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Check out this article on Virtuosity from the August 2005 Crossfit Journal

In gymnastics, completing a routine without error will not get you a perfect score, the 10.0—only a 9.7. To get the last three tenths of a point, you must demonstrate “risk, originality, and virtuosity” as well as make no mistakes in execution of the routine.

Risk is simply executing a movement that is likely to be missed or botched; originality is a movement or combination of movements unique to the athlete—a move or sequence not seen before. Understandably, novice gymnasts love to demonstrate risk and originality, for both are dramatic, fun, and awe inspiring—especially among the athletes themselves, although audiences are less likely to be aware when either is demonstrated.

Virtuosity, though, is a different beast altogether. Virtuosity is defined in gymnastics as “performing the common uncommonly well.” Unlike risk and originality, virtuosity is elusive, supremely elusive. It is, however, readily recognized by audience as well as coach and athlete. But more importantly, more to my point, virtuosity is more than the requirement for that last tenth of a point; it is always the mark of true mastery (and of genius and beauty).

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. This compulsion is the novice’s curse—the rush to originality and risk.

The novice’s curse is manifested as excessive adornment, silly creativity, weak fundamentals and, ultimately, a marked lack of virtuosity and delayed mastery. If you’ve ever had the opportunity to be taught by the very best in any field you’ve likely been surprised at how simple, how fundamental, how basic the instruction was. The novice’s curse afflicts learner and teacher alike. Physical training is no different.

What will inevitably doom a physical training program and dilute a coach’s efficacy is a lack of commitment to fundamentals. We see this increasingly in both programming and supervising execution. 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.

If you insist on basics, really insist on them, your clients will immediately recognize that you are a master trainer. They will not be bored; they will be awed. I promise this. They will quickly come to recognize the potency of fundamentals. They will also advance in every measurable way past those not blessed to have a teacher so grounded and committed to basics. Training will improve, clients will advance faster, and you will appear more experienced and professional and garner more respect, if you simply recommit to the basics.

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. Play is important. Tire flipping, basketball, relay races, tag, Hooverball, and the like are essential to good programming, but they are seasoning—like salt, pepper, and oregano. They are not main courses.

CrossFit trainers have the tools to be the best trainers on earth. I really believe that. But good enough never is, and we want that last tenth of a point, the whole 10.0. We want virtuosity!!

 

Check this blog out: Pose Running reduces running economy…the missing study

About 4 weeks ago, we ran a six-part series on running technique, evaluating the Pose and Chi methods for running. In that series, we looked at:

Whether there is a basis for teaching running as an activity, as opposed to letting “natural” technique evolve?
*The philosophy of how we run
*The biomechanics of Pose running
*The Scientific evidence for changing a running technique
*Some practical tips for improving your running without trying to make “wholesale” changes
*Whether running techniques like Pose are marketed as medical products?

For the conclusion from the series check out:http://scienceofsport.blogspot.com/2007/10/pose-running-reduces-running-economythe.html

So… I undershot the weigh in again and was 56.8. Dan showed up at the competition at 12:30 (my weigh in was at 1) and told me to go get lots of water and my food and wait for him to come back. Melanie Roach (who will be competing in the Olympics for the US) made a last minute decision to come down and compete in the 58kg weight class, so 15 minutes before my weigh in, realizing I wasn’t going to be able to compete with Melanie (links to her videos are bellow) for fun Dan decided it would be good practice for me to move up to the 63kg weight class, so I fit 2litres of water in me in a 15 minute time span and weighed in at 58.1kg allowing me to compete in the 63kg weight class-who new it was so hard to fit that much water in you-gave me a crazy headache!

Snatch warm-ups were… sporadic to say the least. Lots of lifters (58 and 63kg categories were lumped together-probably about 11 lifters), lots of misses (meaning lifters got 2 minutes between attempts) and the weight changers were so slow changing the weights. I did a 51kg warm-up that was beautiful, but then my two at 55kgs (we did 2 because lifters were taking so long) were UGLY-my last one I actually had to chase it. But My first attempt at 58kg was pretty nice.

Dan was pretty impressed I could put it together so well on the platform after such ugly warmup lifts, but then when it came to my second and third attempts…check out the video for yourself.

Not my finest moment. My third attempt I overcompensated and threw it over my head. I have done 61kgs before, just not today:{

Clean and jerk warm-ups went really well and I was happy with my first attempt at 76kg.

But my leg got real tired and just couldn’t support the 79kg clean on the second or third attempt-check out the left leg (the one that I tore the quad doing the jumping squats 5 weeks back) just give out at the bottom (I realize the shorted pull and everything else that went wrong with the lift didn’t help either J)

But the coolest part of the day was watching Melanie in the warmup area. Her two last attempts are bellow:

Melanies snatch:

Melanies Clean and Jerk:

But I think one of Melanies coaches comments at the end of the day pretty much summed it up. He asked how long I’d been training for, and when I said I started training in November he laughed and said don’t take this the wrong way, but it shows, you have moments were you look like an amazing lifter and then there are moments where your body has no clue whats going on, but don’t worry, everythings there, just takes time!

-Tomorrow Josh Competes at 12pm. Dan is going to teach me how to schedule all the warmup lifts and coach somebody through a competition.

Kel

“Just beause you CAN do something doesn’t mean you SHOULD. I mean you probably COULD steer your car using your feet, that doesn’t make it a good ****ing idea.” -Chris Rock