Two Quick Drills to Fix Your Kettlebell Swing Form

Just finished up a great group kettlebell workout this morning at the studio.  At today’s session, we worked on our swing form quite a bit.  A point that got brought up today regarding the kettlebell swing was great, and I wanted to share it with you.

When it comes to the kettlebell swing, our number one goal is to get you to a place where you can do the movement safely and effectively. We don’t want you to get injured doing the exercise, and we want you to be able to enjoy all the benefits it offers – like fat loss, improved conditioning, etc.

That’s our baseline. We try to get folks to that point as soon as possible. And for most people it takes 3-5 training sessions, maybe 300-500 reps of the swing, WITH expert supervision and coaching, to get there.

This should be your goal as well.

Then, after that, we are ALWAYS going to be tweaking and refining the exercise. You can always get a little better at swings. And you should always be trying.

All this being said, I have two drills for you today that will help you improve your swing form, no matter where you are currently at with it. Give them a go, and be sure to let me know how you do:

 

1 – Face the Wall Squat Drill

Wall squats are the perfect way to teach someone how to squat correctly. The wall squat drill is performed while facing a wall and standing approximately one foot away. You will squat down as far as you can, without any part of your body coming in contact with the wall. The visual reference of the wall forces you to stay tall and upright as you squat down. You will also want to make sure your knees track over your toes and you keep your torso in a neutral or straight position. As you get better, and your hips and upper back become more mobile, you will be able to squat lower and lower.

Check out this video to see how to do the exercise:

 

 

2 – The Plank => KB Swing Drill

A proper kettlebell swing requires you to brace your abs just like a plank does at the top of the movement.

If you are NOT bracing your abs properly, you can 1) do a plank hold, and then 2) do a few swings immediately afterwards to feel the relationship between the two.

Check out this video to see how to do the drill:

 

To sum up, the kettlebell swing is one of the most efficient exercises ever. You’ll burn an amazing amount of fat with it in a short amount of time, and your conditioning levels will go through the roof. BUT – you can also ALWAYS be improving your KB swing form. The two videos today will help you a lot in doing this.

That’s it for now. Try today’s drills and let me know how they work out for you.

– Forest Vance
Master of Science, Human Movement
Certified Russian Kettlebell Challenge Instructor

 

PS – If you enjoyed today’s article and videos, please share it with a friend, family member or co-worker who could benefit from it as well!!

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