The Kettlebell Partner Passing (KPP) mission extends far beyond kettlebell training. The message of KPP is one of cooperation, connection, and community. KPP was founded on the principle that passing kettlebells is the most direct and effective way to spread that message. The improvements in strength, communication, and camaraderie that come from individuals forming partnerships and passing kettlebells changes the lives of each individual in the partnership. As both the individuals and the partnership grows through KPP, there is a snowball effect on the people around them. When KPP is practiced with intention, it becomes an incredibly powerful practice that can change the world for the better!
Individuals become stronger through cultivating their mental, physical, emotional, and spiritual strengths. One way to train these strengths is to become more self-aware through a meditative movement practice. A “meditative” movement practice simply means one that is mindful, in which observation and exploration of the body and mind is the focus rather than the goal or outcome. This movement practice can be anything; in the KPP community, we use the Kettlebell Solo program. As individuals become more aware of where and how they struggle, and ways in which they can strengthen themselves, they cultivate understanding and empathy for others.
A strong, healthy partnership is formed by two individuals who have done their personal work, which ensures they are ready to communicate and connect with awareness and empathy. These two partners can then sharpen one another, making each other better, as they learn to communicate and relate to accomplish a common goal. As the partners learn to harmonize with one another and the kettlebell, they also become better at cooperating in general. Each partner in turn gets better at relating with everyone else around them, as the communication lessons of KPP carry over to everything else in life.
Other people that the partners interact with experience the benefits of their inner work, cultivated by their personal practices and Kettlebell Partner Passing. The partnership sets an example for the people around them, as others (family, friends, coworkers) notice the increase in positive communication, and loving energy of each partner. This becomes a “monkey see, monkey do” effect where others want to experience what caused the positive changes to elicit those same changes in themselves. Family and community members may then begin doing KPP and modeling the lessons of KPP they pick up from the initial partnership. Just two people demonstrating kind, harmonious relating can influence an entire community!
Strong cities and nations grow from strong families and communities, and a strong world is made up of strong nations. No one who is truly strong (which is much more than simply being physically strong) wants to wage war, as they understand that strength comes from unity, not division. KPP transcends spoken language and teaches people to cooperate and communicate with the person standing across from them -- regardless of how they may differ in age, gender, abilities, political parties, and socioeconomic backgrounds. When we learn to cooperate and communicate by working toward a common goal, we realize we are all the same and we can move towards a more peaceful world.
We look forward to changing the world for the better with you!
This is so excellent. I've been curious about KPP for a while - I think I'm going to try to find a partner for this now. With the weather getting nicer, it's the perfect time. I would also love to get my high school students to try this.