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Kettlebell KB clean technique

Kjhuey

Level 2 Valued Member
Hi there,

After working on swings and getups for many months and with much assistance from many members here I feel like I'm ready to move on to learning the clean. I am fortunate enough to have a SF certified trainer near me and have done a session with them already.

Here are a couple practice videos - I'd much appreciate any feedback or tips to improve. Thanks







 
Hi!
I agree, these look good!

One thing you may want to look into is the path of the bell on the way down.... See if you can start by "sliding" your elbow back to start the drop, and catch the weight of the bell more with your hips. You do such good job of keeping the bell close on the way up, see if you can trace the same pathway with your elbow on the way down.

One thing that may help you feel it better would be to go ahead and put your freehand over the working hand and "cheat clean" the bell on the way down, keeping the handle close to your body...

See if it helps!

Robby
 
That's a solid start. You definitely have the idea of keeping the elbow in and not swinging the bell out in front, and that short-arm float drill is a good idea to learn to power the bell with your hip drive.

However, on your actual cleans it looks like you're still pulling with the arm a bit too much and too early. You seem overly focused on the elbow-strike motion. If you just think about getting the bell to float up and then getting your arm underneath it for the catch, the elbow action will take care of itself. On the float drill, see if you can get the bell to float higher just using your hip drive. Think about getting the bell to float right up to the catch point for the rack, so all you have to do is get your hand under the bell to catch it. Think "float and catch," not "pull."

To do this, be a little more patient in completing your hip drive. A cue I use all the time in my swings, cleans, and snatches is "Arm down!" as my hips are extending. You want to get the most power transfer possible from your hips, and when you start pulling with your arm before your hips are fully extended, you lose some of that hip power.

It's a natural tendency to pull up because the whole intention is to get the bell UP. But if you are more patient in keeping the arm down, you get more power from your hips and the bell will fly. Any time I have a rep that lacks power, I think "Arm down!" on the next rep and almost always find a new surge in power. There's a saying in Olympic weightlifting that "When the arm bends, the power ends." It's the same in KB ballistics.

Also consider trying some double cleans, if you have matched doubles (you can use mismatched doubles, but the asymmetry adds another complication to learning, and I personally just don't like the feel). A lot of people find that the double clean feels more natural and easier to learn than the single clean.

For the drop, I agree with the suggestions in @Mark Limbaga's video. Especially with heavier doubles, I like to lean back slightly with a subtle knee bend to make space for the bells to drop straight down. I think about initiating the drop by pushing myself away from the bells, which prevents casting the bells forward.
 
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I agree with above. I have some elbow injuries from Cleaning with my arm. The movement starts with hip drive then is completed with the back muscles. That shoulder needs to roll back so the lats and traps can do the work. If you get the bicep involved it will prevent you from going heavier or cause injury on the elbow sleave.
 
Looks like you're off to a great start. The only thing I would comment on is your posture in the rack. It seems if you're slouched a bit. Maybe its the clothes. When I get the bell in the rack, I try to stand as straight as possible, shoulders back, big chest, etc. I try to follow @Geoff Neupert's advice for the rack. I've spent some time standing around with a couple of bells in the rack and having my wife look at me weirdly.
 
Looks like you're off to a great start. The only thing I would comment on is your posture in the rack. It seems if you're slouched a bit. Maybe its the clothes. When I get the bell in the rack, I try to stand as straight as possible, shoulders back, big chest, etc. I try to follow @Geoff Neupert's advice for the rack. I've spent some time standing around with a couple of bells in the rack and having my wife look at me weirdly.
This was exactly what I was observing after viewing the videos. Well said!

Technique's looking good, @Kjhuey , and great suggestions above to continue to refine. For that rack/finish position -- Big chest, and stand tall with tight armpit.
 
You guys are great! Thanks for the detailed feedback - I'll practice for a couple weeks and check back in. I did a couple sets of double cleans with 16kg and that did feel more natural and I seemed to not engage the arms as much.
 
Looks like you're off to a great start. The only thing I would comment on is your posture in the rack. It seems if you're slouched a bit. Maybe its the clothes. When I get the bell in the rack, I try to stand as straight as possible, shoulders back, big chest, etc. I try to follow @Geoff Neupert's advice for the rack. I've spent some time standing around with a couple of bells in the rack and having my wife look at me weirdly.
The supine plank drill then do the cleans immediately would be a great way to reinforce this
 
Hi there,

Been working on some of the above mentioned items. Been feeling smoother - still not sure about the drop but feel like I'm standing taller at top... thanks again

 
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