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Kettlebell Please review my kettlebell clean motion

joemac

Level 2 Valued Member
Hi.

I am currently practicing performing a right-handed and left-handed clean with a 12kg kettle-bell.
I would appreciate a brief review and comment on my form as posted in below videos.
I am still in "practice" phase, and I assume I will need many reps over months to get it right.

Random Thoughts.
  1. I am trying very hard to avoid banging my wrist and forearms. I am very afraid of that. I am trying to avoid having it fly over 180 degrees and instead to slide along my wrists/forearms.
  2. Am I correct that I should in time develop callouses along the forearm? I've noticed that the day after I practice the clean that I feel a strange feeling in my wrists/forearm unlike anything I feal when otherwise training. Its in the exact location on my wrists/forearms that come into contact with the bell during the clean. Its not the feeling of strain like when you wake up in the morning, and its not pain. The closest equivalent is how your skin feels "baked" after time spent out in the sun.
  3. Dan John had a video where he explained that a clean is combination of a single handed kettle-bell swing but halfway through you stab the bell in an upward motion with your hand, such that the bell travels the minimum distance from bottom to the rack position. That is what I am trying to do.
  4. At first I had great difficult cleaning the bell without having it flip over 180 degrees and bank the wrists/forearms. I couldn't figure it out. But I changed my technique. When I start a clean motion at the bottom, my wrist holds the bell directly in the center of the handle. As I propel the bell up, there is a moment when my hands "stabs" or "jumps" in the air, such that my wrist moves from holding the handle in its center and moves to holding the bell's handles at its angle. So, if I am doing a right-handed clean, I start by holding it in the center of the handle, but half way through my hand will jump and grab the handle on the left side/curve, right before I place it in racking position. The dramatically improved the movement. Sometimes I feel it slide good.
The following contain links to Google Photos. My first try with that. Please tell me if it doesn't work for you.
Video link A: 10x 10kg left handed clean, first attempt
Video link B: 10x 10kg left right handed clean, first attempt:

At the this point, I put more effort in switching the position of my wrist from the center of the bell's handle to its angle, and I think the motion got better.
Video link C: 10x 10kg left handed clean, second attempt:
Video link D: 10x 10kg left right handed clean, second attempt:

As always, thank you for your time and attention, I appreciate any criticism.
Ilya
 
Hi.

I am currently practicing performing a right-handed and left-handed clean with a 12kg kettle-bell.
I would appreciate a brief review and comment on my form as posted in below videos.
I am still in "practice" phase, and I assume I will need many reps over months to get it right.

Random Thoughts.
  1. I am trying very hard to avoid banging my wrist and forearms. I am very afraid of that. I am trying to avoid having it fly over 180 degrees and instead to slide along my wrists/forearms.
  2. Am I correct that I should in time develop callouses along the forearm? I've noticed that the day after I practice the clean that I feel a strange feeling in my wrists/forearm unlike anything I feal when otherwise training. Its in the exact location on my wrists/forearms that come into contact with the bell during the clean. Its not the feeling of strain like when you wake up in the morning, and its not pain. The closest equivalent is how your skin feels "baked" after time spent out in the sun.
  3. Dan John had a video where he explained that a clean is combination of a single handed kettle-bell swing but halfway through you stab the bell in an upward motion with your hand, such that the bell travels the minimum distance from bottom to the rack position. That is what I am trying to do.
  4. At first I had great difficult cleaning the bell without having it flip over 180 degrees and bank the wrists/forearms. I couldn't figure it out. But I changed my technique. When I start a clean motion at the bottom, my wrist holds the bell directly in the center of the handle. As I propel the bell up, there is a moment when my hands "stabs" or "jumps" in the air, such that my wrist moves from holding the handle in its center and moves to holding the bell's handles at its angle. So, if I am doing a right-handed clean, I start by holding it in the center of the handle, but half way through my hand will jump and grab the handle on the left side/curve, right before I place it in racking position. The dramatically improved the movement. Sometimes I feel it slide good.
The following contain links to Google Photos. My first try with that. Please tell me if it doesn't work for you.
Video link A: 10x 10kg left handed clean, first attempt
Video link B: 10x 10kg left right handed clean, first attempt:

At the this point, I put more effort in switching the position of my wrist from the center of the bell's handle to its angle, and I think the motion got better.
Video link C: 10x 10kg left handed clean, second attempt:
Video link D: 10x 10kg left right handed clean, second attempt:

As always, thank you for your time and attention, I appreciate any criticism.
Ilya
 
I’m not very proficient with the clean, but I have found that this is one of those movements that you need to have a heavy enough weight or the form gets messed up from going too light. It’s really hard to only use enough power to clean a 12kg bell and still have good form, as it can’t be done slowly but it almost has to be with a weight like that.
 
Two questions:
1. It is good? Yes
2. Can it be made even better? Yes

Watch closely.. you are muscling the bell into the rack since you pull before your knees lock..

The fix.. pull the bell to just above belt level then shoot up . You want a more vertical path than a circular path..

Hope that helps
 
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I’m not very proficient with the clean, but I have found that this is one of those movements that you need to have a heavy enough weight or the form gets messed up from going too light. It’s really hard to only use enough power to clean a 12kg bell and still have good form, as it can’t be done slowly but it almost has to be with a weight like that.

This.

OP -- try a heavier bell.

Louka and the boots-n-beanies dude above are using 16 kg bells.
 
I feel like the clean is one of those movments that even after feeling like I was solid with them. Over time I picked up more and more cues that help perfect them. Realizing you want the bell to take the shortest path from the hike to the rack, and back down as well has made a difference for me. And just honing in the “landing” floating the bell around the wrist it all just takes time and reps to perfect.
 
…this is one of those movements that you need to have a heavy enough weight or the form gets messed up from going too light. It’s really hard to only use enough power to clean a 12kg bell and still have good form, as it can’t be done slowly but it almost has to be with a weight like that.
This. A heavier weight keeps your form “honest” and forces you to clean correctly. Also, the bell’s body should stay below your hand and lightly touch down.

I teach that you are writing a “J” with your kettlebell clean, as small and tight a “J” as possible.
 
Do a heavier bell.
With the heavier bell it will be more obvious how it goes around your arm and into the bicep.
If your forearm is vertical in the end - the bell handle should not touch it, and the bell should barely touch it.
 
Do you mean deadstart (without a backswing. like a barbell) or like a deadstop swing (putting it down after every rep)? I'm a bit confused by the terminology, but can't imagine how to do the latter while kneeling.
Yes, bell is parked btwn. feet on each rep, no hike.
Like this, minus the hike.

 
I am currently practicing performing a right-handed and left-handed clean with a 12kg kettle-bell.

Set a few different sizes of bell out in front of you and try each - one size will be best to facilitate your best form. It's also excellent practice for learning to adjust the force you're applying to the bell to the size you're using.

Lots of great tips in previous replies, although I would not start with dead cleans or half-kneeling cleans, just the basic thing itself. In particular, dead cleans encourage a shrug which we don't want. (If you want to shrug your cleans and want to do dead cleans, that's all fine, but I prefer to keep confusion to a minimum and just use a barbell for that.) The only "variation" I use when teaching is to start in the rack position, drop and re-clean.

-S-
 
Thank you everyone for your advice. I will do the following.
1. Try a higher weight like 16kg
2. Perform the "gunslinger" movement with my elbow
3. Practice the "cheat" clean
 
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