I'm late to the posting party... To echo some of the sentiments above, the gymnastics cert is beyond worthwhile. I took away so much from this weekend, and I have no doubt that it will make me a better overall athlete. Tucker, your passion for coaching and the sport in general comes across with every word you speak. Your assistant coaches are tremendous... Keith, Melissa, John WherestheWhiskey, and Gillian, thank you guys so much and sorry if anything I did brought you to near concussion at any point this weekend. And I'm happy to say that I'll be working on my "party tricks" (Hold my beer.) Actually, hell, if I ever nail that Iron Cross, I'll just take someone else's beer. Chip (Not Tim) Moore Comment #17 - Posted by: Clippa at October 27, 2008 1:12 PMI love Coach Tucker!!! His Cert. was so good I am going to start begging someone to create a Level 2. FYI: I am going to make headstands my Bitch!!! Coach Tucker cut me NO slack and I love him for that. Thank You Coach Tucker Syn Comment #18 - Posted by: Syn at October 27, 2008 4:38 PMI already posted over on the main site but wanted to drop a line here too. Big Thank you to all that attended this past weekend. I know I always enjoy getting to meet the new faces that have joined CrossFit since I first got involved. Tucker, can't wait to have you back! Gillian, Keith, Whiskey, and Melissa, great job! You are always welcome back and keep in touch. A quick shout out to the Martone's. Jeff taught the Kettlebell Cert at North Shore CrossFit on the 17& 18 in Beverly and then stayed around for the week to participate in the Gymnastics Cert. with us. His son, Michael, was wth us too! Mike you are gonna be a beast! Keep it up. Oh, just a thought, if the following are attending these certs: Lynne Pitts, Kelly Moore, Lisbeth Darsh, Jeff Martone, and Gillian Mounsey. Don't you think there is some value in it for you? See my post over on the main board if you need further insight. Neal Comment #19 - Posted by: Fat Boy at October 27, 2008 4:58 PMTucker, Gillian, John, Keith and Melissa thank you for running such a great event. Special ‘thank you’ to Gillian for taking time out of her lunch break to give me some muscle-up pointers. At one point Tucker stated that this weekend was simply a survey. A survey? We got fed a couple dozen skill and progressions not mention spotting and assistance techniques and he calls it a survey. That’s kinda scary. I got enough this weekend to keep me busy for a very long time. Joe Nice Slayer shirt!
What a weekend! Thanks to everyone at the Cert this weekend, both instructors and participants, for making it an educational and inspirational experience. I'm not sure what to add to the above praise. There was so much new stuff for me I'm still digesting it. As a tall skinny guy I've always been fascinated and terrified by gymnastics. Tucker and crew broke it down into safe and bite-sized chunks that I was mostly able to get my head and body around. Thank you! I look forward to practicing this stuff back here in Providence and I hope I see you all again soon. By the way Feng has a great write-up about the Cert on her site. Good for those wanting a peek inside or to jog a fuzzy memory. Comment #22 - Posted by: Alex T at October 28, 2008 3:54 PMHey, what's up y'all! So it has been a few days, and I have been able to reflect on my experience on the cert. I post some stuff over on the main site, pretty much reflecting everything up here. 1. Coach Tucker led a great cert. The transference of skills is what really got to me, and it got to me yesterday watching the video of Nicole going through press corrections. The body position at the top of the press is the same hollow position we learned for the HSPU! Awesome cert, I am a better athlete and coach for it! Several of you asked about CFWP shirts....you can order one here: http://www.crossfitshirts.com/westpointpage.html Y'all take care, hope to train with you again. Comment #23 - Posted by: Dave Maxwell at October 30, 2008 7:53 AMWOW! I do not know where to start, but I want to say thanks to all of you for the very kind words and support. I will only strive to make these certs better with your commnets and all of the comments obtained from you from the survey on how to make them better. What a wonderful weekend, what a wonderful cert, and what wonderful folks and athletes all of you were in Boston's box! Please let me if I may ever be of service to any of you - all my best. Much love and admiration!
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