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Kettlebell Hard Style Laziness Question

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Nick Stevens

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Hey all,

I have a question regarding the Hard Style Laziness chapter from S&S. There's a spot near the end of the chapter where Pavel talks about "applying the force as quickly as possible then relaxing;" there's a quote from "The Karate Way," and then Pavel says, "The karateka calls this ability 'turning laziness into technical mastery.' Note that this kind of 'laziness' does not refer to slowing down or weakening the contraction, but to limiting its duration, a very important hard style distinction."

My question is this:

What exactly does "limiting [the contraction's] duration" refer to?

On the one hand, as I understand the Swing, after the Hinge is the standing Plank. I suppose I'm assuming that the Plank - and therefore the muscle contraction/tension - needs to be maintained as the bell goes up, floats, then comes back down; we Hinge at the last possible second.

On the other hand, how do we limit the duration of a contraction, without weakening it, and keeping the body in the standing Plank?

I know he says this is an advanced technique, but I'm always looking for ways to improve my Swings.

Thanks in advance!
 
What exactly does "limiting [the contraction's] duration" refer to?
He's talking about compressing the same energy into a smaller length of time
On the one hand, as I understand the Swing, after the Hinge is the standing Plank. I suppose I'm assuming that the Plank - and therefore the muscle contraction/tension - needs to be maintained as the bell goes up, floats, then comes back down; we Hinge at the last possible second.

On the other hand, how do we limit the duration of a contraction, without weakening it, and keeping the body in the standing Plank?
Mastery is quickly relaxing after the tension (kime), but just relaxed enough to still maintain the minimum amount of tension needed to maintain form (posture) during the float.

Just as learning a Karate punch, beginners first go through a phase of punching with maximum tension. You will see these punches froze with tension (like a stone statue) for a brief second after it's delivered. As soon as the student achieves that whole body tension, he/she has to learn how to quickly relax it to the minimum levels. This is not easy. The mastery is compressing that tension into a flash of lightning. Some karateka have spent a lifetime to master this. This concept of kime is central to the hard-style technique for kettlebells.

As in karate, I believe it is best to error on the side of being too mechanical and tense when learning the swing. Focus on the 2 positions:
* hinge (backswing position)
* standing plank
Then applying the power and snap into the movement between these two positions. Stay safe by applying the tension all the way from the ground, feet, legs, butt, core, back, shoulders, arms, grip to the bell. Injuries occur when these two positions break down and/or there is a gap in tension across the posterior chain.

I wouldn't focus on this relaxing or this "hard-style laziness" until that is mastered.

Good Luck.
 
Thanks Tim for that excellent explanation. Absolutely clears things up. I suppose it's learning "how to quickly relax it to the minimum levels" - as little as possible but not too relaxed as to create a gap in tension.

Definitely sounds like an advanced technique, but something to work toward slowly.
 
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I suppose it's learning "how to quickly relax it to the minimum levels" - as little as possible but not too relaxed as to create a gap in tension.
Not necessarily. I think this is looking at tension too globally. In KB ballistics, there's a rhythm to being tight where and when and to the extent you need to be, and relaxed where and when and to the extent you need to be.

The right tension, in the right places, times, and amounts provides power and stability.

The right relaxation, in the right places, times, and amounts provides speed, efficiency, and fluidity.

It's not a global tension level, but a lot of separate, but interrelated, tension levels, all on their own timers.

That being said, I've always interpreted the Hard Style laziness idea to refer generally to the ballistic nature of the swing. You turn on the power to launch the bell, and then relax to let it fly. Another analogy in the book is shoveling dirt: "Rest while the dirt is in the air."
 
An adult student of mine is on a road trip, and sent me a picture from a music museum he visited; it contains this sentence about the history of the guitar:

"The guitar is a paradox, one of the easiest instruments to play, but one of the most difficult to play well."

We might well say the same thing about the kettlebell swing. All three of the messages in this thread so far seem on point to me.

-S-
 
The right tension, in the right places, times, and amounts provides power and stability.

The right relaxation, in the right places, times, and amounts provides speed, efficiency, and fluidity.
That's super helpful Steve W. Again, sounds like that could take a lifetime to master and perfect.
"The guitar is a paradox, one of the easiest instruments to play, but one of the most difficult to play well."
As a professional violist (and amateur guitarist), that's also super helpful to me. Ever since I discovered StrongFirst, I've been fascinated by the similarities between the methods taught here and the practice of a classical instrument. "Treat your workout as a practice" just makes sense to me.

Thanks all for the replies!
 
The right tension = the right places, the right moment to enable you to complete the reps with a decent amount of speed
 
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