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Kettlebell Kettlebell 2h swing form check would be much appreciated

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Nickwba

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Hello all,

I was wondering if I could get a critique on my kettlebell swing form.
I am performing 2H swings with a 20kg bell, I want to dial in my technique before thinking about 1H swings/upping weight.

I posted a while ago a thread about the bell 'flipping up' at the bottom of swings, I apologise at the time I was unable to upload a video as requested in order to get good feedback.

I believe I have now corrected this facet to my form, and any more feedback would be great!



Thanks in advance,

Nick
 
Pretty solid overall. You certainly could add weight (which often subconsciously forces better technique) or start working on one arm swings.

A couple of things I notice:
Seems a little on the squatty side, although not dramatically. When you set up, it looks like you realize your are squatting and then correct yourself to set your hinge. Then you squat to put the bell down at the end of the set. I think this squatting tendency carries over into your swing reps.

I would like to see your hips get back further, and it looks like you are using more leg drive and less hip drive than you should. Your knee extension is a little in front of your hip extension, so your knees full extend before your hips. Your knees are also a little "snappy," meaning you are snapping your knees violently back into full extension. Hips should be the prime drivers and hips and knees should extend smoothly together. The knee lockout should be smooth. When hips and knees finish extending together, THEN tense the quads/pull up the knee caps and plank up.

Your reversal out of the hole also seems a little abrupt and early. It appears you are not loading the hips enough on the downswing so the hips are not absorbing the momentum of the bell until very late, making the reversal too too abrupt and jerky, with a little telltale bell flipping in the hole. Be careful not to start extending too early. Let the back swing finish until the bell almost begins to passively pendulum forward, THEN extend and accelerate it. Don't waste your extension power stopping the bell from completing the back swing. Save it for accelerating the bell forward, and make that acceleration smooth. Your timing overall seems a bit rushed. By thinking patient and smooth, you may find you actually get quicker and more powerful.
 
It looks to me that you're slamming your knees too hard.

The explosiveness should come from your hips.
 
Hips should be the prime drivers and hips and knees should extend smoothly together. The knee lockout should be smooth. When hips and knees finish extending together, THEN tense the quads/pull up the knee caps and plank up.
You highlighted "THEN tense..". When does the tensing of quads, abs, pulling up of knee caps happen exactly? Is it at the moment when the hip and knees extend fully (and at the same time) ? Is it when the bell float in front of you for a moment or two reaching its maximum height? Or is it somewhere in between, during when the hip drive pushes the bell upwards?
 
You highlighted "THEN tense..". When does the tensing of quads, abs, pulling up of knee caps happen exactly? Is it at the moment when the hip and knees extend fully (and at the same time) ? Is it when the bell float in front of you for a moment or two reaching its maximum height? Or is it somewhere in between, during when the hip drive pushes the bell upwards?

It should be pretty immediate when the hips and knees fully extend. The implied delay in the word "THEN" is just meant to indicate that the knee extension should be smooth and not a violent snap.

You have to find a rhythm of tension and relaxation so that you can generate maximum power, express that power by not fighting the bell with extraneous tension, and maintain strong and stable positions throughout.

For a while, there was such an emphasis on tension in the RKC community that many people lost the fluidity of the swing (I did, or at least felt guilty when I didn't). Then Brett Jones gave us permission to "enjoy the float" and restored that sense of fluid rhythm.

In my experience, finding just the right fluid rhythm of tension and relaxation leads to more power with less perceived effort, and often a quicker cadence, even when allowing for a generous float.
 
@Steve W. Thanks for that explanation. I undestand the full tightness/tension at the top of the swing with a plank and this what I have been trying to do too.
Now, when do we 'break the handle' to engage the lats, at what point exactly? As the bell descends, are we not pulling the bell down actively engaging our lats throwing it between the legs all the way back? Making the descend 'hardstyle' too in a way? So when and where do we relax?
 
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It's not a matter of when you relax in general. It's a matter of WHERE you relax WHEN. Tension where and when you need it to generate power and provide stability, and relaxation where and when you need it to move quickly, freely, and fluidly.

Finding the right rhythm can be elusive, and is an ongoing process. I assess and make adjustments from rep to rep and, IIRC, I swung my first KB in 2001.
 
I think I may have the issue of 'too much tightness', if I can call it that, causing my HR to spike too high for each rep. Let me think about this, and look into introducing some smoothness or relaxation into my swing. I will look into posting a video as well. How about the 'breaking the handle' thing at the top and the 'pulling down actively with engaging your lats'? Isn't that going to make the downswing 'hardstyle' removing the relaxation/smoothening element? I am at work now. I will refer to the S&S book today and review too.
 
As I said, it's about finding a balance and a rhythm. I'm not advocating overly loose and relaxed. It's about the right tension in the right places at the right times, and it takes a lot of practice and experimentation to get it consistently grooved.

How will you know when you find it? The bell flies up out of the hole. The bell doesn't jerk on your arm when you reverse direction at the bottom. You stay balanced over your feet (see Brett Jones' center of mass article) and don't get pulled forward or rock backward. If you're timing your sets, you'll feel like a set was slow, but the clock will tell you it was fast. Your back and knees don't hurt or get uncomfortably tight.

It's a subtle thing, and hard to coach, because a decent rep and a great rep don't necessarily look different outwardly, but you can feel the difference internally.
 
Steve W.....some great insights there and on another swing thread you posted similar suggestions and pointers. Thank you.
 
Hello all, OP here,

Thanks for your feedback, really appreciate it and have since been working hard on my form when I've had the chance (I've been very busy)

I have posted my new form which I believe to be improved.



I feel I am now extending hips first as oppose to slamming the knees, a fault of mine before. I am also being more patient with my reversal out of the hole and am experiencing less bell flip as a consequence.

One point I have noticed already which some of you may corroborate with is on some of my reps towards the end, I am perhaps overextending the hips (potentially as a consequence of not cramping the abs enough?)

Any further advice would be appreciated.

Thanks
 
Definitely better. I agree the rhythm of your hip and knee extension is much more in sync, and you are not slamming your knees back like you were before.

I wouldn't say you were overextending the hips as much as overextending the spine. It looks like you are keeping your arms locked down to your torso a little too long on the up swing. After your hips and knees finish extending, you keep your arms locked down so you miss out on "enjoying the float." The bell never gets a chance to float upward while you are planked up at the top. You then lean back, overextending the spine to get more bell height, instead of maintaining vertical alignment and letting the bell float up by itself.

Two other things I notice:
Your hinge is not bad, but stop the video and look at your setup position before you start your set. THAT's a nice hinge. See how your butt is almost in line with the plastic bins on the shelf in the background? Your hinge never gets that deep again during your set. In slow motion from your setup, see how your hips move FORWARD as you are hiking the bell BACKWARD? See if you can maintain that deep hinge on your first back swing and into your subsequent reps.

It's hard to tell from the angle, but it looks like your knees may be moving outward on the downswing and not tracking your feet, and that you may be rolling your weight to the outside of your feet. Experiment with your stance width and foot turnout to see if you can improve your alignment and balance.

Hope this helps.
 
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