Do American Kettlebell Coaches Suck?

Provocative post from Rant at the Moynihan Institute

Some good points made. I do think there is some hope though.

The rise of the IKSFA (International Kettlebell Sport and Fitness Academy) in the US with its highly decorated and world class faculty have thrown a lot of light onto the over the top claims and shenanigans of organizations like the RKC and the AKC/WKC. Personally, before the IKSFA came along I had all but thrown in the towel on kettlebells and instructing them because frankly neither the RKC nor the AKC/WKC instructional products offer anything like contemporary pedagogy on how to properly use a kettlebell.

On the one hand the RKC offers nothing in the way of "authentic Russian kettlebell training" and actually protests that its "School of Strength" isn't even about the kettlebell! On the other hand the AKC/WKC offers  a single dogma of "proper" kettlebell technique based entirely on the unique, somewhat esoteric athletic gifts of its head coach. Both organizations are kind of locked up in a bizarre marketing tango distinguishing themselves from the other as "they are this and we are not that".

So, I suppose then that I include myself in the group of coaches that Rant claims do not know anything about kettlebell lifting. Or, being a little kinder to myself, at least I know that what I know from my RKC and AKC/WKC training isn't the whole enchilada and arguably isn't even 1/2 the enchilada.

From conversations and email exchanges with IKSFA coaches, seeing the results of their athletes, their own personal world champion level performances and the incredible depth of sports science supporting their methods, I realize that I have wasted a lot of time,money and physical well being on learning and practicing  the methods of the other two organizations mentioned above.

Fortunately, I am supervising a couple of athletes who are under the tutelage of a Russian IKSFA coach. As they are coached by him, by association I am getting coached on how to coach them better. All the while letting go of the old and learning new approaches. Maybe in the not too distant future I will suck less.