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Proper grip change on the drop from the kettlebell clean to protect against calluses

GreenSoup

Level 6 Valued Member
As I practice a higher volume of heavier cleans lately I have more callusing. For years I've been swinging and cleaning with the handle at mid-hand and ignoring the calluses. Hand care is starting to look like more of a concern. I've read that the proper swing grip is far closer to the finger side of the hand to avoid pinching the skin on the underside of the knuckles, which has been my the site of my calluses. This new swing grip works very well for my hands.

For my clean...not so much. On practicing the drop from the top of clean it feels hit-and-miss as to whether the kettlebell lands in a proper swing grip or continues to pinch my skin. Are there tips to ensure I get it right consistently? In particular with doubles? Thanks!
 
GreenSoup said:
Are there tips to ensure I get it right consistently? In particular with doubles? Thanks!
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Anecdotally, a few things that worked for me was to focus on the timing of my grip. If I gripped too early, the bell would land in the palm and irritate my calluses. Secondly, I worked on the depth and timing of my hinge. again, if I hinged too early and with not enough range, my grip had to make up for that momentum shift.
 
@GreenSoup, standard advice applies to both the clean and the snatch - hold the bell in the hooks of your fingers to the extent that you can at the bottom, loosen your grip after the initial hip snap and associated pull on the kettlebell, and then allow the kettlebell to come to rest lower on your palms in the rack or overhead position, generally with the pinkie side of the handle closer to the base of your palm. "Spearing" the kettlebell in the rack or overhead position with an open hand can be good practice as it enforces a change in the grip as described above.

-S-
 
Steve Freides said:
@GreenSoup, standard advice applies to both the clean and the snatch - hold the bell in the hooks of your fingers to the extent that you can at the bottom, loosen your grip after the initial hip snap and associated pull on the kettlebell, and then allow the kettlebell to come to rest lower on your palms in the rack or overhead position, generally with the pinkie side of the handle closer to the base of your palm. "Spearing" the kettlebell in the rack or overhead position with an open hand can be good practice as it enforces a change in the grip as described above.

-S-
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OK, good advice on the way up. But what about the drop?
Just leave the grip lengthened and allow the handle to slide down to fingers?
This issue has been a problem for me too on snatches.
 
Pete L said:
OK, good advice on the way up. But what about the drop?
Just leave the grip lengthened and allow the handle to slide down to fingers?
This issue has been a problem for me too on snatches.
Click to expand...
I just loosen my grip and let the bell slide palm to fingers.

For snatches, I "throw" the bell so that it hops from the palm, over the calluses, and into the fingers. If it's quiet, I can hear the catch when the bell hits my fingers. I will routinely snatch the 32kg up to 250 times per session with no callus or blister problems.
 
WxHerk said:
I just loosen my grip and let the bell slide palm to fingers.

For snatches, I "throw" the bell so that it hops from the palm, over the calluses, and into the fingers. If it's quiet, I can hear the catch when the bell hits my fingers. I will routinely snatch the 32kg up to 250 times per session with no callus or blister problems.
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Is the throw at around 45° to the horizontal plane? Or closer to the horizontal? With the elbow tight in.
Thanks.
 
Pete L said:
Is the throw at around 45° to the horizontal plane? Or closer to the horizontal? With the elbow tight in.
Thanks.
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Good question; I start the throw at the start when I flip the bell over my hand, and usually catch it somewhere around eye level. Don't worry about the "where," though. Yes, elbow is tight in.
 
WxHerk said:
Good question; I start the throw at the start when I flip the bell over my hand, and usually catch it somewhere around eye level. Don't worry about the "where," though. Yes, elbow is tight in.
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Great thanks.
I've been doing something later on in the down swing.
Probably why I feel nervous and miss time it.
The way you've described means the handle position is the same for the vast majority of the arc.
Cheers both.
 
WxHerk said:
I just loosen my grip and let the bell slide palm to fingers.

For snatches, I "throw" the bell so that it hops from the palm, over the calluses, and into the fingers. If it's quiet, I can hear the catch when the bell hits my fingers. I will routinely snatch the 32kg up to 250 times per session with no callus or blister problems.
Click to expand...
This is interesting. This describes my technique (if not experience), perfectly......right up until the actual numbers get cited. Never-mind the weight, my grip strength gives out long before I get to a huge volume of heavy (or even light) one-armed swings or snatches (have never really tried a LOT of one-armed cleans). I can mitigate it with chalk, but that ALWAYS leads to blisters . Worse than blisters, actually; I think if I tried 250 heavy-ish snatches with chalk, most of the soft tissue at the base of my fingers would be GONE before I finished.

I have gravitated (no pun intended) to double bells or a barbell (mastery of the hook grip is well worth the initial discomfort; though it does take some getting used to, and some callus development on inside of thumbs; it also, of course, requires access to a barbell) rather than keep fighting my grip or my calluses; though I realize that "just keep working until your grip is stronger" would be another route. I have not nearly the patience for that. Though I've started doing pull-ups with regularity (I've never been good at those either). Maybe those will help.
 
Zack said:
This might help:

Click to expand...

Thanks for sharing this.
I think my cleans are okay.
But watching that I think I've realised I was trying to do a snatch with the bottom half identical to my clean.
Sorry for hijacking the OP.
 
Thank you for the suggestions and comments everyone. I've done a little practicing but it seems like a coin toss as to whether I get it right or mostly right.

@Zack: Thank you for the video. At 5:47 the comment "it's in free fall" seems to be the description of what I need to focus on. In the reps where it pinches the calluses it almost feels like it's sticking to my hand. When I get it exactly right I'm not sure exactly what I am doing differently. Is there a wrist or arm position to focus on for that drop where it is neither at the fingers nor at the meat of the hand?

What is strange is that I can clean a thick handled 32kg and a thinner 12kg and the handle size doesn't matter. It's still hit-and-miss for landing in the hook or catching the callus first
WxHerk said:
I just loosen my grip and let the bell slide palm to fingers.

For snatches, I "throw" the bell so that it hops from the palm, over the calluses, and into the fingers. If it's quiet, I can hear the catch when the bell hits my fingers. I will routinely snatch the 32kg up to 250 times per session with no callus or blister problems.
Click to expand...
In the drop from the clean does that mean the "throw" is when it goes from shoulder to (for example) arm parallel to the floor and then the bell is loose until the arm is (for example) 30 degrees to extension when caught by the fingers? I'm curious if someone can estimate the reliable angles for the throw and catch in the clean so I can be more consistent. You answered a separate question that was about the snatch and I'd like your opinion on the clean.

Adachi said:
Sock sleeves have done wonders for me.
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YES! This is a mega tip Adachi. Instead of punishing my calluses the sock lets the handle slide enough that I can tell there is a slight pinch when it does not make the hook grip, but not nearly with the pressure it would normally put onto my bare hand. This is a life saver to keep practice uninterrupted!
 
Geoff N has good descriptions of hand and handle placement in his Big6 series.

(He just sent out a Mail this week, bundling it with another program at a very good price. )
 
TedM said:
Geoff N has good descriptions of hand and handle placement in his Big6 series.

(He just sent out a Mail this week, bundling it with another program at a very good price. )
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That sounds useful. Isn't his site Chasing Strength though? There is no newsletter option there. Where can I sign up for the newsletter?
 
Brett Jones said:
I use a deep grip for cleans and snatches where the handle stays deep in the hand.
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This is interesting to hear because the deep grip that I use is what caused my current problem. Is there an article that you would recommend that describes how to grip properly with this method?
 
GreenSoup said:
That sounds useful. Isn't his site Chasing Strength though? There is no newsletter option there. Where can I sign up for the newsletter?
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Yes, that is his website. I have been getting his newsletter for quite some time, and now you have me questioning how I got on it, haha. I don't know if it was from purchasing from him or not, but I'm sure he will chime in with how to get added.
 
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