Jeff, congratulations on the release of
your excellent new video. How did you first hear about kettlebell
juggling?
Thanks Tyler. I first read about kettlebell juggling in Pavel's
book The Russian Kettlebell Challenge. The following sentences
really caught my attention; "V.I. Rodionov recommends a great
variety of kettlebell drills …juggling one or two kettlebells,
by yourself or with a partner" and "Konstantin Steppanov
of St. Petersburg….could juggle a three pood or 48kg kettlebell!"
Later on in his book, Pavel described two exercises that are forms
of KB juggling. He referred to one exercise as "a fine wrist
strengthener". "It's performed by repeatedly throwing
and catching a kettlebell, while keeping the handle vertical,
in front of you." The other exercise is at the very end of
his book, explained under "Pre-Competition Weekly Armed Forces
Kettlebell Drill Complex #1". It's the exercise called the
"spin". The idea of repeatedly tossing, flipping, and
catching a kettlebell really sounded like something fun and worthwhile
to do. So, I decided I would give it a try.
What are your recommendations for someone just getting started
with the hand-to-hand drills? Some of it can be a bit tricky to
learn.
First, I highly recommend starting out with a light kettlebell.
"Light" meaning 16kg or smaller. One word of caution;
if you are using the 4 or 8 kg bells, they are made of rubber
and have a tendency to bounce/ricochet off of hard surfaces in
unpredictable directions. Keep in mind that "quick feet are
happy feet" and "our goal is to train and not to main".
So, use liberal amounts of common sense during training sessions.
Second, invest time to fine tune your one/two hand swings and
the figure eight pass between the legs. Proper form is the key
to staying injury free. As you know from recently attending the
RKC in MN, there are many fine points to performing the swing
that are commonly overlooked by the casual KB user. Third, keep
your H2H training sessions brief, light, and enjoyable. Remember,
you are practicing a skill. So, your focus needs to be on proper
technique. If you become fatigued or excessively winded, take
a short break, recover, and try it again. Remember that you control
the kettlebell, so don't let it throw you around! When in doubt,
just let it safely drop to the ground.
I agree that some of the H2H drills can be a bit tricky learn.
The drills are sequenced in building block fashion from simple
to complex. The key to success is to master the simple drills
first, one drill at a time. Take your time, build a strong foundation,
and allow your body time to adjust to the new demands and stresses
of the H2H drills.
Jeff, I told some people at the certification
seminar that you are like an artist with your kettlebell. I'm
curious how you invent so many new exercises?
When it comes to the idea of "inventing" new exercises,
I believe that Scripture says it best that "there is nothing
new under the sun" (Ecclesiastes 1:9). I like to think it's
more a matter of rediscovering old exercises than it is of inventing
new ones. I am convinced that any new drill or exercise that I
"invent" has already been thought of and perfected by
someone, somewhere, in another time and place. For example, I
showed my friend John Hickman some of the "flying V"
drills one day, then a week later he saw the exact same exercise
on the History Channel. It was a short black and white clip of
German athletes juggling kettlebells in sync, in formation, during
the 1930's.
It wasn't until after I filmed H2H KB Drills video, that I actually
started receiving copies of old articles or manuals that describe
various forms of kettlebell Juggling. In the June 1925 edition
of Strength Magazine, George F. Jowett wrote an article titled
"Weight Lifting as a Sport in Germany". "Heavy
Athletics" was a field event and a national sport which included
the very popular Jonglieren Team competitions. This article described
in detail what John saw on the History channel. The contests were
described as clever, fast, and exciting to watch. To further illustrate
my point that "there is nothing new under the sun",
Pavel sent me an old Strength and Health magazine article titled
"Juggling weights" written by an 80 year old man who
started juggling kettlebells at age 70. He wrote "My first
juggling bells were made from my old Milo Triplex barbell which
I had purchased in 1913." It was very humbling article to
say the least.
Besides kettlebells, is there anything else
that you put in your training programs?
I enjoy practicing dead lifts, weighted pull-ups, rope climbing,
barrel lifting/throwing, hand balancing, tumbling, joint mobility
drills, muscle control exercises, and some select club bell exercises.
Most recently, I've been playing around with some Olympic lift
combinations as designed by Head Strength and Conditioning Coach
Ethan Reeve of Wake Forrest University. They are very challenging
to say the least. I also like the concept of your Ring Training
and look forward to trying them out.
What do your typical workouts look like?
What exercises do you tend to choose and how do you structure
them?
My typical workouts begin with 5-15 minutes of joint mobility,
dynamic flexibility, and/or some tumbling exercises. I prefer
to practice low rep, slow-strength exercises first. I prefer to
sequence a dead lift or squat variation first, then immediately
go to a press variation, then right to a pull up variation. This
makes the most efficient use of my time, I'll usually rest for
a minute or two after the pull up, then I'll begin my next set.
Usually, I like to do a warm up set of 5 reps, then increase the
weight and do a few sets of triples then finish with a few sets
of singles. I'll like to finish my training session by doing 3-5
sets of one, low-rep/high-intensity abdominal exercise (i.e. hanging
leg raises, Janda sit up, full contact twist, etc). I prefer to
practice high repetition kettlebell lifts and/or H2H kb drills
at the end of a strength work out. If I'm short on time, I do
a separate session latter in the afternoon or exclusively the
next day.
I tend to choose multiple-joint, whole body exercises that enhance
functional strength and core stability. I like to vary the exercises
and set/rep/intensity scheme often. I believe one of the biggest
and most common mistakes a person can make is getting too focused
on numbers. If you have tunnel vision on a specific number or
repetitions or amount of weight you think you must achieve, you
are setting yourself up for injury. Learn to listen to your body.
Some days you feel like a hero, so by all means go with it and
achieve a new PR. Other days you'll feel like a zero. On these
days, do yourself a favor and concentrate on perfect form rather
than the poundage.
What kind of benefits have you seen from
your H2H kettlebell drills? How do you incorporate them into your
workouts with soldiers?
H2H kettlebell drills are a fun and fascinating change-of-pace
activity for all devotees of the iron game. It develops explosive
strength and stamina, intramuscular coordination and timing, strengthens
and thickens connective sinews, dramatically increases dynamic
grip strength, and provides tremendous cardio-alternative workout.
A recent employment physical revealed that my resting heart rate
has dropped to 55 bpm and my blood pressure is at an all-time
low of 90/50. To be honest, I consider these numbers less than
mildly interesting because it's not the ultimate goal of my training.
In my opinion, the greatest benefit of practicing H2H drills is
that it will dramatically increase your athletic performance and
ability. Name the sport or physical activity and the H2H KB drills
will enhance your performance. You will hit harder, jump higher,
perform longer, recover faster and add years to your career.
Kettlebells are an extreme conditioning tool, ideal for personnel
in the spec ops or law enforcement community. There is not other
training tool out there that builds strength the endurance as
efficiently as the kettlebell. I always begin teaching and explaining
the principles behind the basic kettlebell exercises, stressing
adherence to strict form. Most operators see and feel the benefits
right from the start. As their technical proficiency and conditioning
increases, I will advance them to various body weight/kb exercises
I developed to further increase specific sports preparation. These
drills mimic the physical stress of various immediate actions
drills, movement to contact, etc.
I also like to use various high repetition KB drills before scenario
based training events. It serves as a medium to quickly increase
an operators' heart rate (i.e.180+ bpm), simulating stress, than
have them practice a duty specific complex motor skill such as
reloading, CQB, hand cuffing, etc. This will systematically progress
to more complex scenarios, adding more equipment until everyone
is wearing "full kit" (i.e. 20-60 lbs.) to include gas
mask and helmet. The bottom line is you can't fake performance
or endurance. So, train hard and with integrity.
You have a pretty interesting job. Could
you tell us a bit about your training at DARC and with the Dept.
of Energy?
DARC (i.e. Direct Action Resource Center) is one of the largest
urban warfare training centers in the US. It is a 500 acre, privately
owned, facility designed for law enforcement and military personnel.
They provide realistic training to individuals and teams who want
to improve their skills and chances of survival, when faced with
violent, life threatening situations. Some of the training available
at DARC includes but is not limited to safe and tactical use of
firearms, CQB/SWAT, Combatives, dignitary protection, and physical
training (i.e. Tactical Strength and kettlebells). I served as
the lead instructor for the combatives and physical training programs.
I currently serve as a full time defensive tactics, firearms,
physical training and special response team instructor, providing
low-profile operational development training for federal agents.
I am also on staff at DARC and at the US DOE NNSI/Central Training
Academy.
How did you get into that line of work? Could you tell us a little
bit about your sports and training background?
I was born in and raised in a small city near New Haven and Bridgeport,
CT. Both my grandfathers are retired police officers. My grandfather,
on the Irish side, was professional prize fighter and the welter
weight champion of Connecticut before WWII. My father was also
an accomplished fighter, not in the ring but on the street. He
taught my older brother and me how to punch the heavy bag and
the value of possessing good fighting skills. We grew up playing
football and started wrestling when we were in middle school.
At the end of my 8th grade year, our family relocated to Massachusetts
and martial arts was added to our sports program. By the end of
my senior year in high school, I made all-state in football, played
on two super bowl teams, and was achieved an equivalent rank of
black belt in two different styles of kung fu. This was also the
year that I first started crossing the line from "tough"
to "stupid". I dislocated my right shoulder at least
once every game. I would "pop" it back in place myself
and pressed on with out missing a play. Needless to say, I had
my first shoulder surgery at the end of that season.
I refused my athletic scholarship offers and decided to join
my brother at a small state college, near Boston. I figured this
would give my shoulder time to heal; I would get my degree, and
then start a military career. While in college, my brother and
I really honed our fighting skills. Most of our free time was
spent practicing kung fu, boxing, bouncing at local clubs, or
fighting at rugby and football parties. We both progressed to
the rank of master in one of our kung fu styles. However, my right
should was continuously dislocating again, which eventually led
me to another surgery. I tried to be smarter this time and actually
followed the doctor's and physical therapist's advice to the "T".
In the beginning of my senior year in college, I joined 19th
Special Forces Group, Rhode Island Army National Guard with the
intentions to go on active duty as soon as I graduated. I drilled
with my unit once a month, all my orders were written and military
schools locked in place. Life was good…until I dislocated
my 'good' shoulder while training with my unit one fateful weekend.
This was actually the third time my "good" shoulder
came out of joint. Things rapidly spiraled down from there. I
graduated college in the spring, had surgery on my left shoulder,
was rehabilitated, re-evaluated, then medically discharged.
In 1990, things started to spiral back up. I got married, relocated
to Albuquerque, NM, became a "born again" Christian,
and went to work as a narcotics detector dog trainer/handler.
I was granted a government security clearance, which opened the
door to a job as the lead defensive tactics instructor for the
DOE Transportation Safeguards Training Center. In the years that
followed, I incurred two arthroscopic surgeries on my right knee
and a total ACL reconstruction on my left knee. It was at this
point, I made a quest to find a smarter way to train.
When you only have a short amount of time
to train your clients in hand-to-hand combat, how do you go about
teaching them? Is there a lot of classroom work or is it mostly
hands-on?
When time is short, I like to introduce my clients to the basic
concepts and principles of Blauer's S.P.E.A.R system. S.P.E.A.R.
is an acronym that stands for Spontaneous Protection Enabling
Accelerated Response. It utilizes the speed and reliability of
the startle/flinch mechanism to convert the "oh no"
moment of a sudden attack into a tactical counter. Most importantly,
this system can be used as a bridge to any style of fighting.
For more information, peruse the following website www.tonyblauer.com.
I try to keep the amount of time spent in the classroom to a
minimum but it really varies depending on…who I'm teaching
- law enforcement, military or civilian…where I'm teaching
- law enforcement academy or private training facility…and
what level I'm teaching - operator or instructor. I think it was
Bruce Lee who said "You can't learn to swim standing on the
beach. Eventually, you'll have to jump in and get wet." The
same is true for fighting.
I heard you say something at the seminar
that I really liked, "If you're going to be stupid, you better
be tough." That one cracked me up. Seriously though, with
all of the injuries you've had, how do you manage to be moving
so well now?
It is only by God's grace and mercy that multiple career ending
injuries have been turned into springboards of opportunity. Scripture
tells us in Romans 8:28 "…that all things work together
for the good to those who love God, to those who are called according
to His purpose." This has been the case in my life. Pavel's
books and videos, especially Power to the People, The Russian
Kettlebell Challenge, and Super Joints has been HUGE answer to
prayer. I am stronger, faster, and more flexible today than I
was when I was 25!
Jeff, thanks for the interview. It was great meeting you in Minneapolis
last month.
Thank you Tyler, it was a pleasure meeting and training with
you. Fight the good fight and keep swinging.
