Being Strong ... part 2

Being Strong.. part 2

After 3 months of preparation my StrongFirst certification is finally here!

Two full days of coaching and practice culminating in a final day of testing which includes the dreaded snatch test. This is all part of achieving the gold standard certification in the world of Kettlebell training and to my knowledge no other fitness course is physically tested in this way in order to achieve its standards, only at STRONGFIRST.

This is about my experience in becoming Cornwalls first SFG1 Kettlebell Instructor, a course designed by Pavel Tsatsounline himself the man responsible for Introducing the hardstyle form of Kettlebell training to the West in 1998.

Day 1: The morning of registration and weigh in.

This is the only course to be run in this country this year (2020) and the team are being severely tested by having to run within the Covid guidelines. Approximately 35 students split into two separate groups in two separate halls at the Lilleshaw National Sports Centre. As I scan the hall anxiety levels already high after my 5 1/2 hour journey and a sleepless night, I see 17 stations all set out at 2 metres apart, home for the next 3 days.

I have my temperature taken and I weigh in at 64.5 kg. I then settle on to my station and go through a few dynamic stretches aimed at calming my breathing and finding my natural rhythm.

Roger McCarthy is the course supervisor and does the introductions outlining the programme for the next few days. First some regretful news, Fabio Zonin our Master Kettlebell instructor is unable to attend due to a blip in quarantine restrictions and therefore his expertise will be live through the medium of Zoom. We are all gutted and the day was made all the more tougher by having to stare at a big screen for hours on end, not only that I was silently carrying a back niggle and my hands weren’t in a great state from all the training I’d being doing. I hadn't lifted for a few days and wasn’t sure how my body was going to hold out.

However; the STRONGFIRST team were amazing and I soon forgot any Issues as they delivered with enthusiasm and technical expertise the STRONGFIRST fundamental skills necessary to pass the course, which were underpinned in detail by the charismatic Fabio on Zoom.

The first day I found more mentally draining than physical and after 10 hours of intense coaching and practice I was beat and ready for a beer and bed, sadly the bar was closed.

Day 2 - Wow! What a difference a day makes. I woke up invigorated and ready to take on the world.

They say the SFG1 is tough but I think its a different kind of tough for everyone. Some attend to purely test themselves with the exacting standards and others like myself are here to progress their skills to become more knowledgeable coaches and certified Instructors.

Today we continued to work through the hardstyle Kettlebell techniques every so often stopping for a question and answer session with Fabio, who's extensive knowledge In the art of strength was Invaluable to the weekends course.

The more I listened and observed the more I was getting hooked on not only being fit but becoming stronger too. The day progressed and before our short breaks we would have to earn our time out, by performing a Kettlebell complex led by the instructors, a fun session aimed at raising motivation, increasing camaraderie and testing your strength of spirit, my favourite time as I'm always at my best when i’m doing and not thinking! I had a great second day with the crew, my learning curve sky rocketed and buzzing full of information it was now time to get my game head on, for tomorrow was test day.

Day 3- Test day!

For anyone taking part on the SFG1 course test day is always good for raising anxiety levels and elevating the heart rate, but as I've always lived by the words "Fail to Prepare, Prepare to Fail” I had to have put everything into my preparation, which I did and couldn’t have done any more. I trained specifics 5 times a week for 3 months with 2 months under the watchful eye of Claire Booth a member of the STRONGFIRST ELITE, and this was on top of having a strong fitness base. I put everything on hold even surfing September swells to earn the SFG1 certification.

Finally, the snatch test..

100 snatches to be performed in 5 minutes with a 20kg kettlebell, I waited my turn and finally the clock appeared on the screen, no pressure then! Fabio signalled the start with “HANDS ON BELLS, GIREVIKS READY (Kettlebell lifter), LIFT, SNATCH! "

Adrenalin kicked in, I couldn’t even feel the tears in my hands. I went into the ‘flow stateI’ only moments before my heart was ready to punch through my ribcage.

Methodically I listened to David the examiners count as I worked my way through the reps, I was actually enjoying it, having fun in the red zone, going to places that i’ve trained in many times before. I got to 80 reps before stopping as I remembered the teams coaching, "we are not interested in how fast you can be, but on how strong your technique is,” with 20 reps to go I placed the bell down, walked around a little and then finished my last 20 reps stronger than my first set of 20. "congratulations you have passed your snatch test," I felt amazing although I was wheezing like an "asthmatic ant carrying his shopping home from work!"

At the end of the day I was given my debrief by the team and awarded my certificate by Roger, “Congratulations on passing your SFG1 Certification.”

The long weekend is everything they say it is, tough, engaging and relentless but oh so rewarding.

I would like to thank the whole of the STRONGFIRST team who made this weekend possible, at times I could see the stresses you were working under as you tried to deliver the first course run under such taxing conditions, and after all is said and done isn’t that a big part of BEING STRONG!

“Strength does not come from physical capacity, it comes from indomitable will.” Mahatma Gandi.

PEACE, Mike