SHARPENING SWORDS AT THE RKC

by Steve "Coach Fury" Holiner

Senior RKC Instructor, DVRT Master Instructor and Original Strength Instructor

Kaiju Overlord at Mark Fisher Fitness

Fury here and I'm prouder than ever to be a Senior RKC. You see, last weekend I participated in my first RKC Kettlebell Certification as a Senior. I also got to work with my buddy Master RKC Phil Ross and my OG brother Ari Harris, RKC II in my home of New York friggin' City! Any way you slice it, this was going to be a great weekend. I'm happy to say that this small group of bright and strong candidates made it unforgettable. This was my first RKC in a bit and I was a little anxious as to how people would prepare for it. The RKC is a family and I sincerely view each candidate as a member of that family. The big questions are always, will they respect my family and will they represent my family to the best of their ability. 

It took about an hour to get my answers but we'll get to that shortly. Unexpectedly, this weekend also illuminated a philosophical point that I hadn't been able to express in words until now. Are you ready? Here it goes.

I always view certifications as a "sharpening of the sword" rather than a forging of steel. It's my belief that a quality instructor will come into a certification both mentally and physically prepared. We all know what our testing requirements will be. We can physically train for that. For me, gaining that strength is where our steel gets forged. The honing and sharpening of the blade occurs within learning the technique, it's execution and MOST IMPORTANTLY in how we instruct others to do it. Plain and simple. Coaching is what separates us from our strong students or clients. We are simply training partners or rep counters to them otherwise. How we teach is what elevates us from just being strong, to being fitness professionals. Think about that for a moment. Great coaches are constantly sharpening their sword.

We make Hattori Hanzo swords at the RKC. 

I got into this field late in life. I will likely never be the strongest guy in the room. That doesn't mean I can't be the best coach in the room. Am I there yet? Hell no. I will always be sharpening my blade so I can instruct with precision and cutting efficiency. 

Now this is where we get back to the candidates. Would they respect my family? Would they represent my family to the fullest? Absolutely. This crew came in to learn, kick ass and chew bubblegum, but they were all out of bubblegum. Every glorious individual came in ready to own it. And own it they did. 100% pass rate. No favors. No leniency. They were so ahead of the game that Phil, Ari and I got to teach them a lot of bonus material. The certification was essentially an RKC Level 1.5. 

The RKC is the perfect place for Instructors to come and sharpen their blade. If you're going to be a sword, you want to be a Hattori Hanzo. Trust me on that. 

Finally, to the group that nailed it at the NYC RKC last weekend, welcome to the family. we're proud of you. 

-Fury out

Steve "Coach Fury" Holiner is a proud member of the Ninja Army training staff at Mark Fisher Fitness in NYC. Fury's available for classes, semi-privates, instructor training and programming at MFF. He also has availability for private training at Five Points Academy and Catalyst S.P.O.R.T. Check out www.coachfury.com, facebook.com/coachfury and Twitter @coachfury for more info.