From CrossFit to Coordination: Training with Ben Garard at Benton Gym

At C.CADDY, we’re all about exploring different ways to move, challenge ourselves and build the foundations that help us perform at our best. So, when we had the opportunity to head out to Benton Gym in the Southern Highlands and train with Ben Garard, we knew it was going to be a good one.

The session was all about bringing together two sides of training: the intensity of a CrossFit workout and the often-overlooked benefits of co-ordination training. We got stuck into a workout, spent some time with Ben putting the C.CADDY Co-ordination Kits to the test, and finished the day with a classic game of handball.

Because while strength, speed and fitness are important, how you move, react and control your body can make a difference across almost every sport and physical activity.

A Day at Benton Gym with Ben Garard

Located in Braemar in the Southern Highlands, Benton Gym is built around fitness, coaching and creating an environment where people can work towards their individual goals. The gym offers a range of training options, including strength and conditioning, functional fitness and group classes designed to challenge different fitness levels.

We were lucky enough to spend some time training with Ben Garard, Benton Gym’s founder. With his background in CrossFit, competitive sport and coaching, Ben understands what it takes to develop well-rounded athletic performance.

Rather than jumping straight into the coordination drills, we started the way you might expect: with a CrossFit workout.

First Up: A CrossFit Workout

There’s nothing quite like getting stuck into a workout that challenges you physically and mentally. CrossFit combines movements and training styles to develop a range of fitness qualities, including strength, endurance, power, mobility and overall work capacity.

During a workout, you might move between lifting, bodyweight exercises, running, rowing and other functional movements. Each one requires a combination of physical effort, technique and body control.

It’s easy to think of fitness as simply being able to lift more weight, move faster or last longer. But performance also relies on how well you coordinate those movements.

Think about a movement such as a box jump, a barbell lift or even changing direction during a workout. You need to understand where your body is in space, control your movement, maintain balance and respond to the task in front of you.

That’s where coordination comes into play.

After getting the workout done, it was time to switch things up and explore how we could challenge those skills in a different way.

Bringing C.CADDY Co-ordination Kits into the Gym

Once we had finished the workout, we hung out with Ben and ran through a series of co-ordination drills using the C.CADDY Co-ordination Kits.

The aim was simple: move differently, challenge our reactions and have some fun along the way.

The C.CADDY Kit includes four rubber balls, six flat training markers and a training guide, with access to our online Training Vault for demonstrations and drill ideas. It’s designed to make coordination training accessible, whether you’re working on your own, training with a partner or adding something different to a team session.

Using the balls and markers, we explored activities that challenged hand-eye co-ordination, timing, reaction speed and body control.

These drills might look simple at first, but add a partner, introduce a movement pattern or change the timing of a catch, and things can get challenging pretty quickly.

You have to watch the ball, process what's happening, decide how to respond and move your body accordingly. And when you introduce another person into the mix, you also have to adapt to their movements and reactions.

It’s a different kind of challenge to a traditional workout, but that’s exactly the point.

Coordination training gives you an opportunity to work on the smaller details of movement that can be easy to overlook when your main focus is lifting heavier, running faster or completing more repetitions.

And the best part? You don't need a full gym or a huge amount of space to get started. Many coordination drills can be done in a gym, backyard, park or training space with just a few simple pieces of equipment.

Why Does Coordination Matter in CrossFit?

CrossFit challenges the body in a variety of ways, making coordination an important skill to develop alongside strength, endurance and power.

Here are a few reasons why it can be a useful addition to your training.

1. Better body awareness

Coordination involves understanding how your body moves and how different body parts work together. This can help you become more aware of your positioning, timing and control when performing different movements.

In CrossFit, body awareness is relevant to everything from gymnastics movements to lifting weights and transitioning between exercises.

2. Timing and movement control

Many exercises require you to coordinate several movements at once. Whether you're working with a barbell, jumping onto a box or performing a dynamic bodyweight exercise, timing matters.

Ball-based drills provide a different way to practise timing and control by asking you to track, catch, throw and react while maintaining awareness of your surroundings.

3. Reaction and decision-making

Training doesn't always happen in a predictable environment. Sometimes you need to respond to a partner, a changing situation or an unexpected movement.

Reaction-based coordination drills encourage you to pay attention, process information and respond quickly. While these drills aren't a substitute for practising specific CrossFit skills, they can add variety to the way you challenge your movement and reactions.

4. More variety in your training

Training the same qualities in the same way can become repetitive. Adding coordination exercises introduces a new challenge that can keep sessions interesting and encourage you to explore different movement patterns.

It also gives you a chance to step away from the clock, focus on technique and enjoy the process of learning something new.

Coordination Isn't Just for CrossFit

One of the things we love most about coordination training is that it isn't limited to a single sport, age group or fitness level.

The ability to coordinate your eyes, hands, feet and body is relevant to countless activities. Different sports demand different skills, but many rely on a combination of timing, balance, reaction and body control.

In boxing, athletes need to track an opponent, react to movement, maintain balance and coordinate their hands and feet while moving around the ring.

In AFL and rugby league, players need to read the play, react to teammates and opponents, catch or pass the ball and change direction under pressure.

In soccer, players coordinate their feet and body while tracking the ball, navigating opponents and making quick decisions.

In basketball and tennis, hand-eye coordination, timing and reaction are essential when catching, passing, hitting or responding to a moving ball.

In everyday life, coordination comes into play when navigating unfamiliar spaces, catching something unexpectedly, moving around obstacles or participating in recreational activities.

While general coordination drills won't automatically improve every sport-specific skill, they offer another way to practise foundational movement abilities that can complement sport-specific training.

For coaches and athletes, this makes coordination training a useful option to include alongside the skills, strength and conditioning work already in the program.

Finishing with a Classic Game of Handball

After working through the C.CADDY drills, we wrapped up the session with a game that needs no introduction: handball.

It was the perfect way to bring everything together. A simple game, a bit of friendly competition and plenty of opportunities to test our reactions, timing and hand-eye co-ordination.

Handball is a great example of how coordination can be built into activities without making everything feel like a training session. You're tracking the ball, predicting where it will go, adjusting your position and reacting to another player's decisions, often in a split second.

You're also having fun, which is something we think should always be part of movement.

Sometimes the best way to challenge yourself is to step outside your usual routine, try something different and see how you go. Whether you're a competitive athlete, a CrossFit regular or someone who simply enjoys getting active, games like handball are an easy way to bring movement and coordination together.

And after a CrossFit workout and a run through the C.CADDY drills, it was a pretty good way to finish the day.

Make Coordination Part of Your Training

Our visit to Benton Gym was a great reminder that performance is about more than just strength, speed or endurance. It's also about how you move, how you respond and how well you bring everything together.

Co-ordination training doesn't need to replace your usual training program. Instead, it can complement the work you're already doing by introducing different challenges, encouraging you to practise foundational movement skills and adding a bit of variety to your sessions.

For CrossFit athletes, it can be a fun addition to a warm-up, an active recovery session or a partner workout. For sporting teams, it can be incorporated into training sessions to challenge timing, reaction and body control. And for everyday movers, it offers a simple way to get active, learn new skills and enjoy movement.

With a C.CADDY Co-ordination Kit, you can explore drills at home, at the gym, on the field or with a training partner. Start with the basics, build up the challenge as you become more comfortable, and don't be afraid to make a game out of it.

A big thanks to Ben Garard and the team at Benton Gym for having us out. We had a great time getting stuck into the workout, testing the kits and finishing with a bit of handball.

Want to add coordination to your training?

Explore the C.CADDY Co-ordination Kit and discover a different way to train your movement, reaction, timing and control. Find out more about Benton Gym and the training they offer in the Southern Highlands.