Certifications don’t matter because the people who create them say they matter. The same is the case with RKC. The reason a certification like RKC Russian Kettlebell Challenge Certification matters is because of the people who get it.
And — more and more — the certification that everyone in the kettlebell community is getting is the RKC kettlebell certification.
I’m not saying that if everyone were jumping off a bridge, that you should do it too. But when you look at building your credibility as a kettlebell-totin’ personal trainer the best thing to do is to get the certification that everyone else is getting. And that’s RKC.
Until July 9th you can save $600 when you register for Pavel’s RKC Certification workshop September 18-20, 2009 in St. Paul, Minnesota: Register for RKC certification here.
(For a full listing of all upcoming Dragon Door workshops, click here.)
2 Comments
Fair enough Gilles. I understand what you’re saying. My point though is that the RECOGNITION of the certification is incredibly important as well. If you’re doing it for personal growth then two similar programs may have equal value. But when the certification becomes a marketing tool for your personal training business, you also need to look at the impact of having a more recognized certification versus one that you know is on par as far as physical/mental demands but is not recognized by your clients. Sure, much of the cost of the RKC goes to marketing — but once you’re RKC certified, that expense is marketing YOU as well. So there’s the extra value in RKC certification — then it becomes a personal decision as to whether it’s worth it for you.
I won’t dispute that Pavel is a highly qualified instructor, but I would dispute that there are many other instructors who offer certifications that are just as valid and of high quality. In Canada we have Shawn Mozen and in the US there are people like Steve Maxwell and Steve Cotter who are offering exceptional programs and certifications. I personally cannot justify paying $2295 (discounted price) for certification when I know I can be certified from these other gentlemen for $400 to $600 (discounted prices). In fact I could become certified by all these gentlemen for less than $2295. Just my thoughts…