Improve your snatch for competition Kettlebell Lifting

With Kettlebell Snatching, blisters appear as a side effect from such a regular activity, this is both necessary and vital for your development. But none the less, the palms can become extremely sore and in some cases tears can appear on the palms of the victims. Such painful afflictions were seen on many a RKC in Denmark 2007, but this was due mostly to the inexperience of the individual, but largely because of the extreme high rep demands from the Snatch.

The Hard Style Kettlebell Training way just won’t get you the high numbers that so many competition athletes can achieve. If you have ever tried to reach the high numbers of Competition Lifters you’ll know that your limbs will give out way before your cardiovascular system lets you down. Have a fire extinguisher to hand as your hip flexors and forearms will need to be put out. An example of the level that is required for the 32kg Snatch is approx 250-300+ reps in 10min. (weight categories depending)

Two kettlebell methods that we will discuss are the upward phase before lockout and the holding position in the downward phase.

Regular Kettlebell Snatch enthusiasts will usually use the up and over wrist method, with a slight pull to decelerate the Bell onto the top of the forearm. This is fine, but with the high rep demand and 10min duration this, during heavy training, won’t get you the numbers required for competition level. It’s inevitable that constant impact to the wrist will slow recovery and delay necessary training time.

What is required is the ‘Round the Wrist’ method. With a slight flick of the wrist the Kettlebell travels outward around the wrist resulting in less or even no impact to the forearm. It’s a sweeter way to perform the Snatch and gets you much added reps without fatiguing the forearm.

The real pain comes from the pinching of skin between the handle and palm when the Kettlebell is swung downward for a second rep. This can be avoided with a technique called the ‘Monkey Grip’.

The ‘Monkey Grip’ is achieved by holding the kettlebell handle by the very ends of the fingers. When the Kettlebell is over head in the ‘victory position’ it is given a little push upward and the resulting effect is the Kettlebell moves outward away from the body. It is then possible with timing and good judgement to catch the handle with the ‘Monkey Grip’ method. The Kettlebell lands comfortably and is turned thumb pointing back ready for a repeated swing. This method again allows for more reps by not pinching the skin and aggravating any blisters that may be present.

Happy Snatching

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Hit a Plateau with your Kettlebell presses?

If you are experiencing less than adequate increase in your Kettlebell pressing numbers, try ladders.

Perform a max test with your chosen kettlebell weight. Then, workout from that amount, say 20 reps, a figure 20 above your total, so 40 reps.

Now here's the clever part. Break that figure down into sizable chunks to equal the new total.

So, your new rep range will be 16+14+10.Try repeating the kettlebell ladders once every other day to start with and give yourself a max test at the end of the month.This is a fantastic way to increase your kettlebell presses dramatically.

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Why Kettlebells are so incredible for fat loss

1. You burn more fat in less time
Kettlebell training is different from conventional weight training because it focuses on the body’s natural movements, these natural movements leave no muscles untouched. So rather than exercising just your arms, legs, or back, kettlebell training works the entire body as a complete unit.

This type of training is very demanding, imagine how much more oxygen and energy is required to fuel 600+ muscles rather than just 1 or 2! The consequences of this are phenomenal; you can get an incredible workout in just 20 minutes and burn huge amounts of fat compared with regular long drawn out exercise.

2. Increases your metabolism
Your body has evolved to function in certain movement patterns whether it’s bending over to pick up a child or squatting down to sit into a chair. It is these exact movement patterns that Kettlebell training mimics and as you replicate these patterns your body will reward you by getting stronger and building muscle tone fast. I have never seen such quick gains in muscle tone than through kettlebell training.

Muscle tone is very important when it comes to fat loss because muscle is very metabolically active which means it constantly needs energy to maintain its size. The great news is that its favourite source of energy is body fat, so the more muscle tone you can develop the more fat you will burn, even at rest.

3. Burn calories even after exercise
The “Afterburn” or EPOC (excessive post-exercise oxygen consumption) is another great reason why kettlebells are so effective for fat loss. Certain intensive exercise, like kettlebell training, that drives your body into the anaerobic zone with create “Afterburn” or EPOC.

Following a kettlebell session the body has to work hard to return itself back to equilibrium: re-oxygenation of tissues, clearance of lactic acid, glycogen refuelling etc. This process demands energy and this energy comes from, you guessed it, your fat stores. So unlike other forms of exercise you will actually be burning calories after your workout, and for up to 24 hours too.

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Why use Kettlebells over conventional equipment?

There are plenty of reasons to choose KB's over the main stream equipment and methods or at least to add them to your regimen;

1. KB's are a great challenge than dumbbells and barbells, not even mention the wussy machines.
2. KB's are suitable for men and women, young and old as long as they are tough and have no health restrictions.
3. KB's are the working class alternative to plyometrics, great tool for improving an athlete's ability to expertly absorb shocks; outstanding grip developers.
4. KB's are a highly effective tool for strengthening the connective tissues, especially in the back. Many bad backs have been fixed wit this deceptively crude looking tool
5. KB's melt fat and build a powerful heart – without the dishonour of dieting and aerobics.
6. Variety - the number of KB's drills is only limited by your imagination and safety.
7. Balance of Tension and Relaxation – Tension is strength; Relaxation is speed. An athlete must balance both to maximise skill. KB training utilises a balance of tension and relaxation.
8. Fun – You can "juggle", spin, pass hand to hand and throw the KB
9. KB's are much less expensive than fancy treadmills and the home gyms. They are virtually indestructible and take up very little space.
10. Many pieces of equipment claim to promote !all around Fitness" only the KB's DELIVER: strength, explosiveness, flexibility, and joints mobility, endurance and fat loss, all in one tight package.

Martial Arts & Kettlebell Training

Martial Arts & Kettlebell Training

Confusion often surrounds the topic of strength training for the martial arts. There are generally two schools of thought on the subject. One school states that weight training is detrimental to martial skill acquisition because the excessive tension held in the muscles will reduce the fluidity of movement, thus robbing one's technique of speed and power. The other school says that strength training done correctly and as a compliment to the martial skill training will increase the contractile strength of the body without sacrificing flexibility, the end result being improved speed and power.

What Is Best?
Where do I weigh in on this long-standing debate? Some weight training practices will indeed create sluggishness and a loss of tensile strength but only if the martial artist uses a body-building or train-to-failure approach. Any weight training will also diminish martial skill if it becomes the primary focus rather than a supplement to the martial arts skill training. Strength training, when the appropriate method is selected, will compliment and contribute to enhanced martial art skill, in the form of greater speed, power, flexibility and endurance.

So what is the right method of strength training for the martial artist? Why should a martial artist practice strength training, and how does one begin? While there are many training tools available, kettlebells are the tools that offer the most to the martial artist's strength training curriculum.

Of all the physical variables that the well-rounded martial artist must address when designing the right strength training program, there are 4 in particular that kettlebells address better than other training modes:

• Strength/endurance
• Mental toughness/body hardening
• Martial specificity
• Efficiency (economy of motion)

Strength/Endurance

In a martial arts or fighting context, strength/endurance, or "enduring strength", is the ability to fight with intensity for extended engagements. This is even more crucial than maximal strength, or the ability to deliver one very powerful blow. Maximal or limit strength is very important as well, as in knockout power, or a quick submission, but the well rounded fighter must be prepared to deliver multiple strikes in combinations. This requires tremendous strength/endurance. Kettlebell high repetition snatches, for example, develops a strong work capacity and anaerobic threshold.

This means that you learn to continue to apply power even while aerobically taxed. For the martial artist this is a very important skill. Often times it is not how strong you are when you are fresh but how strong you remain once you become winded and have expended a lot of energy that determines the outcome. Because kettlebell lifts require full-body integration, it is a much better tool for the martial artist than doing high repetition isolation movements with a barbell or dumbbell.

Mental Toughness/Body Hardening

Mental toughness and body hardening are listed together because they cannot be separated in the application of martial arts. One who is "mentally tough" will fold under an effective thai kick to the lower leg, if his body is not sufficiently hardened for the impact. Likewise, the fighter with a ruggedly conditioned body will eventually waiver if he is kept in an uncompromising position, such as a lock, unless his focus is perfectly sharpened and mentally tough. Kettlebell training helps to develop the necessary psycho-physical balance that is crucial to effective martial arts.

In exercises like the kettlebell clean and snatch, wherein the kettlebell flips around the hand, and rests on the forearm, there is body hardening occurring due to the impact of the bell on the arm. In the early stages, the bell tends to come crashing down on the forearm, even causing pain. The perseverance to proceed is an early test of one's mental resolve. As the techniques become more refined, there is less impact on the forearm, as one learns to move the hand fluidly inside of the kettlebell handle.

Even still, the bell rests on the forearm, exerting pressure and over time increasing the density and hardness of the area. Such training as the high-repetition snatch and jerk as seen in traditional Girevoy Sport of Russia is a real test of both one's mental resolve to persevere and physical ability to accept pain. These attributes need to be embraced by the martial artist as well.

Martial Specificity

In sports science, the term 'specificity' refers to the adaptations to the physiological systems that occur as a result of the training program design. For the martial artist, the strength that is developed through supplementary weight training must be able to transfer into improved striking, kicking, grappling, trapping, and throwing skills. If your fighting techniques increase in speed, power, and focus as a result of your strength training program, then your program has a high degree of specificity to your martial art skill. If you become more sluggish and start getting hit by people that couldn't hit you before then the strength training regimen is ill-designed and non-specific.

Like in martial art technique, in kettlebell lifting the grip, the hips (and core), and the stance are involved in every motion. The highly ballistic nature of such exercises as swings, cleans, snatches and jerks very closely mimic the type of explosive full-body integration involved in executing effective strikes, kicks, and throws.

Efficiency

The concept of training specificity ties in very closely with the concept of training efficiency; you won't have one without the other. With a strength training program that is specific to enhancing martial skills, we also develop efficiency. All martial art styles pursue an economy of motion. The prevailing quality in the movement of gifted martial artists is efficiency. This is irrespective of the style and is independent of the speed of execution. Efficient movement will remain efficient whether practiced at full speed or in slow motion.

Efficiency relates to using only the energy necessary to achieve the result, nothing more. It also relates to spending only the time necessary to achieve the objective, no more. In a martial analogy, this means not using 1000 pounds of force, when 4 ounces will do. If you can unbalance the opponent with only slight movement, it is more efficient than using every last bit of energy to send him off balance. When cultivating martial skill, most of one's time should be spent on mastering the particular techniques of one's style, not on cross-training. The strength training protocol selected should be one that allows for specific strength gains without demanding too much time away from the martial skill practice.

This means relatively short, intense workouts that allow the body to remain fresh for skill practice. The specific time guidelines are relative to the experience and physical attributes of the trainee, but as a rule of thumb, the strength training curriculum should not exceed 30% of the martial artist's total training. In other words, to be efficient with his use of time, the martial artist should spend at least 70% of the total practice time on the martial art skill training and not on lifting weights.

How To Develop An Efficient Strength Training Regime
To develop an efficient strength training regime, kettlebells are the ideal choice because the types of movements are similar in nature to many of the basic martial art techniques. This contributes to the economy of motion-you are not being asked to learn radically different motor patterns. Take the 2 Kettlebell "rack position', in which 2 kettlebells are resting on your arms and body. This position is attained by taking a kettlebell in each hand and cleaning them to the top position. The kettlebells stay in the top position for a period of time.

This 2 kettlebell rack position is mechanically very similar to a basic guard position, as in boxing. In a fighting stance, there of course will not be kettlebells in your hands, and one or both hands may be extended slightly in front of the body, with one foot forward. The action of the body, however, is virtually identical: the lats are "full", in a very strong compressed position, the shoulders are relaxed and sunken, the chest is hollow and the back is rounded, the knees have a gentle bend (springy), and the tailbone is tucked slightly under.

Try this: take a fighting stance of your liking and bring the hands up in a guard position. Notice how it feels in the back/lat, abdominals and ribcage. It should feel very full, alive, and powerful, like a tiger ready to pounce. Now do the 2 kettlebell clean and hold them in the rack position. The same sensation of fullness in the torso should be present.

The similarities in mechanics required for the martial technique and the kettlebell technique make the 2 kettlebell clean/rack a highly efficient choice of exercise, due to its specificity. Because you do not have to alter the body mechanics for the two movements, there is no wasted time in your strength practice. There are numerous other examples of kettlebell drills that have a high degree of specificity, and are mechanically efficient for martial artists.

Some of the most significant characteristics of a well-rounded martial artist are strength/endurance, mental toughness/body hardening, martial specificity, and efficiency. These 4 attributes need to be addressed when supplementing martial arts practice with weight training. Kettlebells are the tool of choice for accomplishing these objectives, and when properly integrated will increase the speed, power, endurance and movement skill of the martial artist.

Steve Cotter

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