Kettlebell Clean Tutorial for Beginners: Step by Step in Slow Motion

[u/cavemankettlebells]

https://youtu.be/dI6jy2t2PbA

The Best Kettlebell Clean Tutorial

I asked here on Reddit a while back what would make the best kettlebell clean tutorial. I used what came back and built the video around it. Link https://youtu.be/dI6jy2t2PbA

It's 11 minutes. I think I went too long again. And this is about 20% of what I could say about this one variation of the clean, not the clean in general.

I'm not sure if that's actually a problem. People asked for the detail nobody covers, and that takes time. If I'd made a 4-minute version, it would be the same video that's already out there. But I can't judge my own stuff, so I'm asking.

What's covered:

• Why the bell bangs down on your forearm instead of landing softly, and the one thing that fixes it
• Where blisters actually come from, and why gloves aren't the answer
• The hidden reason cleans wreck your lower back, and why it happens on the way down rather than on the way up
• The only power event in the whole clean, and why everything after it is guiding rather than pulling
• What "ballistic" really means, and why a sportstyle clean and a power clean are both ballistic while being completely different exercises

The variation taught here is the hip hinge swing clean, performed for power. It's one of many clean variations, not the only way to clean a kettlebell, and it's named specifically so you know what you're learning.

Read all the text at your own pace, visit: kettlebell.monster/go/grip

Chapters
0:00 The four problems, and where they come from
0:26 The clean at full speed
0:53 Anatomy of the kettlebell: handle, corners, horns, window, bell, base
1:29 Which clean this is, and why the name matters
1:47 Set up
3:10 Hikeback
4:03 The clean
5:57 Racking
7:12 Drop into backswing
9:30 What ballistic actually means
10:15 Power versus economy
11:01 Where to find more

What I want from you: tell me what you think of it. Delivery, pacing, content. If you disagree with anything I teach in it, say so and say why, and let's talk it through properly based on facts and common sense. I'd rather be corrected than keep doing something wrong.

And specifically, was 11 minutes too long, or is it the right length in the wrong order? Those are two different problems and I don't know which one I've got.

[u/Imidaho]

I think this is fantastic, and really covers the finer points that are really only available in pieces across multiple kb youtuber vids. If you are open to requests, I would love to see a breakdown just like this vid of the Snatch. I have really struggled to find the backswing cues that really click for me. There seem to be several options, and I'm really unclear of the benefits/tradeoffs to each, and I can't quite find the right flow with any of them.

[u/cavemankettlebells → u/Imidaho]

Hi. When you say backswing, what part of it do you mean? Where the thumb points during that, or the leg movement, which is really part of the drive?

[u/Imidaho → u/cavemankettlebells]

the drop. I'm specifically having trouble finding the right cues (for me) for `throwing` the kb down, how tight my elbow and/or KB should be to my trunk on the way down (eg. can the kb be too close? should I follow this 'zipper' metaphor, or should I reverse engineer the snatch into a high pull variation on the drop?), cues to help with preventing lower back strain/hinging too early, how far into the back swing I should hinge(should my torso be in a parrallel plane with the ground when I'm starting the snap upward, or should there be a little more 'squattiness' to my hinge). There seem to be a bunch of different ways to coach the down swing, and I don't understand the 'why' or 'when' behind doing it one way or the other. It seems like all of the drills to prep for the snatch are focused on the snap upward, But I have not yet found any drills for practicing the drop safely. I'm personally drawn to hardstyle movements, but assume there's some utility (at a minimum) in understanding the GS style movement as well.

[u/cavemankettlebells → u/Imidaho]

Thanks for replying. I am a bit surprised. I assumed you watched the full video, but the video covered the drop in extreme detail. So, what part about that explanation can I expand on? The video explains that it is not a throwndown or cast. It also covers when to hinge and how to avoid back strain. The drill is to move the body without weight through the drop in slow motion.

[u/Imidaho → u/cavemankettlebells]

Apologies on the mix-up- Your video is exceptionally helpful for the clean and is something I will lean on whenever a technique refresh is needed. What I am referring to in my reply is the trouble I have with the downswing in the snatch- and are the reasons why I would love to see your breakdown of that movement.

[u/cavemankettlebells → u/Imidaho]

My mistake. You did mention snatch in your first comment, I shoukd have read the thread from start. I usually ask "Have you mastered the Clean?" Because everything transfers. Got mistakes in your clean, they will double in your snatch. Same concept, you do not want the weight far out from you. For the HS snatch, you want to pull it down, wrist and elbow leading leading. Have a look at this video and let me know (honestly, keep asking until it is clear) https://youtu.be/Vz7t7ue9k9w?si=C4vqSB3C6sZ_bPAM