How the Judges Course Can Make You a Better Coach and Athlete

Registered judge certificates at CrossFit Roots

It happens every year. One of my coaches comes up to me and, with frustration and a tinge of embarrassment on their face, says, “How many double-unders? I keep getting hung up on the double-unders! The Judges Course is driving me crazy!” Coaches in the room who have already earned their certificate smile and say, “It’s not the Judges Course; it’s you.”

I love this moment because it represents a part of our profession that the coach has shown they haven’t yet mastered. While some might scoff and say that the ability to count double-unders is not reflective of an effective and successful coach, I will strongly disagree. Being able to count double-unders accurately is reflective of seeing, one of the Six Criteria of an effective coach, and a coach who doesn’t improve their ability to see movement may struggle to improve athletes over time.

The CrossFit Games site says, “Anyone who intends to manage an affiliate, judge an aspiring Games athlete, or review Open video submissions must take and pass the 2022 CrossFit Judges Course. It’s also required for Age Group Online Qualifier and Games judges.”

While the Judges Course is required only for a few people at each affiliate, the average affiliate has many individuals participating in the Open. As a result, most will not have a certified judge oversee and judge their workout. That’s a missed opportunity.

What if everyone took the Judges Course? And I don’t mean just the coaches. What would happen if every coach and athlete who signed up for the Open took the Judges Course? The benefits go far beyond the accurate counting of reps for a single workout and raising the bar of the Open for the worldwide CrossFit community.

When every coach at your affiliate takes the Judges Course, it:

• Refines their understanding.
• Improves their delivery and communication.
• Holds them accountable to a standard.
• Requires them to stay current with industry standards year over year.

When every member at your affiliate takes the Judges Course, it:

• Nourishes the CrossFit community’s high standards.
• Reinforces what is expected of them daily.
• Improves communication with their coaches.
• Creates a shared belief of a right and wrong way of executing each movement.

For the Coach

Whether you are a die-hard Open athlete or reluctant participant, taking the Judges Course will make you a better coach.

The video examples of correct and incorrect movement execution contained within the course require you to hone your skills. For example, you might watch a movement pattern that receives a “no rep” and think of an athlete you work with daily. You can then help that athlete change their movement execution before the start of the Open so they can get credit for the reps they do. Additionally, the video examples provide another way to learn to see movement.

CrossFit Open 21.3 and 21.4 at CrossFit Rife

The Judges Course ensures CrossFit coaches stay current with the standards created by the CrossFit Games. When more coaches at your affiliate have taken the Judges Course, it helps ensure that your affiliate does right by the Open standards. It’s safe to say the Affiliate Manager may not be on site for every Open workout that goes down at your gym, so it’s everybody’s responsibility to hold the standard — and we’ve all seen standards evolve and change over time.

Lastly, the Judges Course refines our understanding of what counts and what doesn’t. But this is not just a “determining what counts” issue. Watching the videos helps define what it looks like to be below parallel and, for many, should be a red flag to the movement allowed during regular group classes for the other 11 months of the year.

While the value the Judges Course brings to a coach is obvious, the course is also essential to athletes of all levels, so I think every athlete should take it. Here’s why.

For the Athlete

Despite our best communication efforts, not all athletes absorb the information we deliver in classes the same way. I can’t tell you how many times I’ve had an athlete take the Judges Course and say to me in class, “I took the Judges Course, and man, I didn’t know chest-to-bar meant you actually had to physically touch your chest to the bar. I didn’t know you actually had to make contact!”

[Insert long pause and deep breath]

In my head, I’m thinking, “Of course you have to touch your chest to the bar; that’s exactly what I’ve been saying in class every time they show up in a WOD!”

But the reality is those videos and still shots with green checkmarks and red X’s go a long way in solidifying an athlete’s understanding of the movements, how to do them, and what they look like.

CrossFit Open, 21.1 at CrossFit Krypton

Similarly, the Judges Course provides another mechanism to further your message of movement quality and get everyone on the same page. Sometimes it’s nice to have backup, and the Judges Course does that. Your athletes hear the messaging repeatedly throughout the year — “squat below parallel, get your chin over the bar, extend your elbows fully” — but there’s something about hearing the same messaging from a different source that reinforces your efforts and gives you additional credibility. Furthering the message helps athletes understand the expectations for movement in the Open and all year long.

As an aside, this is not just about reps counting or not counting — an athlete’s form and technique are captured in much of the movement standards as well (e.g., below parallel in a squat is good form and technique and is the only depth of execution that counts for a rep).

Lastly, there is the intangible element of your affiliate community collectively taking the Judges Course. It strengthens the bond between coaches and athletes and, in turn, the affiliate. When everyone understands and is committed to moving correctly, it creates shared responsibility, accountability, and pride in the movement quality represented at the gym.

The Judges Course is one way we can all give back to the CrossFit methodology, our affiliate owners, and the worldwide CrossFit community.

Prerequisites: None
Price: $10
CEUs: 2
Language: English

About the Author: Nicole Christensen (CF-L4) is the Managing Editor for the Professional Coach and owner of 13-year affiliate CrossFit Roots. Since 2013, CrossFit Roots has asked everyone participating in the Open to take (and pass) the Judges Course to add another layer of understanding to their role as an athlete.