Form v. Intensity

Form v. Intensity. This is a discussion you will see over and over again in CrossFit. From CrossFit HQ, to CrossFit critics, members and coaches...is it OK to sacrifice form for intensity, and when is it OK? That's a discussion for another time,  but lets make it relevant to how we coach kids.

If you were watching the 8-12 year old class last Thursday the game was Musical Med Ball. It's similar to musical chairs, but we use (you guessed it) med balls instead of chairs. The kids went around the med balls in a circle while the music played (moving FAST, no mention of form here). When the music stopped they had to squat over a med ball. Most of the kids would just drop down fast without the greatest form....everyone wants to win, right? So if two kids tried to squat over the same med ball, here's where we challenged their form. They had to show Coach Emily 5 perfect air squats, and whoever had the better FORM stayed in the game. Good form=a reward. What was cool is that the other kids could tell who had better form and why. And the same kid who just plopped down quickly on the med ball, when encouraged to slow down, had great form!

You will see this theme a lot throughout our kids classes. We will mix quick/intense movements with slower ones, to show the kids when it's OK to move fast, and when you need to concentrate on form. Form will come with practice, and it's OK if they don't have the perfect push up, squat or overhead press right now....this is why you will also be seeing lots of bodyweight exercises or minimal load bearing exercises (light med balls/kettlebells/PVCs/dumb bells). Good form before adding load.
Here are some of my favorite pictures from the big kids class!

-BCCF Kids Coaches