Top Kettlebell Sport Coach Answers 7 Questions (continued)
As promised, here are the remaining interview questions with Ice Chamber's Steven Khuong:
- You have coached 7 Master of Sport lifters. What have you learned from being a coach that might help other coaches be successful?
One key factor to being successful is really enjoying what we do. It helps of course to love the sport for the sport itself, not merely for extrinsic values such as results, accolades, or fame. It also helps to love coaching because it brings us closer to building connections with others. Concepts such as technical understanding and programming will come in time by default, but for me being a good coach is really about developing genuine lasting relationships with my students.
Another factor is that “it takes a village.” I would not be successful without the positive contributions of our team members and coaches at the Ice Chamber. Not only are all of them great lifters, but they are phenomenal people. They are generous with their time, supportive of each other, and most importantly, forgiving when I’ve made mistakes. It would be difficult to be a good coach without having good people first.
- What keeps you interested in an obscure sport like kettlebell?
I find Kettlebell Lifting very exciting. I am fascinated by human biomechanics. As a big fan of combat sports, I find that Kettlebell Lifting has so many parallels. To be successful, one has to develop technique, power, endurance, fortitude, and for some people even spiritual growth. The only difference is that instead of fighting other people, we fight ourselves. That is pretty cool.
- What is the most important thing a lifter can do to improve their performance?
The most important thing a lifter can do to improve her/his performance is to be honest with herself/himself. There needs to be genuine internal dialogue about goals, planning, and execution. Without this foundation, it can be easy to get lost and frustrated. We need to know, without a doubt, if what we do practice habitually is in alignment with what we speak habitually.
- A question everyone wants to know: Why are there so few male kettlebell lifters at Ice Chamber?
It is not by choice or design. My experience has shown me that healthy male lifters generally fear being outshined by teenage girls or veteran female kb lifters. It is very intimidating when Rylee Reeves (14 year old junior national record holder in 16kg snatch), Miranda Robbeloth (15 year old junior national record holder in 20kg LC), or Karen Dutina (65 year old veteran / senior record holder in 12kg snatch) is standing near by, outlasting you. Therefore, many men who have tried kettlebells at Ice Chamber moved on to our other strength and conditioning programs.
Read part 1 here.
Learn more about Ice Chamber kettlebell: www.icechamber.com/blog www.ickbgirls.com www.kettleguard.com