Old Forum 1-KB swing with towel

[dombell]

On Gray Cook's FMS website there is a 1-KB Swing done with a towel through the handle.

Is this better than trying to squeeze two hands into one KB handle for the Swing?

 

[Steve W.]

Towel swings are generally used as a teaching/corrective drill. The arms, towel and kb should always form a straight line. If the KB is flipping up or sagging down, it is feedback that something is wrong.

I've never used it as an alternative to regular two arm swings. I think doing so would mitigate the advantage of two arm swings: the ability to exert maximum power. The towel enforces smoothness, but doesn't transfer power as well.

When I am doing a lot of two arm swings, I tend to just change up between pinkies inside and outside the horns. Someone with really big hands might have to just go pinkies out as a standard grip.

 

[postnspread]

The grip gives out fairly quickly with a towel esp. if it's thick. The KB would have to be fairly light if one wants higher reps. Then one has to wait long enough for the grip to recover after a set. So it could be a good way to cook the grip with swings as seasoning. The accommodation somehow of both hands around the handle of my 24 kg bell has resulted in some sort of near chronic pain in the top segment of my right pinkie. Maybe a good idea for some people to stick to to one-handed swings if KBs with wide-enough handles aren't available.