I think skills work is being under valued. Why should I practice planche progressions, handstand walks or levers? Shouldn’t I prioritise my time at the gym to getting my deadlift, squat and press heavier, or my running and rowing faster?

Lifting heavier, or moving faster is more appealing because the progress is easily measurable and results are frequent. While being able to hold a freestanding handstand takes a lot more perseverance and most of the time the improvement is minimal.

Although, I think practicing new skills are equally important for a number of reasons:

Variety:
CrossFit’s main aim is to keep you motivated through constantly changing stimulus. If you feel like you have been doing pullups, squats, push ups, kb swings all the time, then maybe it’s time to start practicing your muscle up progressions to give you something different to focus on.

Challenge:
For some people, having a skill they can’t do is great way to push themselves. It can start with being in awe of another person performing a skill and then practicing it yourself. When you finally learn it also, you get a great sense of accomplishment.

Recovery:
Some people think they are wasting their time training, unless they are sweating or feel out of breath. Sometimes skill practice wont make you feel like you just finished a hard met-con, but you are definitely training and it also gives your body a chance to recover from more intense workouts while you stress your body in a different form.

Fun:
Learning some new skills are fun, simple as that. Being able to walk on your hands, or spin around on the high rings makes training more like playing around with friends when you were a kid. Of course the more fun your having, the more inclined you are to keep on practicing and improving.

While some skills may not seem worth the time and effort at first, they all help you improve in your training. The added sense of balance in a handstand helps you balance better when snatching, the improved shoulder stability from ring supports will improve your ring dips. So make time for skills practice and your time will be rewarded.