So A Bunch of Sandbag Exercises?

“It is like a finger pointing at the moon………don’t concentrate on the finger or you will miss all that heavenly glory!” (-Bruce Lee-)

When one of my coaches, Margaret, had the opportunity to attend the DVRT Ultimate Sandbag Training Certification in NYC recently, I wanted to give her some advice to help her get the most from the experience. As I was considering what to tell her this quote popped into my head. After all, what was she to expect, just a bunch of “sandbag exercises”?

Now, I was a HUGE Bruce Lee fan growing up. So when I can throw a Bruce Lee quote into a DVRT post, i’m stoked!

But I digress. For me this quote, borrowed from a zen saying, demonstrates one of the problems we see all too often at DVRT Certifications. Fortunately, in zen like fashion, it also offers a perfect solution and the best piece of advice I could give anyone attending a DVRT Certification…….and that is…….DON’T focus on the Ultimate Sandbag!! Say what?!

Don’t get me wrong, I LOVE my USB’s (I have close to 50 of them)! I think every Gym, Therapist office and school should have at least one in each size. And, make no mistake, I want you to walk away from a DVRT Cert. totally and completely in LOVE with the power and versatility of this amazing tool.

But, and this is a BIG but, I don’t want the tool to distract you from from the reason you’re at the Cert in the first place……to learn about the DVRT System and how it helps us and our clients get stronger and move better!

The problem is that people sometimes become so focused on the Ultimate Sandbag drills being taught that they lose sight of the DVRT Concepts and Principles that are the heart of the systems ability to transform peoples fitness and lives. They miss the “heavenly glory” that is DVRT.

We tell you right off the bat………this is NOT sandbag course……..its a coaching course. Its not about the USB ………it’s about the BODY. Your body, your clients body, and understanding the way it moves and functions in a 3-dimensional world.

During the Cert. many people become fixated on the drills, eagerly practicing and trying to perfect them. Some will even grab the heaviest USB’s so they can REALLY FEEL the exercises.

But what they really SHOULD be focusing on is the time they spend OFF the USB. We make it a point at every Cert. to have people partner up so that they can observe and coach each other. By focusing on your partner as they perform the drills, you may begin to notice some common compensations, and maybe some movements that aren’t as crisp or efficient as we might like.

in our clients those compensations might be magnified a hundredfold, so the time at the Cert spent learning to identify those compensations and how the DVRT system teaches us to fix them is invaluable.

A DVRT Certification is so much more than the 50 plus foundational exercises you will learn over the course of a weekend. The truth is, some of the most valuable take aways have almost NOTHING to do with the USB. Just make sure you take the time to look up and catch that “Heavenly Glory” now and again!

Hope to see you there!