As coaches we can’t be everything to everyone. However, that doesn’t mean we should avoid making our coaching gaps less “gappy” altogether.
Throwing myself into the fire I’ll be the first to admit I’m garbage when it comes to coaching the Olympic lifts. In fact I wrote an entire article on why I don’t use them in any of my programming.
A few weeks ago I had a client ask me if I could coach him up on the ballistic KB movements: I.e., kettlebell cleans and snatches.
[Cue crickets chirping]
I was honest.
I told him I could probably finagle my way through it and demonstrate a competent clean and snatch, however I knew he’d benefit from keener eyes on the matter. So I set my client up with a few sessions with Coach Justice Williams, a local StrongFirst certified coach here in Boston.
To that end, I wanted to narrow my own coaching gap and asked Justice if he’d be willing to film a few videos with me breaking down the clean and snatch.
He enthusiastically agreed.
Today is video #1….breaking down the swing/hip snap. Because, first and foremost: if you don’t own the swing/hip snap, you will not own the clean or snatch.
In this short tutorial we go through his coaching tips as well as common mistakes people may make along the way.
The kettlebell swing offers many benefits and can be utilized in many ways.
It’s a fantastic modality to train explosiveness and power (especially as a more “user friendly” alternative to Olympic lifting), it’s a back saver in that 1) when it’s performed correctly it helps to dissociate hip movement from lumbar movement (it’s all about the hinge baby) and 2) even Dr. Stuart McGill agrees that the KB swing is the bombdiggidy2, it serves as an excellent conditioning tool, and it’s one of those things that doesn’t take up too much gym space or equipment.
The thing is, the kettlebell swing isn’t as intuitive as it looks.
Frankly, more often than not, whenever I watch someone try it (or even coach it), it ends up looking like whateverthefuck dance Drake’s doing in his Hotline Bling video.
There’s a lot going on with a (good) swing, and it’s understandable why many mess it up on their first go. And second, and 7, 912th.
A lot of “things” need to happen and be in working order from a patterning standpoint to perform one competently. And it’s compounded further when we start to factor in load, not to mention the ballistic nature of the movement itself.
Whenever I begin to coach someone up who’s new to the movement (or even if I’m working with someone with a little more experience and have to iron out some technique kinks), I prefer to break things down into more manageable, bite-size chunks and attempt to “layer” the swing.
Layering the KB Swing
Technically, the first “layer” is slowing things down and allowing people to appreciate what the finished – standing tall– position should feel like.
Here is where abs should be engaged, knees are locked out (quads/knee caps flexed), spine is an anatomical neutral position, and one should be firing their glutes so hard that their butt cheeks could crush a Volvo.
I’m not kidding.
Here, too, is where I try to get someone to understand what it means to HINGE and not SQUAT the swing.
The KB should never dip below knee level – again, it’s a hip hinge not a squat – and there are a litany of cues I default towards to get this message across:
One I like a lot is one I stole from Dan John: “attack your zipper.”
Another one I like is to tell people to “play chicken with your (you know what).”
Essentially I need to get people to appreciate that they’re going to stay upright for as long as possible – till the very last split second – before they “break” and get out of the way.
From there I find time best spent working on the set-up.
A big mistake people make is to pick up the KB and then try to start the swing from a standing position. It’s awkward and vaguely resembles dry humping a tree. See? Awkward.
Teaching the HIKE POSITION is crucial, as it gets people in a more efficient starting position and helps to set the tone for the subsequent hip snap.
This in fact may be someone’s wheelhouse for a week, maybe longer. I’ll generally keep things in the 8-10 rep range and perform multiple sets as either part of an extended warm-up or as a stand alone exercise.
The key, though, is to ensure an aggressive hike and that the hips don’t pop up too far.
Once we have that nailed down, it’s time for the next layer….
The Hike +1
Here is where we take the hike and start to incorporate an actual hip snap (swing)…albeit only ONE repetition.
The goal is to ensure quality reps.
I also want to ensure people learn to use their HIPS (and not “muscle” things with their arms). The hips more or less serve as a launching pad to “thrust/push” the arms out front.
Note: and since we built a little context beforehand and started everyone in the end position (standing tall) they should kinda-sorta know what it feels like, or what to expect. Basically, it’s not a foreign “thing” to them like a good episode of The Kardashians or, I don’t know, a leprechaun.
I’ll keep reps a little lower here, usually around FIVE, and utilize the same approach as above with the hike.
Moving Forward
Once those two things are dialed in, we can then experiment with an actual repetitive swing. However, I find many people will benefit more by not being too aggressive from the get go and veering too far away from the Hike and Hike + 1.
Some may pick things up quickly and be able to perform a swing within 10-30 minutes – Dean Somerset and I do it all the time at our workshops: TORONTO (3/19), SEATTLE (4/9) – and for others it may take a few sessions, if not a few weeks.
The important point to consider is to break the swing down into more manageable parts for people, and to not perform or coach an American Swing.…;o)
To any overly patriotic or political zealots out there who may have misread, note the title does not say “Why I dislike America.”
To everyone else, notice too that the title doesn’t say “I hate the American kettlebell swing.”
Hate is such a strong word anyways; more appropriately reserved for things like Hitler, ebola, global warming, Gwyneth Paltrow playing the role of a health & fitness authority, poodles, and skinny jeans.
The kettlebell or girya is a cast-iron or cast steel weight used to perform ballistic exercises that combine cardiovascular, strength and flexibility training. They are also the primary equipment used in the weight lifting sport of girevoy sport. Russian kettlebells are traditionally measured in weight by pood, which (rounded to metric units) is defined as 16 kilograms (35 lb).
In other words: it’s one of those “cannonball with a handle” looking thingamajigs that you see all those people at your gym pushing, pulling, hoisting, and tossing every which way in an effort to 1) perform a legitimate exercise such as a swing, get-up, snatch, clean & press, Farmer carry, amongst many, many others 2) perform an exercise that makes absolutely no sense for its intended design and/or use.
Like this:
Although, giving credit where it’s due, this is kind of badass. Albeit from a cost-benefit standpoint I see little upside.
And 3) to look cool. <— Research backs this up.
Kettlebells are a very useful piece of equipment, a piece of equipment I use often with my own athletes and clients, but I do find some people take an elitist attitude towards them to the point where things like barbells and dumbbells are considered obsolete or inferior (which I feel is an absurd stance to take).
It’s a minority take, but a take nonetheless.
The Kettlebell Swing
Splitting the conversation further is the swing; one of, if not the most popular exercise performed with a kettlebell.
FMS and Strong First instructor, Brett Jones, showcasing the Russian Style (and I’d argue, correct) swing.
I’ve written several articles in the past expounding my take/approach to the swing and I’m not going to belabor my point(s) here. If interested you can peruse THIS, THIS, and THIS article. We can high-five later.
I’d also encourage you to seek out information from the likes of Dan John, Dr. Mark Cheng, Jen Sinkler, Neghar Fonooni, Gray Cook, and Iron Body Studios (Artemis Scantalides and Eric Gahan):
All the coaches/peeps mentioned above advocate the “Russian” style swing as opposed to the “American” style. To which I say, “Samsies.”
What’s the Difference?
Russian Style = less ROM, more vodka.
American Style = more ROM, because, why not? And, America!
There are adamant supporters in both camps, and both make solid cases for why their style is the style everyone should be using.
And, as far as internet pissing contests are concerned, it’s an “argument” that ranks right up there with the low bar squatters vs. high bar squatters, steady state cardio vs. HIIT cardio, meat eaters vs. vegetarians, and you better bet your ass this calls for a Rocky vs. Drago reference.
I have to say, though, the “American” advocates have a far less stellar rationale (it’s just my opinion of course) for their style.
Let’s discuss shall we?
My Case Against the American Style Swing
I posted the following question on Twitter yesterday:
Little Help: can anyone provide benefits/advantages for the “American” KB swing?
I received this well-thought out response (which made me chuckle):
“Looks more hardcore in METCON.”
However the bulk of responses fell in the line with:
“To practice the movement for CrossFit competition. Sport specific practice, in essence.”
“It is measurable in the context of the bell has to be fully extended overhead to be a rep is the only thing I can think of.”
It’s hard for me to counterpoint that train of thought. I get it, I respect it, and I can appreciate any “specificity” that’s involved. You don’t get better at swimming by riding a bike just like you don’t get better at American style swings by not doing American style swings (for competition).
CrossFit competitions are one thing (and even then, why?). Where I feel things get dicey are for those CrossFitters who don’t compete and when personal trainers/coaches start using the American style with their regular clientele who, again, don’t compete and more importantly, have poor movement quality…all because they watched the wrong YouTube video, or Jillian Michaels DVD.
Mind you, there are plenty (not a lot) of people who can perform an American style swing and not make my corneas bleed.
It’s a learned skill just like any other exercise – with a right way and wrong way to do it (I think) – and I’m sure it’s not too hard to find passable images on Google.
However, lets not kid ourselves…most people who do it end up looking like this:
Or this:
Maybe it’s the cynical coach in me speaking, but all I see is forward head posture, excessive lumbar extension (both primarily compensation patterns for limited shoulder flexion mobility; or the ability to get your arms over your head, and lack of lumbo-pelvic-hip control; or limited anterior core strength/stiffness), and a local physical therapist salivating.
And who knows: maybe the pics taken above were rep # 117 of a WOD, where technique is bound to take a hit. Either way, my back hurts looking at it.
I am not at all against people training overhead.
I just feel the vast majority of people need to earn the right to do it.
Many people just don’t have ample enough shoulder flexion and/or lumbo-pelvic control to get their arms overhead without blatant compensations and (potentially) serious ramifications down the road – much less be competent enough to add load and repetitions (unfortunately, usually both).
Someone was kind enough to link to THIS article on Twitter written by CrossFit serving as a rebuttal to everyone else’s rebuttal that, for 90% of people 90% of the time, the American swing, and I’m paraphrasing here, fucking stupid.5.
See! An example of a better, “passable” American swing where the hips get through into more terminal extension. Understandably the criteria for a CF competition isn’t to get the hips through, it’s just whether or not the arms get overhead.
From the article itself:
“On first being introduced to the kettlebell swing our immediate response was, “Why not go overhead?” Generally, we endeavor, somewhat reflexively, to lengthen the line of travel of any movement. Why? There are two reasons.
The first is somewhat intuitive. We don’t do half rep pull-ups, we don’t do half rep squats, and we don’t do half rep push-ups. If there is a natural range of motion to any movement we like to complete it. To do otherwise seems unnatural. We would argue that partial reps are neurologically incomplete.”
I’ve already pointed out my disdain for assuming everyone can train overhead. It’s just not true, and I applaud any CF box or affiliate who take the time to properly screen their clients beforehand to better ascertain who can and cannot perform movements overhead…safely.
I almost shit a kettlebellwhen I read that second paragraph.
First off, every gym does half rep everything. Walk into any gym, anywhere, and you’re bound to see people “cheating” their lifts. Some lifts warrant partial reps – block pulls, Anderson squats, board presses, etc. There’s a ton of efficacy for partial ROM lifts, typically to address a technique flaw or weakness in one of the “big 3.”
But I’m sorry, CrossFit isn’t anything special, needs to be held to the same litmus test, and recognize that people cheat their lifts just as much there as in any other gym (commercial, collegiate, private, or otherwise).
All of that comes down to coaching anyways.
Secondly, You don’t do partial rep pull-ups?
Um, what the hell are kipping pull-ups then? They’re certainly not full- ROM. Puh-lease.
Here’s another doozy from the same article:
“From physics we know that the higher we lift something, and the more it weighs, the more “work” we are performing. Work is in fact equal to the weight lifted multiplied by the height we lift the object. Work performed divided by the time to completion is equal to the average “power” expressed in the effort.
When we swing the kettlebell to overhead, the American swing, we nearly double the range of motion compared to the Russian swing and thereby double the work done each stroke.”
Who says you have to increase ROM (and do more work) to make an exercise better? It’s the American way I suppose. We work more, take less vacation, and are otherwise stressed to the gills because we’re a-holes like that.
More is better, right?
With the swing – as with more conventional exercises like the bench press, squat, and deadlift – it’s not (always) about how much more work you can do (by increasing ROM) to make it better or harder or more effective. With the latter examples it’s about doing LESS work to improve efficiency and to take better advantage of one’s unique anatomy and leverages.
This is why many coaches advocate a low-bar position when squatting or why we tinker with deadlifting style to get the hips closer (laterally speaking) to the bar. Some do better with conventional deadlifts while others do better with Sumo. It depends.
Lastly, with regards to the American swing being more “powerful” compared to the Russian style I’ll defer to THIS excellent post by Mike Young on why that’s not the case.
I’ve also seen it argued that the American swing produces more force due to the increase in ROM. Sorry, but force output is more about forward motion, not up (the bell actually slows down the higher you go).
Not to mention – from a personal standpoint – I feel there’s more room for error with the American style swing. Taking compensation patterns and physical limitations out of the discussion, the increased ROM often lends itself to the bell traveling well below the knees for most people, which can lead to much more “stress” to the lumbar spine – something I’d like to avoid altogether.
Although the KB snatch is very similar, so I guess the real culprit is one’s ability to “clear” the hips and get overhead.
Additionally, I’ve heard stories of people losing the bell overhead, where it ends up flipping over and the bell falls.
In the End
This is not an attack on CrossFit or any coach who uses this particular style – relax. Far be it from me to tell any coach what he or she should be doing with their clients. If they want to coach their swings American style, have at it. They have their reasons.
It’s also not about pandering to which style is right or wrong. However I do feel the Russian style is more optimal and a better fit for most people. Why fix what isn’t broken?
All of this is my opinion – one it’s hopefully coming across in a respectful, “huh, that makes sense” kind of way – and as with anything in this industry the right answer as to whether or not the American style swing is a good fit for you is…it depends.
It depends if you compete in CrossFit. If so, I get it. I guess.
It also depends on whether or not you have the requisite shoulder flexion and anterior core stability to go overhead. Most people don’t.
It also depends on the cost-benefit. I argue there’s little upside to performing it. It does make your METCON finisher look more hardcore. Yay?
1. You don’t punch kittens in the face6. That’s just common sense (and really cruel).
2. Guys: you don’t not pay for the first date. And ladies: the fake purse grab at the end of dinner makes us guys feel good, and we appreciate the sentiment; but at some point, say between dates #3-71, you don’t need to continue the charade.
At some point you should eventually actually pay for something.
3. You don’t hang out at Chuck-E-Cheese when you’re an adult. That’s Creepy McCreepypants territory.
5. And, for the love of all that’s holy, you don’t squat the kettlebell swing.
I’d argue it’s the most common mistake that many people make with their swing technique. For starters, it’s wrong. I don’t care who you are or who you were coached by, even if it was Captain America, squatting the KB swing is not correct. It just isn’t.
How’s that for a scientific explanation?
Second, and more importantly, “squatting” the swing (to the point where the KB drops below the knees) increases the lever arm and places much more stress on the lower back. Often, whenever someone complains that KB swings bothers their back the culprit is one of two things: 1) not engaging their glutes enough and 2) not incorporating a hip hinge.
Today I wanted to share a simple tactile cue I learned from Dr. Mark Cheng (Senior Instructor for StrongFirst) you can use to help groove more of a hip hinge/hip snap pattern when swinging. Basically you need to stay upright A LOT longer than you think (and much longer than most are comfortable with) before you break the hips and hinge back.
ADDENDUM: I’ve noticed a few comments on various social media outlets where people have noted there ARE viable reasons to perform a squat swing and that it does have its place. I guess agree. Sorta.
There’s a time and place for everything I suppose. But even for those who DO perform a squat swing, there’s still a significant hip hinge involved. Yeah, yeah, there’s “research” to back up a squat swing and how it can improve “x” factor; but then again, there was research back in the day that said smoking wasn’t carcinogenic.
The eye sores that I see a lot people performing (where it’s entirely a squat) is wrong. You’d have a hard time convincing me there’s a legitimate rationale to do swings that way.
Nevertheless, I guess I should have re-worded things to say this: My main beef are for those people learning the swing in the first place. The hip hinge is such an integral movement which reduces the learning curve when introducing new movements drastically.
Maybe a better way to articulate my thoughts would be this: learn the hip hinge swing first, get really good at it, and THEN you can play around with the squat swing, if that’s what floats your boat. Weeeeeeeeeeeee.
The program itself will never go away (ever!!!) and will always be available to start whenever you’d like, but this will be the only time you’ll be able to purchase month #1 at a discount.
All you have to do is type in IncreaseDeadlift30 within the Coupon Code area at checkout and you’re all set. God, you’re good looking!
2. iOS users have had the luxury of using the WeightTraining.com workout logger app on their phones or iPads for several months now. The app is FREE and allows users access to WT.com’s extensive library of over 2500 exercises and 400+ workout plans.
TODAY marks the release of the Android version. Holla!!!!!!!
Which is to say, you can purchase my Deadlift Specialization Program(which is really a program designed to get you strong. Wolverine strong) and follow it on your iOS or Droid phone. Which is cool.
And if some trainer or uppity douche at your gym gives you flak for having your phone out on the weight room floor under the impression you’re doing something lame like checking Instagram or sexting with your significant other or co-worker or lab partner (hey, I’m not judging), you can just say “back off!! I’m getting my deadlift on with TG!!!!”
Master the Kettlebell Swing
The kettlebell swing is a fantastic exercise, an exercise I feel offers a gulf of benefits, and one I feel everyone should do.
The thing is: it looks simple to perform, but it’s not quite that simple to execute.
The biggest mistake I see people make is not being able to distinguish between a squat swing (wrong) and a hip-snap swing (correct). This is a non-negotiable fact.
Squat swings are dumb (and a small piece of my soul dies every time someone performs one). A hip-snap swing, on the other hand, opens up Pandora’s box to a whole world of awesome.
The key, though, is ensuring someone has patterned the hip hinge motion.
There’s that, and then there’s a bunch of other stuff that us trainers and coaches like to get nit-picky about. In my latest article on T-Nation.com I discuss some ways to pattern the hip hinge in addition to two common mistakes many people make with their KB swing technique.
In keeping with the running theme of past segments like Tony Takes a Yoga Class (Part One and Part Two) and Tony Takes a Pilates Class, yesterday I added another adventure to my on-going exercise bucket list:
Unfortunately, it wasn’t Tony Performs a Cannonball Into the Playboy Mansion Pool.
Tony Takes a CrossFit Class will have to wait for another day (<— But this one is coming soon!).
And sorry, it wasn’t Tony Fights Rambo with a Flamethrower, either.
Instead, myself, Lisa, and our friend Diana headed over into Needham, MA (a few miles outside of Boston) to visit Iron Body Studios – co-owned by Artemis Scantalides and Eric Gahan – to take part in one of their introductory kettlebell classes which are offered every Sunday morning.
Some of you may recognize Artemis’ name because I’ve included a handful of her articles several times in my Stuff You Should Read While You’re Pretending to Work series, and to speak candidly, her and I have been internet pen pals for a while now.
When her and Eric opened their brand spankin new, and utterly gorgeous facility a few months ago they gave me an open invitation to come take a class whenever I wanted, but it was only within the last few weeks that my schedule was free to do so.
Of course kettlebells aren’t some foreign entity to me. We have them at Cressey Performance, and not only use them in our own training, but incorporate them into the programs we write for our athletes and clients.
In addition I’ve written a fair share of articles and posts on the topic:
Admittedly, and thus serving as the main impetus for visiting Iron Body Studios in the first place, my knowledge base and expertise on kettlebell training – while I think is up to snuff – is limited to reading and watching videos from the likes of Dan John, Gray Cook, Brett Jones, Neghar Fonooni (now Romaniello), as well as Artemis and Eric, to name a few.
If anything I wanted to visit them to see if my technique (swing and get-up in particular) was on point, and more importantly to see whether or not the coaching cues I use with my own athletes mirrored theirs.
Too, it served as a nice way for Lisa and I to start the day (we rarely ever get the chance to train together), get the blood flowing, and just feel like a million bucks.
Artemis was a champ and took all three of us through an introductory “history” on the differences between the Russian hard style she advocates and teaches (she’s both a Level II RKC Instructor as well as Level II StrongFirst Instructor: AKA: a badass) and the American style which, lets be honest, sucks (my words, not hers).
From there we went through an extensive warm-up, which felt amazing, and then Artemis coached us through how to pattern a proper hip hinge, which is the backbone for the entire hard style philosophy, and not surprisingly the swing itself.
After that Artemis broke down the swing and I definitely took some mental notes on how I could better cue my own athletes. Of note I’ve always wondered what the deal was with all that aggressive “hissing” noise that many KB enthusiasts practice, and Artemis explained how it’s a simple way to teach tension and to get the diaphragm to better stabilize the spine – which, upon thinking about it, made TOTAL sense.
Then it was game time. Artemis watched us in action and critiqued our swings. I felt a little nervous, and after the first set I looked up and was half expecting this:
But thankfully, I passed with flying colors.
From there we went through the basics of a Get-Up (to the hands), which is an art in of itself. And then Artemis took us through the ringer and had us perform three circuits of get-ups, RKC planks, glute bridges, KB deadlifts, and then KB swings.
I haven’t done that much “cardio” in a while and it was readily apparent that I need to do more. I guess doing heavy triples of deadlifts ain’t cutting it……;o)
All in all, it was an AWESOME experience and I think Lisa and I spent a good hour after the fact discussing how much we’d enjoy doing that a few Sundays every month. In my case I can see unlimited benefits in terms of helping me address some imbalances and weaknesses I have, and I can only assume that learning how to better use “tension” to my advantage will help my deadlift and squat numbers skyrocket.
Nevertheless, you can bet that Lisa and I (and hopefully Diana…….if you’re reading this Diana, you’re doing this!!!!) will be heading back to Iron Body Studios sooner rather than later.
To that end I asked both Artemis and Eric if they’d be willing to do a quick video on swing technique and they were more than happy to oblige.
I don’t consider myself a kettlebell expert, but I stayed at a Holiday Inn Express once so that has to count for something.
Note from TG: For those non-American folk who may be reading and have no idea WTF staying at a Holiday Inn Express has to do with anything let alone kettlebell training, maybe watching THIS clip will help.
For those who did get the joke: Bwahahahahahahahahahahahaha.
In all seriousness, while I’ve never taken the RK or HKC or the Strong First course (it’s on my fitness bucket list though), or climbed Mt. Everest, I like to think that despite those minor short comings, I still know a thing or two when it comes to coaching the kettlebell swing, among other KB related exercises.
And while I’m on the topic, I always find it comical when I hear stories from my clients who travel and they tell me how, at certain gyms they’ve come across, they’re not allowed to use the kettlebells without a trainer’s supervision, as if they run the risk of poking their eye out.
Yet, upon watching said “certified” trainer (99.9% of the time not certified through Dragon Door or Strong First) demonstrate a KB workout, whether it entails swings, get-ups, cleans, or snatches, my client’s have to keep their corneas from perpetually bleeding because the trainer’s technique is just god-awful.
Like Jillian Michael’s god-awful:
All that said, because I don’t want to get all fired up and throw my laptop through the window, today I just want to hit on two often overlooked technique snafus that a lot of people make with their swings.
Number One: making the mistake of allowing the KB to drop BELOW the knees.
I wrote a blog post on the difference between a squat swing (wrong) and a hip snap swing (right) a while ago (HERE), and I think anyone who’s curious should check that out first before going any further.
Outside of that, I stole the above gem from the one and only Neghar Fonooni, and it’s something that really made a lot of sense to me when I heard it, and high-five to myself, was something I was instinctively coaching already.
Most of us have heard the often quoted cue from Dan John about keeping the KB closer to the body and “attacking the zipper.” This works well, but I still often find that many trainees will allow the KB to drift below the knees which can wreak havoc on the lumbar spine.
This is more of an “eyeball” what-you-see-is-what-you-get observation, but if it’s something you find yourself or your clients doing, it would be a good idea to, you know, stop it.
Number Two: allowing the KB to “get away.”
This was actually something I snaked from one of my clients who heard it from Dr. Stuart McGill who I think heard it from Han Solo. But I can’t back that up.
When we transition from the hike pass to the actual swing and end up with our arms full extended out in front of us, it’s important not to let the bell itself to “get away” and cause more shear load on the spine.
I always like to tell people they’re going to snap/push their hips through and the arms are just along for the ride. When their arms are fulling extended, the objective is not to be holding on for dear life, they’re going to “relax” for split second, and pull the KB back down towards the swing portion.
During the “relax” portion, however, they want to be fast (and loose) at the top, but not to the point where the KB is going to jolt their spine (for lack of a better term).
The short video below (just a bit over two minutes) tries to hit on both points. I hope it helps. For those celebrating Labor Day Weekend – enjoy!
The other day while walking around on the gym floor, I ended up having a small chat with one of our current interns, Doug, on the education system. Random topic I know, and I honestly have no recollection as to how we even got there, but it definitely was something that got the two of us fired up. While I won’t bore everyone with the details, I will say we both came to the conclusion that we can’t believe how ass-backwards everything has gotten.
Maybe it has something to do with reading several books on how higher education isn’t necessarily all it’s cracked up to be – The Education of Millionaires and most recently, Chris Guillebeau’s The $100 Startup – or maybe it’s because I’ve been getting some emails as of late from undergraduates asking me if they should pursue their Masters Degree (in and effort to gain a few more letters next to their name and hopefully have a leg up on their competition), or maybe it’s because I have a sister who’s a teacher.
Either way, the “system” is broken. In today’s society we’re basically programmed right from the get go to think that higher education is the key to being successful, and as a result we have more and more people going into disheartening amounts of debt.
Although, to be fair: no one is pointing a gun at someone’s head that they HAVE to go to a $40,000/per year school….to major in Humanities.
Now, I am in no way saying that going to college is a bad thing or is something that shouldn’t be strived for. But it’s gotten to the point now where 3rd graders aren’t even allowed to go outside and play and have upwards of 2-3 hours of homework per night.
3rd graders!!!!!!
I don’t know about you, but when I was in 3rd grade I was pimpin it on the kick-ball field and figuring out whether or not red Play-Doh tasted any differently than blue Play-Doh.
FYI: it totally doesn’t.
I certainly wasn’t memorizing my multiplication tables.
Anyways, in light of our conversation Doug sent me this TED Talk by Sir Ken Robinson that I thought was amazing, and totally worth 20 minutes of your time.
Last week I posted on how we go about teaching (and implementing) the Turkish Get-Up and kettlebell swing at Cressey Performance (HERE).
From what I could tell it was received well (no hate mail), and at the end of the post I opened it up to the masses to go a head and give ME feedback on how I could go about improving my technique and coaching cues.
Wouldn’t you know it – someone did just that.
Here, Troy Pesola throws me under the microscope and breaks down my KB swing.
This post is a blast from the past that I randomly came across while searching for something else. I re-read it, thought it didn’t suck, and figured that since I wrote it over two years ago and there’s a lot more people reading the site now, it wouldn’t hurt to re-post it again.
On that note, Enjoy the weekend!
Who’s going to see Kate Beckinsale be Kate BeckinsaleTotal Recall?
I don’t care if we’re referring to kettlebells, TRX, sandbags, strongman, chains, bands, or whatever the hell THIS contraption is supposed to be….you could make an argument that there’s a time and place for everything, and that they’re a tool in the toolbox, and need to be used at the right time, with the right person, for the right job.
When I wrote the piece, I wasn’t entirely sure how people were going to react to it. On one hand, I felt I was making a compelling argument and that a statue would be erected in my honor for making so much sense. Conversely, I knew I was “kinda, sorta” throwing one group of individuals to the lions and was fully prepared for the avalanche of hate mail and push back I was going to receive.
Worse case I figured some kettlebell bully was going to show up at the facility, tell me I was some big stupid head, and give me a massive atomic wedgie.
It never happened. Thank god.
I seems I was able to relay my message successfully and with no major incidents. Yay me!
Nevertheless, in light of what I wrote I felt compelled to expound on a few things in a recent staff in-service we filmed to demonstrate to the world that we actually do incorportate kettlebells in our every day programming. TRUTH!!!!!
A few things to note before we begin:
1. There are only a handful of things I consider myself to be an expert in:
– Omelete making.
– Watching Star Wars.
– Being awesome.
While I feel I’m fairly competent, get-ups and swings aren’t what I would consider my strong suits.
Speaking frankly, I hate doing get-ups. I do them, obviously. I just hate them with a passion. There’s no tip toeing around it: they rank pretty high on the Things That Generally Suck Or Really Irritate Me List , juuuuuust above passing a kidney stone and juuuuuust below Justin Beiber.
Having said that, there’s no denying their efficacy towards building total body strength and bringing to the forefront any mobility and/or stability “leaks” in the kinetic chain.
It’s like what I always say: the exercises that we hate the most are generally the ones that elicit the greatest benefit.
Anyways, admittedly I’m NOT an HKC or an RKC (I do hope to attain an HKC soon) and I’m fully aware that there might be some nitpicky things that I’m doing wrong in the video, as well as a handful of things I missed noting.
I’m all for an open discussion on how I can improve my coaching, and if there’s any glaring mishaps or discrepancies, I’d encourage any experts to chime in. Please!
If, however, you’re going to bust my chops because I didn’t dorsiflex my left pinky toe enough, then all I have to say is: “come on……..really?”
All in all, I feel this is a pretty decent representation of how to go about coaching both the get-up and swing effectively (and safely) – especially with beginner and intermediate trainees. Keep it simple.
2. This was a very, very impromptu presentation. I was literally sitting in my office when Chris Howard walks in and says, “Tony, you’re up. Staff in-service in five minutes.”
Crickets chirping……….
I had no idea I was supposed to do the staff in-service, so I put my shirt on, pounded a protein shake, and I was off.
My apologies if it seems little “disorganized.”
3. I’m REALLY sorry about the length. I realize no one wants to sit there and watch a 30 minute video on anything (unless it’s about Katy Perry’s boobs), and I had every intention of dividing this into two separate tutorials, but for the life of me I couldn’t figure out iMovie.
I sat in front of my computer for at least 45 minutes last night trying to figure out how to import a file, and I just couldn’t do it. You might as well have asked me to figure out how to solve global warming.
Anyways, just to give you a heads up: I begin everything with how to coach someone through a “naked” half get up to a “naked” full get-up. Then, at around the 17:00 minute mark I switch gears and discuss the swing.
Okay, enough with the formalities. Here you go. Let me know what you think!
