"Kettlebells, Online Personal Training & StrongFirst Instructor Jazz - my choices turn out to be my great decisions in 2021"

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I am very grateful and feel blessed to have worked with my Personal Training Client Akhil from Goa, who has recently sent me the following testimonial which beautifully puts out a lot of points which I have been writing in my various blog posts. Please have a read and these points will become clear to you as well.

I made two great decisions in 2021.

Investing in a set of kettlebells
Signing up with Jasbinder (a.k.a. Strength Coach Jazz)

Although I had weight-trained (primarily free weights) in the past, I had never kettlebells before. And having read up on the Strong First system and Pavel’s books, I knew this was something I wanted to explore with a certified instructor. But I was a bit apprehensive about being coached online. I spoke with a couple of instructors and felt an immediate sense of comfort with Jazz. But before I started my first session the first thing I needed was a set of bells. Even before I had committed to taking any classes, Jazz went out of his way to make sure I had a variety of options for sourcing my bells even though we lived in very different parts of the country and this was something he didn’t need to do. I initially thought I might sign up for a few classes and then if things worked out, I might extend it to a month at the most. After 4 continuous months with Jazz, I’m sharing my experiences.

PROS

During the initial weeks, he provided care and attention to technique helping me understand how the moves worked in great detail. He would get me to send him practice videos on some days so he could address any weak points that cropped up when I was not being actively coached.
Our sessions were scheduled for 60 min each. But he ALWAYS took extra time usually 20-30 minutes to make sure that I was getting the fundamentals right.
He’s a terrific motivator. I’ve lost count of the number of times I thought I was toast during a session. But he would figure out a way to motivate me and by the end of each class I came away with a sense of accomplishment. As someone who manages teams remotely, I know how challenging this can be.
He was extremely accommodating with changes in my schedule. I had started a new job was adjusting to a new team and working hours. Some days I wasn’t able to complete an assigned practice. Other days I skipped sessions altogether. Not once did he make me feel guilty, instead he would find new ways to energize and invigorate me.
He taught me the value of being present and focused during each session.
He is easy to talk to and get along with.
When he felt I had reached a certain level of proficiency and was good enough to practice on my own – he suggested I do just that. Even though it would mean that I wouldn’t be paying him for future sessions. He even offered to continue to share tips and advice although I was no longer a paying client.
I am just getting started on my kettlebell journey and I know I will come back to Jazz in a few months when I’m ready to get to hit that next level of proficiency.

CONS

Jazz and I were based in different parts of the country, more than 1800 kilometers apart. If he’s so good on Zoom, I can only imagine how great a coach he’d be in person.

FINAL THOUGHTS

If you’re doing kettlebell training for the first time, you seriously need to consider a Strong First certified trainer. I’m sure there are a bunch of good trainers out there, but I would strongly vouch for Jazz and I intend to go back to him in the future.

Folks in India: Finding good bells is not the easiest thing. There are a bunch of option out there of varying prices, sizes and quality. If you’re struggling to find high quality bells in the right size and don’t want to spend an arm and a leg shipping them from abroad, then best place to get them is https://www.sanguinesports.com/. I sent days researching and speaking with different manufacturers and was not at all happy with the options on offer. When I finally stumbled upon them (thanks to Jazz’s help) I initially balked at the pricing. They were expensive, the second most expensive Indian option (after USI competition bells). I bit the bullet, and frankly I’m glad I did. They’re excellent quality, had the best customer service and shipped with zero hassle.

Best wishes,

Akhil.