Finding A School

I have a huge list of questions I ask myself before picking a school posted on the Crossfit message boards.

But here is a quick summary

1. Logistics. Do they teach the style you like at a price you can afford at a location you can get to at a time that is convenient? Are there enough classes? Does the school have equipment you need?

2. Contracts/criteria. I personally tend to shy away from contracts and prefer schools that allow you to train elsewhere; you need to decide if these or any other things are issues for you or not.

3. Gym vibe. This is EXTREMELY important. You do not want to spend all of your training time trying to figure out politics or social dynamics or feeling like you have to prove yourself. Find a gym where you feel both safe and welcome, where you get the help you need and where you feel good. I have spent a lot of time at gyms where the vibe was terrible but the training was fairly decent. It was hard to get myself to go and affected the consistency of my training.

4. Instructors. If there are skilled coaches who are also good at teaching in a way you can understand, that is great. Especially if they continue working to improve their own game and teaching. You also have to make sure their teaching style meshes with the way that you learn. I personally work best in environments where I can ask a lot of questions but also spend a lot of time quietly drilling or rolling to try to figure things out on my own or integrate what I've learned.

5. Training. Are you drilling fundamentals or working on the technique-of-the-week? Do you get to drill against progressive resistance and then integrate any technique into your game?