Kettlebell event

Reflecting on my first event put on by Fit Forever – Kettlebells 101 – there are many things that went well and some that could have been better. I was very pleased to have a cross-section of Stronger You members and non-members. The support I have received from my Stronger You family has been fantastic. I am privileged to have the support of the school and the use of the facilities to conduct seminars, classes and personal training sessions. And the members of Stronger You who are committed not only to their martial arts, but to improving their physical fitness, have been extremely supportive as well. 

This session was an example of practice not performance. Practice sessions allow you to work on skill-building. Performance sessions allow you to work on strength and conditioning. But if all you do is performance, how do you know if your skills are up to standard and your performance is helping you move toward your goals? You really don’t; therefore, proper practice is essential.

The goal for this seminar was to teach basic exercises using proper form. Once the basic exercises are mastered, you have a solid foundation for any combination of workout routines that you can perform and get better at. We started with the two-hand swing, then the one-hand swing, the snatch, double bottoms up press, seated press, cleans and around-the-body-pass.

While I would have liked to see more people, I think the number we had worked out rather well. It allowed me to scrutinize each person individually and help them with details that might get missed in a larger group.

The timing went well. The seminar was slotted for 90 minutes which is the minimum time I would allow for what I wanted to cover. The seminar was sandwiched quite tightly between the end of Sunday black belt prep class and the beginning of Tai Chi class. With the exception of an experiment I did with the 16 kilo bell, everything was well timed. We finished off with a short routine incorporating all the basic skills.

I decided to pass around the 16 kilo kettlebell, which besides being heavier than the other kettlebells being used, was also intimidating based on its appearance. This worked out unbelievably well. People surprised themselves with how much they could swing, snatch and press. This might have been the highlight of the whole seminar!

Having my favourite photographer Estelle Sullivan present taking pictures was the idea of a good friend. And I’m so glad she was able to help out. She got some amazing shots of all the participants performing at their best, which we will share with them individually, as well as posting on Facebook.

I did leave out one piece that I have since added to my checklist for next time: a short PT (physical training) session should have followed after the joint mobility warm-up to get the blood flowing and warm up the muscles. I may also allow time for a brief cool down, although as I mentioned this was not about intensity. So I don’t think anyone will be stiff or sore tomorrow unless they are really unaccustomed to moving their bodies in this way.

Thank you for reading my debrief. If you didn’t take part in yesterday’s event, I hope you are inspired to try out the next one. Plans are in the works to hold another session on the long Easter weekend. I am interested in hearing your preferences for which day and time of day works best. Although I cannot accommodate everyone, I will lean toward the time and date that is most popular.