Toes-to-Bar Coaching Breakdown: How to Build the Skill from the Ground Up | with Pamela Gagnon

Toes-to-bar has appeared in over 80% of CrossFit Open workouts since 2011 — so why are so many athletes still struggling with it? The answer usually isn't effort. It's missing one or more of three critical components: coordination, strength, and spatial awareness. Pamela Gagnon breaks down exactly how to identify which piece is holding your athletes back and gives you a drill-based progression from beginner to advanced. In this video, Pamela covers: - Why toes-to-bar is really two separate skills — the kip swing (technical) and the toe lift to the bar (strength) — and how to coach each independently - A target drill to teach coordination and lat engagement without overwhelming the athlete - The banded front lever drill for building real lat strength that athletes can actually feel - How to use a horizon focus point and the snap-down drill to develop spatial awareness and timing - A beginner-to-advanced progression: hanging active shrugs and V-ups → alternating leg toes-to-bar → snap-down drill with plates - Why the goal isn't the toes-to-bar itself — it's mastering the parts of the whole Athletes who can't string together toes-to-bar are almost always missing something earlier in the chain. These drills give you the diagnostic eye to find it and the tools to fix it — and they're just as valuable for athletes who already have the skill. 🔔 Subscribe for weekly coaching education from CrossFit's top subject matter experts. Explore CrossFit's certificate courses and continuing education: https://www.crossfit.com/certificate-courses #CrossFit #CrossFitCoach #ToesToBar #CrossFitOpen #CoachEducation — CrossFit is the world’s leading platform for improving health and performance. In the 20 years since its founding, CrossFit has grown from a garage gym in Santa Cruz, California, into the world’s most effective program for improving health and performance through nutrition and exercise. CrossFit is the world’s leading provider of accredited performance-based training courses and certifications and has more than 125,000 credentialed coaches across the world. The program can be modified to welcome people of all ages and abilities and millions of people have already experienced CrossFit’s transformational benefits in more than 13,000 affiliated gyms across 158 countries. CrossFit also directs the CrossFit Games season, beginning with the annual CrossFit Open, through which athletes at every level compete worldwide, and culminating in the CrossFit Games, where top athletes compete for the title of Fittest on Earth®. Learn more about CrossFit → https://www.crossfit.com/what-is-crossfit/?utm_source=social&utm_medium=youtube&utm_campaign=crossfit Find a CrossFit gym near you → https://www.crossfit.com/map?utm_source=social&utm_medium=youtube&utm_campaign=crossfit Find CrossFit Courses near you → https://www.crossfit.com/courses-near-you?utm_source=social&utm_medium=youtube&utm_campaign=crossfit View CrossFit workouts → https://www.crossfit.com/workout?utm_source=social&utm_medium=youtube&utm_campaign=crossfit Subscribe to CrossFit email newsletters → https://www.crossfit.com/newsletters/?utm_source=social&utm_medium=youtube&utm_campaign=crossfit Learn more about the CrossFit Games → https://cf.games/games-learn-more