Too many or not enough coaches?Parkour Gym coaching capacity

Imagine this: it’s Friday afternoon, and a coach just called out sick. You scramble to find a sub, but no one is available. With no one to run the class, you're forced to cancel. Now you have upset members, frustrated parents, and potentially lost revenue, not to mention a hit to your gym's reputation.

This scenario is all too common in parkour gyms where staff capacity is run too lean. So how do we prepare for the inevitable sick days, emergencies, and schedule changes without putting stress on the team or sacrificing your gym's performance?

The answer is simple, yet often overlooked: build a coaching surplus into your operations by maintaining 120% coaching capacity.

What Is Coaching Capacity?

Coaching capacity is your gym's ability to fulfill all required staff duties in a given week. That includes everything from leading classes and hosting birthday parties to cleaning the space and running special events. Think of it as the total number of coach-hours required to keep your gym running smoothly.

If your weekly schedule demands 100 staff hours to deliver all programming and operational needs, then your baseline coaching capacity is 100%.

But 100% is not enough.

Why You Need a Coaching Surplus

Running exactly at 100% means you have no wiggle room. If a coach gets sick or wants to take a vacation, you don’t have backup. That leads to overworked staff, inconsistent programming, or worse, class cancellations.

By aiming for 120% coaching capacity, you build a surplus of available coach hours. This gives your team breathing room, reduces burnout, and protects your schedule from unexpected disruptions.

How to Calculate Your Coaching Surplus

Let’s walk through the process step-by-step:

Step 1: Determine Your Required Hours

Start by calculating how many total hours your gym needs to operate each week. Include:

• All regular class hours

• Events, parties, and camps

• Administrative and cleaning duties

Example: You tally everything up and find your gym requires 100 total coach-hours per week.

Step 2: Collect Staff Availability

Next, ask each coach to declare how many hours they are available to work per week—not how many they are scheduled for, but how many they could be staffed if needed.

Coach A: 20 hours, Coach B: 25 hours, Coach C: 35 hours, Coach D: 30 hours

Total Availability = 110 hours

Step 3: Calculate Your Capacity Percentage

Now divide your total available hours by your required hours.

In this case: 110 available hours / 100 required hours = 1.1, or 110% capacity

This tells you that you're running at 110% capacity. Good—but still short of the 120% target.

Step 4: Build Up to 120%

To reach your goal, you need 120 available hours for your 100-hour weekly demand. You can get there by:

• Increasing the availability of current staff

• Hiring additional part-time coaches

• Reducing the overall hour demand through efficiency
  

Planning Ahead = Stress-Free Operations

When your coaching team has a surplus of availability, shift coverage becomes a smooth and simple task instead of a last-minute headache. You eliminate most class cancellations, reduce coach burnout, and create a professional, reliable experience for your members.

It's not just about having enough coaches—it's about having enough available coaches. Build that buffer, and your gym will be far more resilient, professional, and ready to grow.

Need help calculating your coaching surplus or designing a staffing schedule that scales?