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

TedM said:
Brett, when you drop from the rack, does your grip change?
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Ted,

No—my grip stays the same.
I am typically doing my Iron Cardio (single or double reps) but do go higher rep on lighter snatches (20kg) and keep the bell in the same grip.
 
This was interesting to hear @Brett Jones but that seems to be how my calluses started in the first place. Perhaps different hand structures can use that technique?
For a few weeks I've been trying out different clean techniques and came upon the following.

The finger hook grip is for me. For a deep grip, I agree with this: Grip Fatigue and Blisters

For cleaning my lighter press weight, having a longer sock sleeve is so slippery from the rack to the drop that safe and productive training is automatic. I work to use the hook grip with this and cleaning feels perfect. Even without the sleeve the thinner handles of the press weight feel great and the sleeves are not necessary any more.

To practice cleaning with my thick-handled 32k, even with a sock sleeve, skin pinching can be there to a lesser degree depending on how well I do the following technique. Is it enough to form a callus? I'm not sure. My best technique from the rack is drop from the shoulder and almost throw the handle to the index finger, then the rest of the fingers fall in line with the hook grip on the rest of the drop. When I get it right I don't even need the sock sleeve. The larger the handle, the less certain my hook grip is on the catch. To avoid dropping the bell I might subconsciously want to catch it earlier, getting it closer to the palm. I'm not sure. I seem to be getting better at it with practice and I haven't experienced a "pinch" this week.

I never read about this technique anywhere. Does it sound right? Or will people adapt jokes from Pavel's books? "His clean drop technique is superior because it is always overcoming problems not present when other people drop their ketlebells from the rack." Is there something different to practice, or does my technique sound right?
 
GreenSoup said:
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?
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I have been focusing on the double clean and press almost exclusively for going on 3 years. I have had the exact same experience with pinching calluses, and hand tears from over gripping, as well as painful blood blisters at the insert of ring and middle fingers, when the bell “sticks” to the hand on the descent.

I have mostly solved this problem through a focus on the elbows in the drop. I loosen my grip, and focus on pulling the elbows down and back behind me, rather than thinking of dropping the bells. This makes the drop very vertical. I then tighten my grip and catch the bells in my fingers, bypassing those problem areas, around waist height or so at the begining of the hinge. On the ascent I reverse this motion, at the moment of the hip snap I focus on pulling the elbows back again and and loosening my grip, just before the bells land in the rack I spear my hands through so the bell is sitting at the base of my palms, and I can goose neck the bell a bit on the press.

This technique has worked wonders for me. It does become more difficult as the weights get heavier. I usually wave the load session to session between 36-32-28-24 and wave the volume in sets of 2-3 between 20-30-40 sets It’s just the nature of grip strength that at around set 30 with the 32 or set 20 with the 36’s grip gets fatigued and you start to catch more in the palms. I think it’s fatigue and less confidence in being able to catch the bells securely in your finger tips that leads to this. As I get stronger though this does happen less and less.

TLDR-concentrate on pulling the elbows back on the drop rather than focusing on the bells. Grip should take care of itself when you do this.

Also I use a small amount of chalk if my sweat becomes overwhelming but not sock sleeves. For me mentally I became much less confident in my grip if I have sleeves on. If you have a blister cut a piece of duct tape in the middle slip you finger with the blister through the cut so the tape sits vertically down the the palm and back of your hand. Then take a second piece of tape, and wrap it around your wrist, so that it holds the vertical piece in place. I always train with a wrist sweat band on as well, this adds another layer of security to that tape.

Hope this helps. I’ve figured these things out through alot of trial and painful error, maybe I can save you some.
 
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I bought a pumice stone before I started Easy Muscle on the clean-and-press only schedule. I thought I'd need it to file down calluses.

After the 8 weeks of Easy Muscle and C&P in the 40-50 total rep range, I still haven't used the pumice stone. Yes I got calluses but they never developed to where I needed the stone. The advice to learn how to vary the grip between appropriate tightness and looseness is spot on.
 
GreenSoup said:
This was interesting to hear @Brett Jones but that seems to be how my calluses started in the first place. Perhaps different hand structures can use that technique?
For a few weeks I've been trying out different clean techniques and came upon the following.

The finger hook grip is for me. For a deep grip, I agree with this: Grip Fatigue and Blisters

For cleaning my lighter press weight, having a longer sock sleeve is so slippery from the rack to the drop that safe and productive training is automatic. I work to use the hook grip with this and cleaning feels perfect. Even without the sleeve the thinner handles of the press weight feel great and the sleeves are not necessary any more.

To practice cleaning with my thick-handled 32k, even with a sock sleeve, skin pinching can be there to a lesser degree depending on how well I do the following technique. Is it enough to form a callus? I'm not sure. My best technique from the rack is drop from the shoulder and almost throw the handle to the index finger, then the rest of the fingers fall in line with the hook grip on the rest of the drop. When I get it right I don't even need the sock sleeve. The larger the handle, the less certain my hook grip is on the catch. To avoid dropping the bell I might subconsciously want to catch it earlier, getting it closer to the palm. I'm not sure. I seem to be getting better at it with practice and I haven't experienced a "pinch" this week.

I never read about this technique anywhere. Does it sound right? Or will people adapt jokes from Pavel's books? "His clean drop technique is superior because it is always overcoming problems not present when other people drop their ketlebells from the rack." Is there something different to practice, or does my technique sound right?
Click to expand...
Without seeing your clean it is hard to say.
 
D.McFarland said:
It’s just the nature of grip strength that at around set 30 with the 32 or set 20 with the 36’s grip gets fatigued and you start to catch more in the palms. I think it’s fatigue and less confidence in being able to catch the bells securely in your finger tips that leads to this. As I get stronger though this does happen less and less.
Click to expand...
This is what I think was happening to me with my 32kg. I think the "throw" I talk about may lead to the same result as your elbow technique (or even be your elbow technique). Thank you to all for the replies.
 
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