A couple of weeks ago Caleb and I had the honor of assisting at the Russian Kettlebell Challenge Instructor Certification in San Diego.  It was our first time being back at the RKC as assistant instructors since going through the course as RKC hopefuls a couple of years ago, and it was such an incredible experience!  I learned so much from the Senior RKC I was assisting, Franz Snideman - being able to closely watch and instruct alongside such an experienced teacher was so valuable.  We learned a ton of "a-ha drills" and various teaching tools that we have already been able to use with ourselves and our clients.  And of course nothing compares to watching Pavel in action!

The highlight of my own RKC experience as a candidate was being able to teach my "victim" - it was a relief to be reminded that my desire to help others move better and get stronger was why I was enduring 3 days of physical exhaustion!  So it was such a thrill for me that several of our clients and friends were able to come down and be "victims" for the candidates to teach.  How the candidates teach is such an important part of the course, but that can't happen without people who are willing to be taught!  So, a HUGE thank you to Theresa, RT (fellow RKC!), Karen, Epuni and Angie for coming out and experiencing even more of the RKC community!!!!

In fact, that's thing that always strikes me the most about the RKC - the sense of community.  As a petite girl with a degree in voice who had never lifted anything heavier than a 10lb dumbbell before discovering kettlebells several years ago, I can still feel a little overwhelmed sometimes in the presence of powerlifting champions and "beast tamers".  And yet I have never known such a sense of community.  Whenever I have had a question, someone has helped me find the answer.  When I've needed direction, someone has provided guidance.  When I'm just totally stuck, I know someone will be able to help (THANK YOU Brett Jones for pushing your chair back from the dinner table to give me some much needed bar-room correctives!).  

I'm so grateful for the opportunities I have to pay this forward whenever I can, and so happy to share the "skill of strength" with every client I get to work with.  We are all at different stages in our journey through life, with many goals to accomplish. But being a part of a Community of Strength... hey, that's bound to help make us all stronger!

Yours "strongly" :)

Kati