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Kettlebell I'm feeling completely useless

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Geoduck

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Here's the basic background. I'm out of shape and have spent years doing randomly thrown together training routines. Never stuck with much, never felt focused or knew what a good program could actually do for me. I found myself interested in kettlebells this year and through that interest I fell in love with the idea of S&S and Pavel's concepts of strength and health. I grabbed the book and a 16kg kettlebell and though I picked up on the warm up easy enough aside from the squats being a little difficult I found myself hitting a wall with the swings that I expected to be easy. They made me feel like an uncoordinated wet noodle.

I instantly got frustrated and questioned if I would be able to ever do it right. Pretty quickly I shook that off and began doing deadlifts with the 16kg for a while to get my body more in tune with the hip hinge. Through this period (all of this being in the last month and a half) I grabbed an 8kg kettlebell thinking that I'm just too weak to swing the big one. I was pumped to finally get into S&S properly with this one. First day using it I had the same situation as with the 16kg but a little worse considering the 8kg didn't have the same pendulum effect.

At this point I'm feeling physically and mentally drained, questioning why I can watch a million YouTube videos, read over StrongFirst descriptions of the swing, focus on doing it all with the kb in hand, and proceed to have the technical ability of an inflatable car dealer prop. It's something I just can't pin down, even when I recorded myself trying it once. Everything goes wrong, I follow the kettlebell down, I don't get proper hip extension, the timing is a miss, I feel like I have to contort to get the proper back hike preventing proper shoulder form.

First off apologies for the rant. This is something I desperately want to achieve and it has my confidence and emotions all scrambled. I just thought it may be best to post here and see if anyone has gone through similar problems or at least could offer up some advice that may help me.
 
@Geoduck, welcome to the forum.

Please either post a video of your swing or, even better, see an SFG in person or via Skype.

-S-
 
Post a video here, you'll get good feedback. Also, realize that the SF way is narrow and deep. Many senior SFG's report still learning details about the swing. If they haven't perfected it in years, you surely are not expected to in weeks.

My advice, avoid overloading on details now. Focus on the hinge exclusively now. With light weight your shoulder, stance, timing etc is less likely to hurt you immediately, and a good hinge will solve many of those problems. Btw, I think light, but not too light is better for learning. Depending on your size, 8kg might actually be harder. Do the stance drills, the deadlifts, and 2 hand swings probably with the 16, ignoring most details that dont directly relate to the hinge. Practice unweighted hinges, stand in front of a wall, and hinge to hit it with your butt. Now from further away. Can you do it quickly and instinctively? If not, thats why you have trouble with the swing. Can you slam a door with your butt via a quick hinge? Thats an unweighted swing.
 
First off, anyone who makes an honest effort to get in shape should not feel that they are completely useless.
Secondly, I'm sure you are aware that you are not the first person to hit the wall in training. We've all done it and it's no big deal.
The swing is the first movement taught. This is because it is the foundation of most kettlebell movements. This does not mean the swing is a simple movement. There are lots of moving parts and it is performed at a high speed. I had trained the swing for a couple of years and thought I was pretty good until I did my certification and spent the whole weekend having instructors fix it :)
Work regressions, post videos, soak up all the information you can and you will get it in no time.
 
I really appreciate the responses. Unfortunately there are no SFG trainers in my area, only a distance a bit further than I'd like to go right now. That said, thanks to the comments here I decided to shoot off a few messages to open up a dialog with a few of them and see what we could work out together. It's a lot better than just feeling bad for myself right?

In the meantime I'll work more on the drills and try to slowly become more comfortable with the motions. It really is a confusing problem for me. I understand the concepts and movements and can generally explain them to someone else but when I go for it everything turns into a comedy routine haha. I'll get it though, I'm sure. I know giving up never did anything for anybody.

If I can get over the embarrassment I might post a video on here. Again, thank you guys. It means a lot to get helpful kind responses to help get me thinking in a more positive way.
 
Please don't think that just because your swing technique is not perfect that you're not benefiting from the swings. Lots of people have fun and get in shape playing basketball who are not named LeBron James.

You do want to work on technique. But I think that having things exactly right is more important when you're using weights that are heavier than the ones you're using right now. Working on details is always important, but they don't actually have to be perfect right from the start (that only applies to sport officiating). Focus on one or two details per session and keep on swingin'.

Remember, the swing is there to serve you--you're not there to serve the swing.
 
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Welcome @Geoduck !

I wish I could show you my first swings. Not pretty at all. :) It took me a while, not having any "athletic" posterior chain muscle firing in so long, if ever.

My advice would be to practice jumping. Just drop your body quickly down into a hip hinge to prepare to jump, and then explode your body up to vertical. You don't even have to leave the ground. That's a hip hinge, generating power for the swing! Feel your glutes, quads, and hamstrings all working together for the jump. The swing is just that movement with your arms holding a kettlebell. When you add the kettlebell back in, don't try to swing the bell... do the hip hinge movement, and let the kettlebell move as a result of it. Just guide it lightly with your arms.

And of course, an instructor and/or kettlebell class, if you can find them. You can certainly go to the class as a beginner.

Stick with us, you're in the right place!
 
@Geoduck Go outside where you cant break anything and try a towel swing (hold on to towel ends looped through the bell handle). Don't do it inside - you'll leave a crater in your floor.

Towel swings really taught me about timing the swing.

Stick with it, we all started off rubbish.
 
the technical ability of an inflatable car dealer prop

Even if your swing is off, your writing is great! I'm going to steal this one!

Nothing much to add to what others have said other than, based on your statement that you've watched a million videos on the YouTube, you may have reached a point where you are overthinking things. You've given yourself analysis paralysis. Been there.
 
First of all I have to echo the sentiments of Cattleballs, you should feel no shame in trying to improve yourself. I am in the fetal stages of this kettlebell journey and there are plenty of members who know far more than I, but I had a similar experience early on. My main flaw was not sufficiently packing my shoulders. Once I tightened my lats in preparation for the initial "hike" things started to fall into place. I, too, have no SFG close, but, I plan on attending Dan John's shindig at Denison University in June.
 
Even if your swing is off, your writing is great! I'm going to steal this one!

Nothing much to add to what others have said other than, based on your statement that you've watched a million videos on the YouTube, you may have reached a point where you are overthinking things. You've given yourself analysis paralysis. Been there.
Totally agree with this!!
 
Even if your swing is off, your writing is great! I'm going to steal this one!

Nothing much to add to what others have said other than, based on your statement that you've watched a million videos on the YouTube, you may have reached a point where you are overthinking things. You've given yourself analysis paralysis. Been there.
Mike, I'm going to be stealing "Analysis Paralysis",man, I love it!!!
 
Just relax, don't worry to much. Remember you're practicing moves to begin with not working out. I have to quote dory sorry. "Just keep swinging, just keep swinging ". You'll get there eventually, you're not the first & you won't be the last to feel useless. Worry less practice more.
 
Actually the guys already gave you great advice. Only thing I can add: keep practicing and stay focused. In a few years you will look back with a smile
 
Hi. You'll get there, listen to the advice and don't be afraid to try even if you are not doing it completely right, you will still be getting some benefit.

The swings a bit like snowboarding I found. A few days of feeling stupid and suddenly it clicks and your off flying.
 
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