It’s simple: you do the workout, film it and upload it to the event’s page.
Then why are we freaking out with online qualifiers?
Because there are submission rules that can make you go crazy and each event has their own filming requirements. If you think you’re quite the Tarantino or Spielberg, think again: bro reps, wrong weights, missed standards, camera fails, broken screens, crashed servers because everyone is uploading?
You are not a complete Crossfit athlete unless you’re also skilled in filming (yourself).
And eventually, everyone gets skilled in that.
I like to procrastinate with things, unintentionally, and qualifiers usually fall on the last possible weekend, right before the deadline.
That said my friends and I are pretty familiar with adventures like:
– You choose RX, but after the WODs are released you realize you can’t lift the weights prescribed. And it’s too late to switch categories.
– Five minutes into a burpee – C&J workout the camera stops filming.
– The set up is a disaster: wrong camera angle, movement standards are not visible, bad picture quality, the box is too dark.
– You do the workout after work, full box and the members keep passing your frame, stealing your barbells and hanging on that one pull up rig you centred in the shot.
– You ask a friend to judge you: either he’s your bestie and let’s you do bro-reppin’ or he’s “THE judge” and annoys you to the limit you want to hit… something.
– The workout went perfect, it’s also filmed in HQ, but the coach forgets to approve the score.
– You drop the barbell with 5-kilo plates and it flies directly into your timer… on your lap top. Yes, it happened to my friends.
To end this nightmare, I had to seek help from experienced! athletes and judges
CrossFit Regionals athletes Steph Dekker, Emma McQuaid, Jonas Muller, Laura Faulkner and the Regonals judge Jonathan White got a message “please help”, and together we came up with 10 tips to make online qualifiers less stressful.
“My advice for people battling with online qualifiers is to take care of the stuff that’s within your complete control,” started Steph, and there are many things you can control.
1. Obsess over the video submission requirements: to the smallest details possible!
“Every event has different requirements,” says Jonathan White, a judge, you will spot him at the biggest events across Europe, and the co-owner at Twoton Crossfit.
The biggest mistake he sees is athletes not reading/watching the submission requirements carefully: “They think they know what they are doing as they have done these many times before. If the event says you have to wear blue shorts and a red t-shirt then that’s what you have to do for your score to count.”
Jonathan’s most valuable advice would be to watch the video and ask yourself: “If I was watching this video as a judge would I pass it?”
Make sure you have ticked all the standards, both movement and submission. – Jonathan White
Also, ask for help and let the most rational box buddy evaluate the qualifier. “It’s frustrating when you see a great time posted and the movement standards have been met, but you have to reject it as the athlete forgot to show the weight on the bar or have the clock in the shot.”
Be vigilant reading through the smallest details: “There are often small details such as ‘make sure you judge in the shot the whole time with a stop watch’ kind of thing. Things like this can be overlooked and then cause a problem,“ adds Laura Faulker, this year’s 35th fittest athlete in Europe.
2. Do a trial run: test the strategy and see how your body responds
Emma McQuaid finished this year’s European Open in 6th place overall: “Try doing do a trial run first to know what you’re in for and how would you later adapt/change your strategy.”
Not only the workout, you should also know your body, its strength and weakness, says CrossFit Games, Team Turicum, athlete Jonas Müller: “As qualifier workouts tend to test people’s ability performing under fatigue (for example grip strength in an workout with rowing immediately followed by double-unders or chest-to-bar pull-ups), you absolutely must know where you have to pace and where you can push the envelope.”
Jonas also suggests asking a friend to do the qualifier first and give an idea how the WOD could feel.
3. Make sure the memory card is empty (but also use the back up!)
Steph Dekker, 13th place overall at this year’s Meridian Regional, knows a thing or two about qualifiers: “I would say the most common mistake is people setting up filming without first checking if they have enough memory to record their submission.”
“After lying on the floor for five minutes I look at my phone to realise that it actually only filmed half of it. Therefore have to do it again! Not funny!“ And who else agrees with Laura?
How many times has this happened to you?
“For the Open this year I had my Ipad, GoPro and my phone as a back up so at least one off the three would get it,” adds Emma.
4. Camera angle and timer in view are important!
“Make sure you have your camera at the right angle and the clock in view at all times, that’s another unnecessary mistake I have made,” says Emma.
Think about making it easy for judges to see and validate the score adds Jonathan: “Use the best possible capture device you can, get a mount or tripod to ensure a stable shot. Make sure the sun/lights are not flaring into the camera and above all, make sure you have followed the submission standards.”
5. Clear out the area, get all the silly stuff out and let people know you are filming.
You don’t want your friends walking over to you, while performing the qualifier, starting a chat: “Make sure other people in the gym know you are filming and don’t touch the clock or timer or stand in front of the camera,” says Steph.
“I’ve seen this happen a lot; you are up on the rings cracking out your first ever muscle up, chicken winging it to the max, neck veins popping, pain face in full force. This will be the deciding movement between who qualifies and who doesn’t- everything is riding on this one rep… And meanwhile the camera shot is being blocked by a bald shiny head bobbing about of someone rolling their quads right in front of your camera!”
You heard it, remove all the unnecessary stuff, this means humans as well, that should not be in the video. Focus on performance.
6. Don’t underestimate the workout!
Jonas thinks the biggest mistake athletes do is underestimating the qualifier workout: “You should have a rock solid game plan before you start with your first attempt. In my opinion, you should treat a qualifier workout as it would be a competition event.”
The weight might look easy, but not in a 21-15-9 rep scheme with burpees and rowing on top. Not sure how to tackle on the workout? Return to point 2 and do the trail run.
7. Start a little competition going head to head with a friend, and enjoy it.
We know “woding” on your own is not as results-efficient as it is throwing it down with a friend: “I found that really helped me during the Open – having someone going along side me really helps to push harder,” says Emma.
She also suggests doing the qualifiers in the comfort of your own box. Also, it’s important to enjoy what you are doing. If you are having a bad day, don’t push it. Schedule the qualifier for another day.
“If you are not feeling it, stop and try again. With qualifiers you get a second chance, so there is no point in stressing.”
8. Find a judge who will no-rep your bro-reps.
“Don’t just ask your friend or someone who won’t speak up if you’re not hitting rep standards,” says Steph.
Get a judge, not a friend. And don’t fight back when you get no-repped. There is 99,9% chance you missed the standards!
Steph also adds: “The last thing you want is to find out you weren’t hitting depth on your wall balls when you watch the video back, or even the other way around that you were getting no-repped for good reps because the judge didn’t have a full understanding of what they are looking for.”
9. Do it right the first time!
It’s not impossible. What you need is practice and a good plan.
Laura suggests doing the qualifiers only once unless it is really necessary to repeat them: “It is better as they interrupt your normal training programme, strength cycles, etc. which could have an adverse effect on your general training.”
“Also remember qualifiers are to qualify for something so don’t beat yourself into the ground to be on top of leader-board. Save that for the finals!”
10. And if you don’t qualify… Fight on.
“The reason why the finalist field in bigger competitions always look the same is that those guys have a great competitive experience.”
Didn’t make it?
Jonas has an answer: “Fight on, enjoy the journey, improve your weaknesses and make your strengths unbeatable. Patience is key in this sport!”
Don’t beat yourself down, as Steph says: “Just like anything else, the more you do it the better you get at it! It’s all part and parcel of competing in Crossfit!“
What is the worse thing that has happened to you during (filming) qualifiers? Comment below.
The post A Competition Guide To Online Qualifiers For Crossfitters appeared first on BOXROX.
