Scott Sonnon: Born to Fail - Made to Succeed

CST Coach Reviews Kettlebell Coaching Certification

Be More Prepared Than the Challenges You Face

“The title of this post is one of the signature credo’s of Coach Scott Sonnon.  And I thought of it many times this past weekend as I participated in the American Kettlebell Club certification in Toronto.  You may be tempted to think that an assertion like that is relevant only to some type of competition, but it is just as important, if not more so, to the venue of learning.  If you do not diligently seek out as much information as possible and try to apply it BEFORE attending an educational event, I would estimate that you limit yourself by at least 50% in the information you will be able to absorb.  When you have put sufficient effort into preparation, even the things you have been doing WRONG serve as reference points to receive the information about how to do it right!

And the AKC certification was all about doing it right.  For me, one of the salient points of the weekend was made in a fleeting statement.  Head Coach Valerie Fedorenko said something to the effect that we did not have to worry about trying to figure out how to do it right, as he had spent years honing his craft and figuring out how to stay at the very pinnacle of his sport.  This allowed us to stand on his shoulders and benefit from his journey.  And that is what any great coach does.  He or she buoys up the performance of students and athletes on the back of his or her own experience and research.  Coach Sonnon is fond of saying that you “can’t take someone somewhere you have never been.”  Well, Coach Valerie has definitely been there.  Not only do his records, championships and achievements speak for themselves, but he continues to walk the talk and demonstrate the mastery he has attained through his years of training.  His strength with the kettlebells is outstripped only by his grace and poise. (to the right is a photo of Coach Valerie snatching the 32kg)

Watching Coach Valerie manipulate his KBs was certainly one of the highlights of the experience.  But the impressive displays of athleticism did not stop there.  We were also treated to demonstrations by our coaches, Catherine Imes and Jon Hoskins.  My group leader, Catherine, made the 16 kg KBs look like toys during her snatch set!  All the demonstrations really served to underscore the points being made during the seminar.  It brought the “talking” to life and allowed us to witness the application of what was being said and how it all worked in real life.  We saw that it was much more than just how to do the lifts, but how to manipulate all the variables to put together sets that work for you in training and in competition.  The formula that was presented to us was both simple and beautifully effective.

When we were not watching exciting demonstrations or riveted by priceless lectures born directly from first hand experience, we were spending our time actually doing the lifts, getting coaching from our group leaders, and from Coach Valerie himself, and listening to the coaching given to our teammates.  This hands on component allowed us to leave the seminar at the end of the second day confident that we owned the material and would be able to apply it in our own training and with our clients.  For any of you Circular Strength Training athletes out there, you may be interested to know that the similarities in the technical philosophies of the two organizations are uncanny.  I was constantly struck with the compatibility of the two approaches.  But as Coach Sonnon often aserts, good movement is good movement.

All the material, the anecdotes and the coaching of the seminar itself was well worth the price of admission, but as a bonus we got to interact with interesting people from divers areas and backgrounds.  I made new friends and learned new things from my teammates as well as my coaches.

I’m excited to see where the sport of kettlebell lifting goes from here in North America.  I think it has enormous potential for growth and popularity.  It envelops a vast array of attributes into one gracefully explosive package and it offers such a variety of possibilities for people of all walks of life and for any goal.  And the AKC really is the most authentic source out there for kettlebell information and products.  I was already convinced of that before the certification.  But now that I have the whole story, there just isn’t any question about the superior quality of the organization.  If you are interested in finding out more about the AKC and their kettlebells feel free to drop me a line.”

My Story: Adam Steer, CST Head Coach www.coachsteer.com
I have been a Ski Pro, teaching and coaching, for almost 20 years. My greatest satisfaction is guiding an athlete or client past perceived limitations or to a new understanding. Having a client come to me after a session to express the joy of a new sensation is one of the truest pleasures of my professional life. As the lines between skiing and physical preparation became blurred, I began searching for the best methods available for developing athletes and for achieving optimum health and fitness. Sharing that search with others is an endeavor which I pursue with the same passion and enthusiasm as my ski coaching.
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