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March 20, 2006
Kettlebells in Russian Law Enforcement
Russian law enforcement tactical teams, even the federal tax police that is handier with firearms than with calculators, make kettlebells their strength tool of choice.
In the last days of the Soviet empire the prison system was plagued with riots and hostage situations. The interior ministry troops were called in to suppress the riots. They did the job but finesse was sure lacking. For instance, in 1986 they stormed a prison camp and burned it to the ground in the process of ruthlessly suppressing the riot.
In 1991 the interior ministry formed special tactical teams for every prison administrative district. Their mission – hostage rescue, riot suppression, search and arrest of escaped criminals. Since that memorable year when the USSR fell apart these tac teams have earned their keep on many occasions, in harsh Russian prisons and in Chechnya.
The Russian federal prison SWAT teams are manned with former paras and vets of other elite services; each one had to compete against nine plus other applicants. The selection process is similar to that of the army Spetsnaz. The trooper has to do the following back to back: a 10k forced march in full kit, an obstacle course and rappelling, plus another 10k run. A cherry on the top when you are beyond smoked is a 12-minute full contact sparring session – with fresh opponents rotating every three minutes.
Once on the team, operators aggressively compete against their colleagues in the frequently held law enforcement sports events. Their specialties – hand-to-hand combat and girevoy sport. A matter of specificity and pride.
It is hard to understand the logic of governments — both Russian and American — that encourage inmates to strength train, but Russian prisoners lift kettlebells as well. You may have seen the black-and-white archive footage in a History Channel documentary about Russian organized crime — a wiry prisoner doing kettlebell swings, flips, and side presses. Some Russian prisons even host kettlebell competitions for the inmates! Go figure. Perhaps the law enforcement likes a challenge.
Russian kettlebell power to you!
To learn more about Kettlebells and Pavel's Kettlebell programs click herePosted by james at March 20, 2006 6:14 AM