Boot Camp Guru

Boot camp is a term used by the U.S Military to turn civilians into military personnel. Recently it became popular to live out a fantasy in the comfort of your nearby park or car park thinking you are G.I Jane or a member of the S.E.A.L’s and heading up this is your very own Master chief , the boot camp guru. You can often see this creature with a large SUV with the whole car covered or vinyl wrapped with all the info and hype to make you sign your life away for an “Intensive 8 week course” for just the price of a small mortgage. You excitedly turn up at 6.30 am (Because the Army gets up at 6am) In a local park with the mixed bag of early risers, fitness chic divas, and all the gear no idea headband wearing I.T consultants. Then in skids the Bootcamp Guru wearing combats and vest thinking he is just about to go off with Clint Eastwood in Heartbreak Ridge, He has different tops for different days but all of them are in slim fit size so his tanned, tattooed Greek god appearance is in full effect and for added bling shades in November. “That’s it troops fall in “ is his cry then once around the football pitch while he sets up the stations of doom, as you look over there is kettle bells and ‘Battle ropes’ and god forbid , cones. As the sun rises a little and the light fretty rain falls down on you and you troop, you get the real feel of ‘Hell week’ as the Navy seals call it, you don’t really because you have to finish on time after 15 minutes of active stretching so that you can get yourself off to the office on time. I am not bashing these Bootcamp Gurus (I would love to) it is just their attitude to how they conduct themselves they sometimes think they have a god like status and every ‘key word ‘or motivational speech comes from the Franchise they bought into or the weekend warrior certification course where they spent two whole days learning the skill set of running a Boot Camp. It pisses me off after over 3 decades of training, teaching, and learning and developing my skills that some jumped up Boot camp running tan-tastic prick thinks he has all the answers (that must have been some course). I have worked and trained with thousands and thousands of people from all walks of life, you get to know them and their quirks, and they are individuals and should be treated as such not lumped together and trained as if they are all the same. I dislike the way these Gurus change the route of their courses to become life coaches/diet experts charging you just a little more, on top of your basic course so you can fully get the lifestyle changes you request. Then to top it off giving life coaching to clear the negative from your life for a few bucks more. The next thing you know they have closed up the camp and are property developers with the money they have made from you gullible nice folk that paid well over the odds for this exclusive offer to learn from the best …..In a field. These people are not alone in the marketing skills set the Martial arts have being doing this for years. Little Jonny starts bullshit Ryu because he wants confidence and self-defence, which are good reasons to start and he starts with the Student Fast start Programme, then midway through he is doing amazingly well and has been picked to do the premium programme which requires a new Gi and new price package, midway through this it has been noticed that he has the potential to be a black belt (fuck me I thought everyone did) so he can now pick his black belt put it on the wall as a goal with his name written on it (at a special price of…) yes it is goal originated but just like the Bootcamp Guru it is ‘Insincere sincerity’. What I mean by this is that they pretend to have your best interests at heart but they seem to have their own at the centre of their own little universe. What ever happened to putting the time into your art or skill and being honest with the people you are intrusted to teach give the answers honestly, and if you don’t know put them onto someone with the knowledge that does. Lose the ego and pass them on to people with a likeminded way about them and you know would not rip them off but also tell them the honest truth. I love helping people but I know the value of my worth so when I hear people say Private classes are too expensive but they pay boot camp Guru more to stand in the rain and swing a kettle bell like the SEAL’s Do …not. Beware of the false gods and gurus because all that they say and do betray what they really are! Until next time Don’t do squats in the rain John Atkin