Last night, I had the honor of trading services with the great Ari Harris.
After assessing and correcting him, he asked to see my double swings and press.
He immediately saw my demeanor change, and he stopped me after a few swings.
He asked, “What just happened? Where did you go?”
I felt exactly what he saw.
Ari: “Dooley, you’re so confident when you work, when you teach. Just all the time – you’re Dooley. But you walk up to that bell almost hanging your head. There’s a change.”
The thing about working dawn to dusk is that it leaves no room to be anything but honest.
Dooley: “Somewhere, I stopped having fun. It’s the pressure of the 24 kilo press.”
Ari: “People take this a little too seriously. You started this because the KB was fun.”
He knows that I can’t get all froggy and walk up to press the bell. For me to do solid work, I have to have fun. I have to be Dooley.
Ari: “Press that bell, and BE DOOLEY.”
You wouldn’t believe how easily that 20 kilo went up. Through the “exhaustion” of my day, week, month, life – the press was easy because it was fun.
The bell was fun again.
There’s a reason why Ari Harris is one of the top-rated KB instructors in the world, according to www.dragondoor.com. He knew I had to be myself to do good work.
After all, beautiful strength comes from knowing how to go from being relaxed to building ultimate tension under a demand. If you’ve ever watched Brett Jones, Ari Harris, Steve Holiner, or David Whitley swing a KB – they are so relaxed yet able to build beautiful tension -beautiful strength.
And they are definitely having fun.
From now on, “Being Dooley” doesn’t turn off when I walk up to that bell.
Thank you, Ari – for reminding me that Dooley = work + fun.
– Dr. Kathy Dooley