Russian Kettlebell Training and Girevoy Sport

I want to share and maybe clarify a few things about training with Russian Kettlebells (RKB) here in USA. Russian kettlebells can be used in fitness training as well as in the more traditional sport of Girevoy or GS. (Girevoy Sport)

You need to understand the difference between GS training and just RKB training, and there is a MAJOR difference.

Let's talk first about GS. What is GS?

GS is a very specific type of kettlebell training/direction. This is the professional sport of kettlebells, which includes two types of competition: Classic (Jerk and Snatch) and the Long Cycle (clean and jerk)

During a GS competition the athlete competes in one of the above mentioned competitions. The goal is to complete the highest number of reps in 10 minutes WITH OUT setting the kettlebells down.

The main focus of GS is to compete. (The fitness side of it is just an added benefit) GS is a very difficult sport that requires many things to be competitive. Technique, Consistency, Guts and Patience, and extreme conditioning. Sounds simple right? (Trust me it is not easy.)

There are a few steps that you need to follow and also know how to follow:

a. Technique
b. Strength
c. Conditioning
d. Goal
e. Consistency
f. Focus
g. Knowing how to train to pick out right on time.
h. Small steps

And above all else and most important is get the right coach. One with the experience of competing AND coaching for competitions. In the sport of GS it is crucial that your coach leads by example. You need a coach "Who walks the walk" and NOT just "talks the talk." I have been honored to have such a coach.

My coach Panteley Filikidi is a man I respect not only for his accomplishments with in the sport of GS as a competitor, but also for his coaching style.

Now let's talk about KB training:

A kettlebell is a very versatile tool to train with. You can do pretty much every single exercise that you can do with dumbbells plus a few new ones.

Most people train just to get some training done. This normally includes few sets of swings, some presses and some snatches or lifting very heavy kettlebells for few sets.

No structured workout and no specific goal.

Pretty much the same workout as always but with a new training tool (KB).
No correct technique involved but a HUGE possibility of injury. (Especially from lifting very heavy kettlebells.)

When people say I do weightlifting you don't know what exactly they are doing, when they say I do Olympic Weightlifting then you know exactly what they training for. It is a very specific type of training/direction.

With kettlebells it is the same thing. GS is specific direction, Kettlebells or KBs are wide variety of things.

I believe the GS approach for training is by far more advanced and useful training, then just KB training. And here is the one of the main reasons: Every exercise in GS must involve the right technique otherwise you will never see high numbers in competition.

And correct technique translates into "Safety" and longevity.

I want to share and maybe clarify a few things about training with Russian Kettlebells (RKB) here in USA. Russian kettlebells can be used in fitness training as well as in the more traditional sport of Girevoy or GS. (Girevoy Sport)

You need to understand the difference between GS training and just RKB training, and there is a MAJOR difference.

Let's talk first about GS. What is GS?

GS is a very specific type of kettlebell training/direction. This is the professional sport of kettlebells, which includes two types of competition: Classic (Jerk and Snatch) and the Long Cycle (clean and jerk)

During a GS competition the athlete competes in one of the above mentioned competitions. The goal is to complete the highest number of reps in 10 minutes WITH OUT setting the kettlebells down.

The main focus of GS is to compete. (The fitness side of it is just an added benefit) GS is a very difficult sport that requires many things to be competitive. Technique, Consistency, Guts and Patience, and extreme conditioning. Sounds simple right? (Trust me it is not easy.)

There are a few steps that you need to follow and also know how to follow:

a. Technique
b. Strength
c. Conditioning
d. Goal
e. Consistency
f. Focus
g. Knowing how to train to pick out right on time.
h. Small steps

And above all else and most important is get the right coach. One with the experience of competing AND coaching for competitions. In the sport of GS it is crucial that your coach leads by example. You need a coach "Who walks the walk" and NOT just "talks the talk." I have been honored to have such a coach.

My coach Panteley Filikidi is a man I respect not only for his accomplishments with in the sport of GS as a competitor, but also for his coaching style.

Now let's talk about KB training:

A kettlebell is a very versatile tool to train with. You can do pretty much every single exercise that you can do with dumbbells plus a few new ones.

Most people train just to get some training done. This normally includes few sets of swings, some presses and some snatches or lifting very heavy kettlebells for few sets.

No structured workout and no specific goal.

Pretty much the same workout as always but with a new training tool (KB).
No correct technique involved but a HUGE possibility of injury. (Especially from lifting very heavy kettlebells.)

When people say I do weightlifting you don't know what exactly they are doing, when they say I do Olympic Weightlifting then you know exactly what they training for. It is a very specific type of training/direction.

With kettlebells it is the same thing. GS is specific direction, Kettlebells or KBs are wide variety of things.

I believe the GS approach for training is by far more advanced and useful training, then just KB training. And here is the one of the main reasons: Every exercise in GS must involve the right technique otherwise you will never see high numbers in competition.

And correct technique translates into "Safety" and longevity.

Read more

The Wrist Cock Golf Training Aid

Using golf training aids in your golf game is a good practice. There are training aids for everything from putting to hitting a driver. How about the training aids that you use on your body to keep yourself connected or lined up on the target line correctly. The only problem is, there seems to be confusion as to how the wrist cocks in the backswing. This especially true for beginners, because the wrist cock needs to be felt. How can a golf training aid help you to feel how the wrist cocks?

There are plenty of places that you can learn from about how the wrist cocks in the golf swing. You can find them in online golf instruction, golf magazines, and especially my favorite, infomercials.

Seeing a golf tip in action is always better for you than reading or hearing about it. Let's see what an infomercial can tell us about how the wrist cocks in the golf swing. Here's some you might have seen.

* Greg Norman's Secret

* The Medicus

* The Glove

* Kallassy's Swing Magic

Now you don't have to rush out and go buy any of these golf training aids if you don't want to. By watching some of these infomercials though, you can start to pick up on a central theme. How and where your wrists are supposed to be during the golf swing. Better yet. How they are supposed to feel.

Take a look at Greg Norman's Secret. If you watch the infomercial, you might pick up the fact that your right wrist shouldn't be moving much at all. It's movement is fixed. The stationary piece of plastic won't allow any back and forth movement of the hand, only a slight raising of the thumb towards the wrist. Greg even tells you that the wrist cock is like shaking hands with someone. I want you to take this feeling with you. Try to keep the 'V' of your right thumb and forefinger pointed at your right shoulder all the way through the swing. This feeling will allow your wrists to hinge naturally.

Then there's the Medicus. It doesn't matter if you want to talk about the iron or the driver. That shouldn't matter much to you. What you need to pick up on is how the hinge is oriented to the club face. The hinge is facing the same way as face of the club. So if you were to break your wrist backwards on itself, wouldn't the hinge on the Medicus also break. The only way to take the club back without making the hinge break is to cock the wrist upwards. Watch the Medicus infomercial sometime and try to pick out the feeling that you are trying to achieve with this training aid.

The next time that you're watching The Golf Channel and you see an infomercial from one of the golf training aids mentioned, take the time to really watch it. Study what it is about the training aid that is helping golfers improve. Are you feeling the same thing that the training aid is trying to teach? Are you making your golf game more complicated by cocking your wrists too much? Or the wrong way?

These products, the golf training aids, are helpful if you own them, but you can learn a lot just by watching how they are being used.

Using golf training aids in your golf game is a good practice. There are training aids for everything from putting to hitting a driver. How about the training aids that you use on your body to keep yourself connected or lined up on the target line correctly. The only problem is, there seems to be confusion as to how the wrist cocks in the backswing. This especially true for beginners, because the wrist cock needs to be felt. How can a golf training aid help you to feel how the wrist cocks?

There are plenty of places that you can learn from about how the wrist cocks in the golf swing. You can find them in online golf instruction, golf magazines, and especially my favorite, infomercials.

Seeing a golf tip in action is always better for you than reading or hearing about it. Let's see what an infomercial can tell us about how the wrist cocks in the golf swing. Here's some you might have seen.

* Greg Norman's Secret

* The Medicus

* The Glove

* Kallassy's Swing Magic

Now you don't have to rush out and go buy any of these golf training aids if you don't want to. By watching some of these infomercials though, you can start to pick up on a central theme. How and where your wrists are supposed to be during the golf swing. Better yet. How they are supposed to feel.

Take a look at Greg Norman's Secret. If you watch the infomercial, you might pick up the fact that your right wrist shouldn't be moving much at all. It's movement is fixed. The stationary piece of plastic won't allow any back and forth movement of the hand, only a slight raising of the thumb towards the wrist. Greg even tells you that the wrist cock is like shaking hands with someone. I want you to take this feeling with you. Try to keep the 'V' of your right thumb and forefinger pointed at your right shoulder all the way through the swing. This feeling will allow your wrists to hinge naturally.

Then there's the Medicus. It doesn't matter if you want to talk about the iron or the driver. That shouldn't matter much to you. What you need to pick up on is how the hinge is oriented to the club face. The hinge is facing the same way as face of the club. So if you were to break your wrist backwards on itself, wouldn't the hinge on the Medicus also break. The only way to take the club back without making the hinge break is to cock the wrist upwards. Watch the Medicus infomercial sometime and try to pick out the feeling that you are trying to achieve with this training aid.

The next time that you're watching The Golf Channel and you see an infomercial from one of the golf training aids mentioned, take the time to really watch it. Study what it is about the training aid that is helping golfers improve. Are you feeling the same thing that the training aid is trying to teach? Are you making your golf game more complicated by cocking your wrists too much? Or the wrong way?

These products, the golf training aids, are helpful if you own them, but you can learn a lot just by watching how they are being used.

Read more