If you failed the testing at an RKC workshop, I have a message for you—CONGRATULATIONS! You can still pass and you can turn failure into success! Everyone in your life has experienced failure. Failure is an opportunity to evaluate weaknesses, which enables us to build strength. There is no strength without weakness just as there is no success without failure. If you’ve failed the RKC, I have a few motivational stories and tips to encourage you to still obtain your certification. As soon as you are ready to get rid of the fear of failure, you can start to enjoy the opportunity for success. “Fear is the darkroom where negatives are developed.”
1. Batman Begins
In Batman Begins, Thomas Wayne gives Bruce some priceless advice after a nasty fall: “And why do we fall, Bruce? So we can learn to pick ourselves up again.” Why did you fail your RKC? So you can learn to pass it. Which tests did you fail? What were your instructor’s notes? Do you know what you need to improve and how to do it? Have you reached out to anyone in the RKC leadership for advice since your workshop? Ask yourself these questions and be honest. Trust me, the truth can hurt. But, endure the pain and you’ll heal with renewed strength.
2. John LeClair, NHL all-star, Olympian, Stanley Cup Champion and Legion of Doom.
John was cut from his public high school hockey team. Imagine if he quit playing when he was cut from the team! Instead, he got back up and played more vigorously than ever in men’s leagues. Did any of John’s high school teammates make it to the NHL? The Olympics? Did they win a Stanley Cup? The answer is no—but they did make the high school team… What might seem like the worst thing that could ever happen to us in the moment of failure may some day become a distant and insignificant memory of the past. We fall down so we can learn to get back up again. Use the right amount of time to fix your mobility, create more stability, and enhance your skills. When you’re ready, re-test and you’ll succeed!
3. A 1997 Study of Elite Athletes
In 1997, head researchers Dr. Roesch and Dr. Amirkhan concluded that elite athletes are less likely than less successful athletes to use situational variables as an “excuse” of poor performance. For example, a less successful athlete might blame the weather if they lost a game. This means the best athletes in the world assume personal responsibility for putting on a poor performance while their lower ranking teammates or competition tend to blame others for their problems. You must take responsibility for yourself in life if you wish to be successful. If you’ve failed the RKC, then so what? You can still pass! Take a moment and reflect on what needs to change in order for you to pass. If we always blame others, then we’re never to blame which means we’re perfect and being perfect is impossible!
In closing, being an RKC is more than just passing the kettlebell snatch test or the technique tests, it’s about being part of an elite group of professionals who take responsibility for our own actions and believe in making the world a better place. The members of the RKC leadership team have all experienced failure at some point and have empathy for you! Don’t fear the possibility of success and what it means to achieve it. Yes, you’ll need to dig deep and face your weaknesses and fears, but guess what? Those weaknesses will soon turn to strengths and fear to bravery. If you’ve failed your RKC, we of the RKC community invite you to allow us the opportunity to help you pass. Send in your videos or stop by for a class or training session.
“Without fear, life is clear.”
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RKC Team Leader Nick Lynch is a Strength and Conditioning Coach at Milwaukee School of Engineering University (MSOE). He owns Superb Health Milwaukee, a kettlebell studio in Milwaukee, WI. Most recently, he became an RKC Team Leader. He has 13 years of full-time training and coaching experience and a lifetime of wellness education. Nick lives in Milwaukee, WI with his wife Natalie and son Weston.