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Kettlebell Swing technique critique (knee movement and other stuff)

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The 4 count Pavel video was helpful to me as well. It really drove home the "play chicken with the bell" cue. If you have a hunk of cast iron about to smash your precious bits, you tend to hinge deep to move them back out of harms way.

Also, hinging mobility work helps groove the movement. Good mornings, and Dan John's windmill with a stick come to mind (though I still cant find that dang stick with my opposite eye!). As does exagerated hinging anytime you bend over in life, unloading the dishwasher, tying shoes, scratching the dog's head; all good opportunities to get a hinge practice in.
 
Jeffro said:
The 4 count Pavel video was helpful to me as well. It really drove home the "play chicken with the bell" cue. If you have a hunk of cast iron about to smash your precious bits, you tend to hinge deep to move them back out of harms way.

Also, hinging mobility work helps groove the movement. Good mornings, and Dan John's windmill with a stick come to mind (though I still cant find that dang stick with my opposite eye!). As does exagerated hinging anytime you bend over in life, unloading the dishwasher, tying shoes, scratching the dog's head; all good opportunities to get a hinge practice in.
Click to expand...

I definitely noticed a massive improvement in my swings when I really focused on getting the hinge right. I spent a long time concentrating on keeping my back flat, keeping my shins vertical, weight on the heels etc. and would drive myself to distraction trying to make corrections to my technique.
Once I really concentrated on the hinge, all of the other little details seemed to fall into place by themselves.
 
Thank you all for your additional input, especially on the dead stop swing and Pavel's vid. So my current focus will shift more towards the KB deadlift, combining both slow and explosive lifts. Additionally I will focus on "playing chicken with the bell".

Researching this I found a newly published paper comparing explosive barbell DLs with KB swings.

Academic paper: Effects of Kettlebell Swing vs. Explosive Deadlift Training on Strength and Power

Both the KB swing (with a handle attached to a dumbbell @ 10-15% DL 1RM) and explosive deadlifts (@ 30-40% DL 1RM) produced very similar results (improved DL 1RM). Both groups followed a 4x5 protocol twice a week for 5 weeks. I would like to see a follow up study where swings are being trained in a more realistic way (for example 7x10 5x/week or so). I think it's interesting that about 40 swings per week were sufficient to improve DL 1RM

Anyway, my takeaway is that an explosive KB deadlift might be a good patterning and grinding move that can then be replaced by proper swings :)
 
I don't think I"ll ever trust a research paper's conclusions about kettlebell swings or any other kettlebell movements. The results of kettlebell training are just too dependent on doing it right, and most people just can't do it right without a lot of practice and usually good coaching to go with it.

I say this having just reviewed my own videos of swings in Oct 2014. Wow, I have come a long way! And still a long way to go, I"m sure. I work on improving the swing every single time I do it.

Good work @Bauer You're headed in the right direction... keep us posted.

Oh and +1 on the kettlebell deadlift. Any time time you spend on that will certainly pay off with your swings. I recommend deadlifting a heavier bell that you would swing. That way you'll get the strength development, along with patterning the movement.
 
Bauer said:
Hi there!

I am new to S&S and have some issues with my swing technique. I've read a lot of stuff (mainly from Pavel and this forum) and watched a couple of videos (like Delaine Ross' tutorials) and I try to incorporate all of the helpful cues. My technique has already gotten a lot better. Yet a couple of issues remain.

Here is a video of a mediocre set with a 16 kg KB:
https://goo.gl/photos/tDgS2eVcuwTnDnUC7

And some stills from the same set
View attachment 2651
Stills 1-3: My downswing phase seems ok to me (plank and hike). Maybe hinge a little later?
Still 4: This is my main issue: My knees move forward for a millisecond when I initiate the upswing with my hips.
Still 5: On some reps I seem to lean back from the hips, arching my back.

I have tried a couple of different clues but I just can't stop the knee movement in the upswing.

What are your observations? Do you have any suggestions for me?

Thank you :)
Click to expand...

Your hips look a bit high on the setup, I would have you lower them a bit. Also you are definitely rushing the transition from the back swing to the ascent, causing you to shift onto your toes ( knees moving forward) One possible corrective drill for this is the Dead Stop Swing. I came up with this to fix issue,. see if it helps


Also you need to flex your quads and abs harder at the top of the swing, that might help your over arching at the top

If the Dead stop swing doesn't help start with simple hike passes and see how that works
 
Another fun thing, if you can go outside or your indoor space supports/allows it, is to throw the kettlebell. Throw it behind you on the initial hike and see how far back you can get it to go. Throw it in front of you and see how far you can get it to go.

Those things done, keep the sensations but hang onto the bell and you should have a pretty decent swing.

-S-
 
@Bauer, it's more than just a fun drill. It's what you're supposed to do: throw the kettlebell horizontally but hold onto it. Really.

-S-
 
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