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Kettlebell Is It Worth to Have a Hands-On Experience With a StrongFirst Instructor?

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Sidiclei Souza

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Is It Worth to Have a Hands-On Experience With a StrongFirst Instructor?

Since I have heard about this tool called Kettlebell for the first time (10 years ago), it never was so present on my training as nowadays. At that time I already had so excited with the supposed results to be achieved using the kettlebells, but due to I didn’t know the drills and how to develop the needed skills to do these drills, neither where to get this acknowledge, I didn’t give the deserved attention. Along that path, seven years ago at a CrossFit gym, the kettlebell crossed my way again, even with poor exercises and no development of all kettlebell possible potential.
A long time off and on with kettlebell training, last year I signed the StrongFirst Newsletter and start to have access to the articles posted by them, and consequently to all knowledge shared for StrongFirst authors. It was what made me understood what I had lost for do not know deeply the kettlebell work.

The Pursuit of knowledge
At this journey, I was audacious enough to emailed Brett Jones, StrongFirst Director of Education, asking for some tips about how I could improve my kettlebell training. It was when I knew his video course, on June/2018, available on otpbooks.com: Kettlebell Basics for Personal Trainers & Strength Coaches Video. Since then, I haven't stopped train and improve my technique, but always using videos: on July/2018 I got the awesome StrongFirst online course Essential Kettlebell Exercises Course, with Lance Coffel; on February/2019 I got the Jeff Sokol’s courses: Kettlebell Foundations and Kettlebell 101; and on March/2019 I got Mastering the HardStyle Kettlebell Swing, with Mark and Tracy Reifkind.

Among StrongFirst articles, Pavel Tsatsouline’s book Power to the People, and all video courses I’ve told before, all coaches are unanimous to say that the seek for knowledge never ends, and doesn’t matter how many swings or Turkish Get Ups we perform, there always space to movement improvement and that a great way to have better feedback is to train under the experienced eyes of a Certified StrongFirst Instructor.

One Day Kettlebell Course
After so many videos and unaccountable filming during my trains to correct my movements, finally I could attend a StrongFirst Course. It happened at Dynamus Gym, that has among its Certified Instructors the Coaches Pablo and Valente that were part of the Team who conducted the One Day Kettlebell Course with the multi StrongFirst certified Tiago Proença.

Even though I already had seen all course subjects, and even trained all movement presented at this one day course, I have to admit that perform those movements under the trained eyes of a StrongFirst Certified Instructor makes all difference. Tiago corrected important details on my grip, indeed giving me many options of grip variations to fit different people, he reinforced the irradiation importance (well detailed by Pavel in Power to the People), he taught us how to use the dorsal muscle at press eccentric phase, and many other corrections along the day.

Besides the technique details of movements, a very important moment was the course opening, when Tiago spoke in a passionate way about StrongFirst philosophy, about the attention and focus that is required for kettlebell training, and about the needed discipline to continue on this path, either in the search for the next certifications, or in the maintenance of the knowledge acquired.

In conclusion, it’s so worth to search for an accredited gym or for a Certified StrongFirst Instructor to improve your training and your knowledge about this great tool: The Kettlebell.
 

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Great report @Sidiclei Souza !

When training for SFG I did it the hard way and self taught, it's far better to have a solid jumping off point by learning proper technique right up front, then you have something 'for sure' to practice with.
Kettlebells have saved my back and shoulders, giving me a new (and exciting) training life. (y)
 
Is It Worth to Have a Hands-On Experience With a StrongFirst Instructor?

Since I have heard about this tool called Kettlebell for the first time (10 years ago), it never was so present on my training as nowadays. At that time I already had so excited with the supposed results to be achieved using the kettlebells, but due to I didn’t know the drills and how to develop the needed skills to do these drills, neither where to get this acknowledge, I didn’t give the deserved attention. Along that path, seven years ago at a CrossFit gym, the kettlebell crossed my way again, even with poor exercises and no development of all kettlebell possible potential.
A long time off and on with kettlebell training, last year I signed the StrongFirst Newsletter and start to have access to the articles posted by them, and consequently to all knowledge shared for StrongFirst authors. It was what made me understood what I had lost for do not know deeply the kettlebell work.

The Pursuit of knowledge
At this journey, I was audacious enough to emailed Brett Jones, StrongFirst Director of Education, asking for some tips about how I could improve my kettlebell training. It was when I knew his video course, on June/2018, available on otpbooks.com: Kettlebell Basics for Personal Trainers & Strength Coaches Video. Since then, I haven't stopped train and improve my technique, but always using videos: on July/2018 I got the awesome StrongFirst online course Essential Kettlebell Exercises Course, with Lance Coffel; on February/2019 I got the Jeff Sokol’s courses: Kettlebell Foundations and Kettlebell 101; and on March/2019 I got Mastering the HardStyle Kettlebell Swing, with Mark and Tracy Reifkind.

Among StrongFirst articles, Pavel Tsatsouline’s book Power to the People, and all video courses I’ve told before, all coaches are unanimous to say that the seek for knowledge never ends, and doesn’t matter how many swings or Turkish Get Ups we perform, there always space to movement improvement and that a great way to have better feedback is to train under the experienced eyes of a Certified StrongFirst Instructor.

One Day Kettlebell Course
After so many videos and unaccountable filming during my trains to correct my movements, finally I could attend a StrongFirst Course. It happened at Dynamus Gym, that has among its Certified Instructors the Coaches Pablo and Valente that were part of the Team who conducted the One Day Kettlebell Course with the multi StrongFirst certified Tiago Proença.

Even though I already had seen all course subjects, and even trained all movement presented at this one day course, I have to admit that perform those movements under the trained eyes of a StrongFirst Certified Instructor makes all difference. Tiago corrected important details on my grip, indeed giving me many options of grip variations to fit different people, he reinforced the irradiation importance (well detailed by Pavel in Power to the People), he taught us how to use the dorsal muscle at press eccentric phase, and many other corrections along the day.

Besides the technique details of movements, a very important moment was the course opening, when Tiago spoke in a passionate way about StrongFirst philosophy, about the attention and focus that is required for kettlebell training, and about the needed discipline to continue on this path, either in the search for the next certifications, or in the maintenance of the knowledge acquired.

In conclusion, it’s so worth to search for an accredited gym or for a Certified StrongFirst Instructor to improve your training and your knowledge about this great tool: The Kettlebell.

I definitely agree. Knowing is not the same as doing. The more advanced you get, the more important the little details are to performance. For beginners, just learning properly to avoid injury is important. From the KB course, I learned how much I was hyperextending the wing unconsciously, from the barbell course, I was able to understand wedging and what real tension feels like. There are so many tiny details when you interact with a person. For example, I learned to listen to the clink of the bar before the lift as feedback to wedging in the deadlift. Other strong guys with some big powerlifting numbers were making basic mistakes that would set them up for long term injuries (knee position). Certified instructors will tell you that they are also always dialing in their form, regressing and progressing in their own practice with feedback from others.
 
Certified instructors will tell you that they are also always dialing in their form, regressing and progressing in their own practice with feedback from others.
Indeed, certified instructors go to see other certified instructors. Nobody ever reaches perfection, and we all need an external eye. Video feedback is good, but not enough.
This is a part of the code: I am a student of strength.
 
It is worth it. It was for me, I train alone at home. The Instructor spotted all my weak points in a few minutes and I got some great advice. I’m planning to meet a certified instructor once a year to review my form.

Someone mentioned here on this forum (might be @Anna C ), that maybe an ideal training method approach is splitting it between sessions alone (learning yourself) and with a SFG. Of course it’s highly individual.
 
@Sidiclei Souza, it's nice to see you here on the StrongFirst forum - welcome.

Folks, Sidiclei has been translating some of our articles into Portuguese, a great thing for StrongFirst.

-S-
 
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