what going on with Dragon Door?

What’s going on with Dragon Door?

                The blogs are saying that the prime mover of the Dragon Door organization is losing its favorite son, none other than Pavel Tsatsouine , The Russian trainer who brought back Kettlebell lifting as an art form.  I don’t know what will be next for Dragon Door enterprises as Pavel and that name is almost one in the same, so its got to be a downer. As for the RKC certification, that will sure to be a big speed bump.

                I got into lifting kettlebells around 1998, when Pavel started to promote that new fitness process, that was really nothing new, but Pavel packaged the Kettlebell as a total process of training, certifications, Media, and above all, his brand of Kettlebells.  The Kettlebell that Pavel promotes is really a crude version of the international Kettlebell sport uses, which has a volume and handle configuration that is not favorable to high rep sets of the basic lifts like, long cycle, and snatches.  I got rid of his kettlebells years ago and converted to the pro style kettlebells and my hands no longer look like fresh cut steak.  Also Dragon Door kettlebells are also the most expensive for such crude Kettlebell.

                Don’t miss read me, but Pavel has a lot of great ideas of training methods, and using kettlebells for general fitness. He is also a great promoter of muscle mobility and rehab which is key to any high stress exercise.  I just was never a Kool-aid drinker of his KGB, Spetsnaz style of training and just used some of his periodization methods which is a blend of old and new methods.  All that “Comrade” shit never connected with me, so when it came time to get certified, I opted to go to other organizations. 

                Pavel’s certifications have been very successful in terms of attendance and promotion of trainers. Like his kettlebells, the certifications of RKC program will set you back over $ 2500 before you start buying kettlebells. When I took My AKC  cert, I was given a complete set  of Pro kettlebells, plus the certification for $1000. Any of the Kettlebell certifications really don’t prepare you to be working as a trainer, unless you have knowledge of all levels of fitness, and exercise science.  I attended no less than 4 certifications, 2 workshops, and trained independently for 2 years before showing anyone how to use a Kettlebell.  I don’t know what the future holds   for the RKC/Dragon Door program, but I hope it all works out for everyone, as they are serious people like the rest of us.