Welcome, new readers! My name is David Osorio, and I am the owner of CrossFit South Brooklyn (CFSBK), the first CrossFit gym in Brooklyn, New York. We started this blog, Inside the Affiliate, over four years ago in the interest of open-sourcing and sharing best practices for running a CrossFit affiliate. If this is your first time visiting, you're probably here because you watched one or more of the incredible videos produced by Michael Dalton and the rest of the CrossFit Journal crew, who spent a week hanging out with us over the summer of 2017, in honor of CFSBK's 10th anniversary. We are so humbled and excited to further our platform beyond this blog for sharing information about what works well for CFSBK. Below is the full list of the videos released so far in the "Inside CrossFit South Brooklyn" CrossFit Journal series. We will be reposting each video as they come out and after you're done watching, we hope you stick around to read some articles!
Diapers & Dumbbells
Call it a modern-day “baby boom”: CrossFit South Brooklyn increased the size of its coaching staff to keep up with the popularity of the Diapers and Dumbbells class.
The Docs
Doctors Mike Cutaia, 68, and Judy Feldman, 68, attend personal sessions with me and discuss the benefits of CrossFit from the perspective of being 68 years old and physicians.
Variety
A discussion about how varying your class types help strengthen your community and provide additional revenue streams at the same time.
Fit 55+
A discussion about the importance of creating a family-friendly environment that welcomes people of all ages—in this case, specifically our 55-years-old and up population.
Guiding Principles
We have three guiding principles for our business. CFSBK strives to make our affiliate professional, inclusive, and effective.
The Kids
To serve parents and young athletes from 3 to 17, CFSBK provides four levels of CrossFit Kids classes. As I share in this video, the larger goal of the CrossFit Kids program is to encourage a positive association with fitness and physical activity from an early age. In addition, the classes help foster a growth mindset: If the kids work hard, they will see improvement inside and outside the gym.
Group Class Coaching Expectations, Part 1
In Part 1 of the series, I discuss timeliness—how coaches can best manage their time and effectively communicate class flow to their clients.
Group Class Coaching Expectations, Part 2
In Part 2, I discuss communication standards, from what to include in the opening briefing to the importance of touching base with athletes, projecting enthusiasm, and facilitating communication between members.
Group Class Coaching Expectations, Part 3
In Part 3, I outline several key points to help coaches lead athletes through classes. They include ensuring members’ safety above all else, demonstrating familiarity with programing and scaling options, gradually building from basic to complex skills, and identifying and devising strategies for troubled movers and athletes ready for the next step.
Group Class Coaching Expectations, Part 4
In Part 4, I offer several guidelines for effective tandem coaching, emphasizing the importance of communication and the need to discuss work allocation and roles in advance to avoid confusion during class.
Group Class Coaching Expectations, Part 5
In Part 5, I provide tips for handling large classes and discuss use of gym space and equipment, how to take charge, and how to run a smooth workout when a lot of members show up to train.
Group Class Coaching Expectations, Part 6
In Part 6, I discuss outdoor logistics and the importance of having standards for how coaches and members conduct themselves when engaging with the environment outside the gym. I share that members should be mindful of their roles as ambassadors for their box and the CrossFit community. That means they should consider others even if doing so adds a few seconds to their workouts.
If you have any questions, let us know with a comment below.