Exceeding All Expectations—The Power of the PCC
One day in the late summer of 2008, a massive manuscript thumped down on my desk. Out of nowhere. By a complete unknown. Unheralded, no introductions, no referrals, nothing to go on. Just raw text…And a title that leaped up from the desk, grabbed me by the throat and wouldn’t let go:
By a certain Paul “Coach” Wade, who had scrabbled to freedom—he claimed—after severe stretches in joy palaces like San Quentin, Angola and Marion.
What made Paul the Unknown so different, however, was the programmatic payload of strength survival secrets he had mastered while doing his time. Or so he said…
I coulda tossed it in the trash right there. But I didn’t, I was intrigued and I figured it wouldn’t hurt to “taste” a few pages…
Aahhh…I was doomed within a couple of deft paragraphs—and I know a good doom when I see it, trust me…
I pride myself on being “the facilitator of greatness”—a guy with the magic eye for spotting outrageous talent and promoting it to a hungry world.
Paul held me with his glittering eye and riveted me to the spot. I was hooked as his redemptive message began to pulse through me with a heroin-like rush. I was up half the night, enthralled and deeply excited.
For Convict Conditioning was that rare thing, a genuinely original, definitively special masterwork that laid out an inspirational program for physical transformation—using bodyweight exercise only. The perfect fit for Dragon Door—and then some: authentic, visceral, gritty, practical, down-to-earth, laden with truth. Built for results.
When Convict Conditioning launched in December, 2009 it quickly established itself as Dragon Door’s all-time most popular title. Thrilled readers have already posted over 400 reviews on the Dragon Door site alone, testifying to CC’s enduring capability to get you formidable results not just short term but over the long haul (which is what separates the men from the boys.)
Fast forward to an email from Paul Wade to me in late 2011, suggesting that I might just want to publish a title called Raising the Bar, by Al Kavadlo, who had appeared with brother Danny in Convict Conditioning 2…
Another magical and momentous publishing event resulted in Al Kavadlo joining Dragon Door’s dream team of bodyweight exercise authorities. The result: two more works of high art, the second being Pushing the Limits!
And the stage was set to “go global” with the Wade-Kavadlo wisdom. Create a worldwide network of certified progressive calisthenics instructors that could help change the fitness landscape, just as Dragon Door had done with the introduction of kettlebells in 2001.
Dragon Door’s highly anticipated program, the PCC, launched this past weekend in St. Paul, Minnesota.
Frankly, I was anxious as all hell about how the PCC was going to pan out. Yes, Paul Wade had delivered an astounding 600-page bible of a manual, yes the curriculum was to die for, and yes, the instructors were world-class.
But how were the elite bodyweight athletes and many of Dragon Door’s elite RKC leaders going to actually respond to the training? Dragon Door’s standards are well known to be the most rigorous worldwide. Would the PCC meet expectations?
Well, as Shannon Scullin exclaimed to me about the PCC team’s instruction: “They knocked it out of the park!”
I have read all the evals and the response has been nothing short of ecstatic.
The atmosphere for almost all the time was electric yet relaxed. Astonishing feats of strength reeled off by both candidates and instructors alike, PRs busting out all over the shop. There was a JOY in the air, a PASSION, a camaraderie that exceed any workshop that Dragon Door has put on over the last 20 years.
The instruction was impeccable, delivered with a gracious confidence and solid expertise. The PCC team of Al Kavadlo, Danny Kavadlo, Adrienne Harvey and Steven Low walked their talk from first frame to last frame.
I just got a Facebook message from Senior RKC and Superwoman, Beth Andrews, which perfectly sums up the event:
“The PCC weekend/cert was EPIC!!! It was refreshing, ‘vibrant’, progressive and FUN! Danny and Al are amazing! I loved their spirit and energy. They have an incredible ability to connect with people and after all, that IS what it’s all about as a community. Can’t wait to be a part of it in August!”
In other words, the PCC exceeded all of our expectations—WAY exceeded them!
Next week we will be posting several hundred photographs from the event (edited down from the thousands we took), but we grabbed some good ones to give you a flavor, right here.
The Dragon Door TV team of Amanda Salas and Spencer O’Hara—who also filmed the brilliant Convict Conditioning videos on Alcatraz—recorded the whole PCC and are hard at work preparing a series of videos immortalizing this special time… Can’t wait!
And, when you read the participants’ praise next week, there will be no doubt left at all in your mind about the quality of the instruction and the power of the PCC to transform the world of fitness.
A deep, deep thank you to all who contributed to making this a magnificent first PCC!
But a very special shout out to the “complete unknown” who sent me that addictive manuscript back in the day and got me hooked on the good stuff:
Paul Wade, without you, our world would be the smaller and the poorer. Thank you, from the bottom of my heart, for your courage and indomitable spirit in bringing us the glory of your redemptive message! Thank you…
Yours in Strength,
John Du Cane, CEO
Dragon Door Publications, Inc.
