Kettlebell Sport Guide for Beginners

Despite its inherently off-putting nature (for most people standing on the same spot lifting a weight overhead for 10 mins doesn't sound particularly appealing), kettlebell sport is growing in popularity and attendance at competitions in Australia has been increasing steadily.  Unfortunately, the popularity of the sport is growing faster than the knowledge levels of coaches and athletes, which has led to many a newbie getting injured or burnt out.

If you don't know what kettlebell sport is yet there is a nice summary here.

If you are interested in taking up kettlebell lifting as a sport here are some pointers that will ensure you get off to the right start and set yourself up for good health as well as successful competing.

1. Get a Coach

This is without doubt the most important aspect of success in kettlebell sport.  Unless you're Ivan Denisov, you can't coach yourself effectively and objectively.

So many people new to the sport try to go it alone and it seriously increases the risk of injury through poor  technique and poor programming.  Even a good knowledge of technique and programming for kettlebell sport doesn't make you immune and it's virtually impossible to be subjective about your own training - while I have coached many other people, I always have a coach (or coaches) to help me keep on track.

A good kettlebell sport coach will be able to guide you through everything: safe technique, appropriate programs, competition strategy, recovery etc.  Finding a good coach is as important as finding a good GP (and can be as difficult), so take it seriously and don't just settle for the first cowboy who tells you they can do it.

I will be blatantly honest here.  There is only a very small handful of people in Australia that I would recommend getting kettlebell sport specific coaching from (if you would like to know if there are any near you email [email protected]).  There are a lot of people here who promote themselves as KB sport coaches but whose lack of knowledge makes them borderline dangerous.

Luckily, some of the best lifters in the world now offer online coaching that anyone can access.  So, even though coaching in person has many obvious benefits, unless you are lucky enough to live near one of the few good coaches over here online coaching may be the best option.

Do your research before signing on with a coach:

• Know exactly what they will provide and for how much.  With online coaches, if they don't automatically include technique analysis be very sceptical as technique is the key to safety and good results so any coach who considers it an "extra" is possibly more interested in your money than you wellbeing.
• Know their credentials.  If they haven't trained or been certified by reputable organisations they can be eliminated immediately.  And while a piece of paper can't guarantee a good coach, it's a step in the right direction.
• Get a second opinion on their technique and their athletes' technique from someone in the know.  Objective assessment from someone with a good knowledge level will allow you to separate a genuine coach from a fraud.  I am happy to help out here if you don't know of anyone who can do this (email [email protected]).
• Talk to their athletes.  In particular, if you can get in touch with someone who trained with them in the past but no longer does you'll be more likely to get an honest appraisal.
• Talk to the coach.  Good kettlebell sport coaching requires an eye for detail, an analytical mind and a lot of experience.  If the coach you're talking to sounds like they're not particularly bright, uses a lot of fitness industry buzz words or can't answer a question coherently and succinctly then you should run in the opposite direction.   Stupid people make for bad coaches.
• Find a match.  As with any relationship you need to find someone you're going to get along with or it's just not going to work out.

2. Get GOOD Competition Grade Kettlebells

There are quite a few comp grade bells on the market in Australia now, and they're not all equal.  I've used comp bells where the the distance between handle and body is too short, making hand insertion for snatches more difficult and causing the bell to sit higher on the back of the forearm in a less comfortable spot.   There are also some out there with a paint on the handles so that they can't be chalked properly, which is a huge disadvantage.

The only Australian bells I use and recommend for kettlebell sport are the Iron Edge Pro Grade range for the following reasons:

• Raw steel handle that can be chalked properly
• Kettlebell and handle dimensions consistent with Russian standards
• Properly balanced for ballistic lifting
• 2kg increments available from 4kg - 24kg

3. Get Weightlifting Shoes

As with any other sport you need the correct footwear.  Yes, you can do jerks and snatches in Vibrams or bare feet or Volleys but these are not optimal - there is a reason ALL professional KB sport athletes wear lifting shoes.

Weightlifting shoes will help you shift your weight correctly, they will help with power production in jerks and they will stop you from subconsciously protecting your heels on the second dip of the jerk (a bad habit that results in poor technique). I see so many people start out in the wrong footwear, then finally get some lifting shoes after a couple of years, have to adjust and, after finding how much of a difference they make, wish they'd had them from the beginning.

4. Learn to Chalk the Bell Properly

Chalking the bell properly helps immensely with swings, snatches and cleans, allows you to get more reps out and reduces the risk of tearing your hands up.  It is an important part of the set-up for lifting and to neglect it is to sabotage your own progress.

I've watched Fedorenko chalk his bell before a long set and he is pedantic about it (even chalking his hands he makes sure every nook and cranny is covered) - he knows how much of a difference a well-chalked bell can make.  I even got told off by Denisov for not chalking light bells when warming up, he said if you don't at least put chalk on the bottom of the handle your callouses get warm and are more likely to break during the main set.  (If you think Fuglev is an example of a great lifter who doesn't use chalk you're correct, but he does use a sticky resin and his snatch technique is not one that we mortals can replicate successfully).

Chalking the bell isn't difficult, but does take a bit of practise:

Despite the fact that the best snatchers in the world are adamant about the importance of chalking, I have seen people both her and overseas who have been competing for a year or two who use no chalk or have no idea how to chalk the handle properly.  This, to me, is craziness and they're making what is already a very difficult sport even harder.  Chalking the bell should be considered a basic requirement for kettlebell sport and therefore learned from the outset.

5. Put Classy Lifting before Numbers or Ranks

The ranking system (well, ranking systems since there are countless kettlebell sport organisations each with their own) and opportunity for competition seems to flick a switch in many kettlebell sport athletes' minds making them number obsessed.  Getting fixated on getting a certain number of reps with a certain weight at a certain point in time often leads to over-training, injury through neglect of technique, mental burnout and disappointment.

Having goals is a good way of keeping you motivated and on track, but make sure they're realistic and be flexible enough to revise them if need be.  Classy lifting (excellent technique) is not only more impressive on the platform - "such-and-such got good numbers but their technique was crap" is something I hear at comps a lot - it will result in better numbers in the long run AND prevent injury for a longer, healthier competitive run.

Certainly in the West, every kettlebell sport athlete has had their battle with the numbers vs class issue.  I have had mine and it often springs from an abundance of enthusiasm for the sport.  If you can get into the habit from the very beginning of reminding yourself that beautiful lifting is more important and more impressive than numbers you will be miles ahead of much of your competition.

6. Compete as Often as Possible

"I'm not ready yet" is the catch cry of countless hopeful kettlebell sport athletes.  There is really no such thing, if you can lift the minimum weight and last for 10 mins you should go for it - don't wait to make some stunning debut on the platform with a heavy weight and numbers for a high rank, it probably won't happen.

Competing is an art, and it's very different from training.  In fact, in kettlebell sport where adrenalin is often a disadvantage the norm is to hit less in competition than you would in training (this applies to the highest level professionals too).  It's rare to hit a PB on the platform so don't expect it, and if you're doing things like travelling overseas you can often expect a decent drop in numbers for a comp.

Those who compete more get better at competing - it's simple and competition is the only truly specific preparation you can do for competition.

Different kettlebell sport organisations have different ranking systems and rules, so just be sure that before turning up to a comp you know exactly what's expected and understand that you will need to comply with the rules regardless of what other organisations allow.

7. Think Long Term

If you're serious about getting into kettlebell sport you need to think long term.  The people who do well in the sport are in it for many years (Fuglev is a great example, still competing in the open class and winning at 50).  It's very rare for someone to be doing impressive things within two years.  In fact, the drop-off rate of athletes in the West after 2 years is huge - many people simply lack the patience and persistence to stick with it when they aren't doing amazing things instantly or hit a plateau.

Thinking long term will help you be more patient, get more joy out of small gains and more easily overcome setbacks.

8. Get Support

For many of us in Australia, training alone is the only option.  I've trained alone for the last 5 or so years and, after being able to compare it with team training at the Ice Chamber, I know which I would prefer.

Training in isolation can be tough psychologically and if you can't find a good training partner or team to suffer with, try to find some sort of support network of people who understand what it's like - find people on Facebook or forums who are happy to chat about the ups and downs of training, provide advice when need be, celebrate the victories and commiserate the setbacks.  Just being able to share your experiences with others who understand what you're going through can make all the difference.

9. Avoid Politics

Most, if not all, competitive sports have their politics.  There are a lot of different kettlebell sport organisations and that can make it a bit of a political minefield.  Getting involved in the politics between different organisations won't help your training and in some cases can actually turn you right off the sport, so my advice is to avoid the politics by remaining neutral wherever possible.  If you're serious about lifting and doing well as an athlete focus on that, try to avoid aligning yourself with any one organisation and don't get caught up in stupid debates on public forums.  I speak from experience here and if I could start over I would stay well out of any nonsense and just worry about training, coaching and competing as much as possible with all organisations.

10. Have Fun

There are no professional kettlebell sport athletes in Australia (ie. none who make a living out of competing) and it's unlikely that there will be any in the near future.  That means that we're all hobbyists.  A hobby should be something from which you derive joy or satisfaction -  remember that, and if you find that you're not happy have a think about how to rectify that or ask yourself if it's really the sport for you.

If you are keen to have a crack at kettlebell sport and would like more information email me at: [email protected]