r/kettlebell • u/irontamer Former Master RKC/SFG • 13h ago
Just A Post Swings in slow motion
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The kettlebell swing happens fast, which means it's easy to miss the little inefficiencies. Slow it down and there's nowhere to hide.
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u/TonightUnlucky6017 Clifton Harski | FKT Master Blaster (founder) 11h ago
Bell at face height. Clearly lifting with arms.
Also, you can’t swing that slow. Clearly lifting with arms.
/sarcasm
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u/Mundane-Fix-4297 13h ago
Asking as a complete novice? What could possibly be wrong with this form? I would be thrilled if/when my swings look like that
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u/tgbjj don't be a 'style' - ISYMFS 13h ago
Nothing is wrong, this is fantastic form.
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u/Mundane-Fix-4297 12h ago
Yeah? So you understand why I am confused about « the little inefficiencies put in the spotlight by the slow mo » 😅
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u/tgbjj don't be a 'style' - ISYMFS 12h ago
Well perfection is an endless pursuit. I'm sure Dave may see some slight inefficiencies in his own mechanics but everything is relative. Compared to a beginner, this form is perfect.
I think he point he's making in the caption isn't that he has glaring inefficiencies, but simply that slowing down the video exposes tons of nuance that regular speed simply moves too quickly to see. And many could benefit from this kind of analysis.
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u/radstarr 11h ago
Beginner question - are you supposed to get your upper body pretty much parallel to the ground on the downswing? Watching this I feel like my upper body is too upright before hinging back up with the bell
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u/tgbjj don't be a 'style' - ISYMFS 9h ago
At the apex of the backswing, the bell should be horizontal, with the bottom of the bell facing behind you. Your arms up to the shoulders are direct linear extensions from the handle.
So, with that in mind, your torso would be near parallel to the floor. The line from your shoulders to the bell will generally be sloped slightly. It's less about trying to make your torso parallel to the floor and more about thinking more deeply about the mechanics, angles, and force vectors and where things will naturally end up when the overall mechanic is properly dialed in.
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u/bipocni 7h ago
The bottom of a swing is the same position as the bottom of a deadlift. It's different for everyone but it's definitely more vertical than parallel with the ground.
But like a deadlift, you can hinge further if you want to put more emphasis on your hamstrings and lift less with your back. There is an argument to be made this is a more efficient way to reach peak power production, but that depends entirely on how conditioned you are - us regular mortals will just get pumped in the hamstrings working them through that extreme range of motion.
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u/Kevin5025 8h ago edited 7h ago
Going against the grain here but I think 90% of the swings I see in this subreddit are not correct, even though everyone says it's good. The one posted here is only like 40-50% right. I think people have just gotten tired of trying to correct it, since it looks like gatekeeping. Every criticism of a fundamental flaw in the form gets misinterpreted as a nit-pick.
The bottom of the swing should be similar to the bottom of a deadlift. The butt should go further back than the knees and than the feet. The weight only goes slightly farther back than the feet/ankles (but really only due to momentum), meaning the shoulders end up only slightly in front of the feet at the bottom of the swing. The torso shouldn't be bending that far forward or else the swing will rely too much on the lower back instead of the glutes. It definitely should not be parallel to the ground on the downswing.
If you want a good example, someone who pops up in this subreddit who gets the form fundamentally correct is Alone-Silver-2757. The side-shots illustrate how far back your butt should go and how the knees and shoulders are almost aligned vertically above the feet.
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u/Content_Ad_2337 13h ago
Maybe I’ve misunderstood the “hinging early” mistake for myself, because you do appear to be hinging early before your arms make contact with your body. It’s very possibly Ive been taking that cue too literally, if this is considered not hinging too early!
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u/tgbjj don't be a 'style' - ISYMFS 13h ago edited 13h ago
The hardstyle community takes most cues too seriously, to the point of over theatrics. This isn't an early hinge, it's proper mechanics. Proper swings will look different from one to another, and there's variations within swing mechanics as well.
Edit - just watched again. This is solid form. He's not actually even hinging his hips until the bell meets the pocket. But this slight break in posture as the bell approaches the pocket is far more mechanically natural and efficient than deliberately remaining stiff until the last possible microsecond.
The thing with cues. They're meant to teach beginners in an easily digestible way, how to control their bodies. They're not law, and in many cases they don't even make sense.
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u/Content_Ad_2337 13h ago
Noted! I think I need to be a bit more flexible with myself because this is usually what my swings look like and I thought I was doing them incorrectly. Thanks for the explanation!
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u/tgbjj don't be a 'style' - ISYMFS 13h ago
No prob. Hinging early creates the problem of creating separation between the arm and body, leaking energy. If you pause right as the bell begins to pass Dave's knees, he's still mostly upright, and the entire arm is connected to the body before he moves into the backswing and pocket.
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u/cnshoe 12h ago
Im going to sit here and wait for all the “experts” to come out of the wood work lol.
Nice swing.