What does gang culture, the Tier 1 Special Forces Team that conducts America’s most sensitive secret operations, the Seattle Seahawks, and DEUCE Gym all have in common?
A distinct rite of passage.
We know that the best teams in the world tend to have explicit (or implicit) rites of passage that are foundational to the culture of excellence they espouse. Rites of passage offer many cultural benefits. The two that we claim are the most important are the residual trust and willingness they create in the system.
That’s why in a meeting last week with two former gang members, my discussion about how we intentionally build developmental culture begins with a common rite of passage that everyone on the team has experienced.
They immediately looked at each other when I said that and simultaneously said, “…getting jumped in.”
While “getting jumped in” to a gang looks different than getting recruited in football or passing selection for the Green Berets, the mechanics are the same. If you’re on a team or if you’re building a team with high performance in mind, your first action (in my opinion) should be to create a rite of passage to set the container for the culture you want.
2/25/26 WOD
DEUCE Athletics GPP
Complete 4 rounds of the following:
10 Standing Lat Pull Downs
Complete 3 rounds for quality of:
12 Cable Face Pulls
10 KB Bicep Curls
10 Evil Wheels
EMOM 15:
Min 1: 10 alt. DB Renegade Rows
Min 2: 12 DB Seated Strict Press
Min 3: :30 Double Unders
DEUCE Garage GPP
3-2-1-3-2-1
Push Press
Complete 3 rounds for quality of:
12 1-Arm DB Rows – Left
12 1-Arm DB Rows – Right
20 Banded Face Pulls
Then, EMOM 8
Odd: 6-8 Ring Dips
Even: :25 Max Cal Assault Bike