Kettlebell shadow swings?

[shinch]

Can someone explain to me what shadow swings are? I've read through that section in S&S and I'm still having trouble with understanding what exactly they are.

 

[Anna C]

shinch, see the "Swings" section of this article and the video linked from it.

Military Deployment Prep: A Program for Hardening the Soldier - StrongFirst

 

[Paul Lasicki]

Hi, I had the same question regarding shadow swings but after seeing the video i'm assuming it's the short rapid swings are the shadow swings?

 

[Steve Freides]

The shadow swing is also called the overspeed eccentric swing. The concept is simple - rather than letting the bell fall back, you accelerate it back. This technique and the reasoning behind it area the subject of about three pages in the S&S book, and guidance is given on weight selection as well.

-S-

 

[Lew]

Can someone explain to me what shadow swings are? I've read through that section in S&S and I'm still having trouble with understanding what exactly they are.

The short version is this:

When the hips explode into the body plank and the bell is driven out and up at the end of your arms, there is a moment of "float" before the bell drops down its path where it is guided back to its starting place through the legs for the next explosive sequence.

When force is applied to that return path just after the Kb's float, and you are pushing/pulling/forcing the bell down; that puts a far greater load on a slightly different muscle group.

Because there is always force and power applied to the swing up and gravity takes the bell down; my guess is applying force and power to the swing down is the shadow of the original swing: hence, shadow swings.

That from a newbie.

I accept any criticism/correction offered.

 

[Anna C]

Lew, I would agree, except "force is applied to that return path just after the Kb's float". There is no float with a shadow swing, in my understanding. You actively stop the ascent before the float and throw the bell back down. I could not find this distinction in the S&S book, but Al describes in the article linked above. The cadence of the swing will be much faster. You can actually develop more power on the upswing this way, in addition to getting the benefit of the arrest of the ascent, throwing it back down, and loading the spring at the bottom even better. Think of throwing a baseball back and forth between your left and right hands... you can toss it gently, then throw a little harder, begin to throw it with more and more force... there is really no limit to how hard and fast you can go, as long as the hand can throw, and the other can catch.

 

[Lew]

Lew, I would agree, except "force is applied to that return path just after the Kb's float". There is no float with a shadow swing, in my understanding. You actively stop the ascent before the float and throw the bell back down. I could not find this distinction in the S&S book, but Al describes in the article linked above. The cadence of the swing will be much faster. You can actually develop more power on the upswing this way, in addition to getting the benefit of the arrest of the ascent, throwing it back down, and loading the spring at the bottom even better. Think of throwing a baseball back and forth between your left and right hands... you can toss it gently, then throw a little harder, begin to throw it with more and more force... there is really no limit to how hard and fast you can go, as long as the hand can throw, and the other can catch.

Well, if ignorance is bliss, I'm one happy kettlebell practitioner!

I tried the shadow swing without the float.

Demonstrably more difficult!

Thanks.

I'll do more of those when I reach Simple.

Thanks for your input!!