CrossFit Open 26.1 | Coaching Tips

Everything you need to run 26.1 at your gym — from the whiteboard talk to warmup strategy to affiliate logistics. Eric O'Connor, Denise Thomas, and Nicole Christensen break down the coaching side of 26.1 so your athletes walk in confident and walk out with their best possible score. In this video: * How to frame the whiteboard talk — and why setting realistic expectations matters more than motivational hype * Pacing strategy for 246+ wall balls: using Karen times to help athletes build a smart plan * The wall ball technique cue that pays dividends across hundreds of reps * Why the box jump overs are a trap — and how to coach athletes out of it * Med ball box step-over strategies that can add reps without adding fatigue * Whether to redo 26.1 (and how to help athletes make the call) * Affiliate logistics: floor setup, scorecard prep, judging coordination, and running two heats in 60 minutes * How to give first-time Open athletes the experience that keeps them coming back Whether you're coaching seasoned competitors or athletes doing their first Open, this conversation will help you meet every athlete where they are — and get more out of them than they thought possible. Subscribe for coaching tips on every 2026 Open workout throughout the Open season. — 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